Federation Commander

Davec_24 · Commander Joined: 16 Jul 2008 Posts: 596 Location: England

In the Revision 4 rulebook, rule (8A1) describes how to use a "location map". If you are using this type of map, a certain location on the map canot move off the map in any direction, and so the map stops floating when it reaches the map edge, and any unit then going off the map edge such that floating the map would move the "location" off the map is considered to have moved off the map.

My question is, what happens if two units move off the map at the same time, at opposite map edges? Or what if moving the map to keep a ship that is about to move off the map on the map (with that so far?) will move the map such that another ship that was near the edge of the map would then be off the map? In all of these cases, I am assuming that such a moving of the map would not require moving the fixed "location" off the map (and in the first case may not require moving the "location" at all).

mjwest · Posted: Mon Sep 29, 2008 6:13 pm Post subject:

Personally, I would rule that the ship that already has position would maintain position.

But the best way to define a location map is not to say the location cannot move off the base map, but rather say that the map limit is defined to be xx hexes from the location. (That is what I have tried to do in any of my scenarios.)
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Davec_24 · Commander Joined: 16 Jul 2008 Posts: 596 Location: England

That's a good idea actually, I'll probably do that in future. The only trouble with that is that it doesn't solve the problem of needing a large board if people are moving in different directions or to opposite corners (as I suppose it basically becomes a large "fixed map" in this case) to each-other - I suppose I'll just have to remember how the map panels relate to each other.

Another idea we toyed with when we encountered this problem was that the ship closest to the marker (and thus the disputed area or mission objective, etc.) will stay on the map. The trouble is that that could be open to abuse as it could then be possible to firce the other player to leave by forcing the map to move such that the other ship is off the map. If you were to say that the ship which can stay on the map without moving it stays on the map, this is no longer a problem so that sounds like a better idea.

Kang · Posted: Mon Sep 29, 2008 7:49 pm Post subject:

If you do use a location map then you need to be very careful about using disengagement conditions where a ship 'leaves the map'. This can also be a problem when a ship is 'considered destroyed' if it leaves the map.

Take the 'Surprise Reversed' scenario for example - here, the Fed CA has to disengage by a certain turn, by leaving the map. But the map is 50 hexes around a certain point. In my thread http://www.starfleetgames.com/federation/phpbb2/viewtopic.php?t=1227&highlight=disengagement , Mike did say that "Quite frankly, any scenario that requires "disengagement" by turn XX on a floating map probably should be reexamined." - and I agree. Also Scoutdad came up with another idea about disengaging by being 35 hexes from the fixed point - another good one.
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Pinkfluffychicken · Posted: Mon Sep 29, 2008 8:42 pm Post subject:

Davec_24 · Commander Joined: 16 Jul 2008 Posts: 596 Location: England

mjwest · Posted: Mon Sep 29, 2008 9:44 pm Post subject:

Well, the other thing is to quit running away!

Laughing

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Davec_24 · Commander Joined: 16 Jul 2008 Posts: 596 Location: England

And eat some plasma... well it would certainly shorten the game. Wink

Pinkfluffychicken · Posted: Tue Sep 30, 2008 10:13 am Post subject:

That's a loooot of space. We've used this map for many years - pre FC - and I've never heard of it being fully used. On the rare occasions you need to extend the location map at all it's only by a few hexes.

It's great compromise (as others have said) between the races that want to run away forever, and the ones who want to pin you in a corner asap.

edit: Thinking about it, we've had this as a club rule for many years and there was co-operation to make it work. If it's now an official arena there probably will need to be some definitive ruling on how "scrolling" the playing surface across the available hexes operates...
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Davec_24 · Commander Joined: 16 Jul 2008 Posts: 596 Location: England

Pinkfluffychicken · Posted: Tue Sep 30, 2008 12:45 pm Post subject:

Ah. Big hexes = heap big difference.

The problem is not hexes, it's real space...
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Famous last words #11: "That's a very big fleet!"

Davec_24 · Commander Joined: 16 Jul 2008 Posts: 596 Location: England

I find playing with the big hexes to be a much more enjoyable gaming experience, partly because I can use miniatures and partly because things become less fiddly, especially when dealing with stacked counters. Unfortunately this does require a lot more space, and my coffee table is only big enough for a 3x3 map, maybe a 3x4 at an extreme pinch. Sad