Federation Commander

Inan,
Space based weapons was one thing most players ignored in Centurian,
very few used them in Battletech ---

Not what the games are about, mainly a feature used by munchin players with little tactical skills ---

Bobo_MK_XL

If I was the designer of SFM I would not allow use the weapons from starships to unbalance the game , but as artillery or as air strikes are used today.

Not in the way you are suggesting, in a munchkin like way.

Space based weapons unbalanced in Centurian, and Battlech, who would have thunk?

Clans anyone?

SFU has long ago declared that phaser stun thing in the mob story to be nonsense.

A company has 9 squads, but with attachments that creeps up to 12 or even 14.

A battalion has 27 which tends to creep up to 40 or so with weapons, scouts, engineers, snipers, etc.

Steve Cole wrote: Will there be rules for Starship to planet ground support?
Sure, Fire phaser, entire map explodes.

Really?

That is disappointing.

I could see how it could be used as a crutch...or perhaps "abused" would be a better way to put it. TPTB screwed up Battletech royally with that nonsense.

However, I would think that "surgical strikes" by phasers would be useful now and then. Clearing an LZ before I beam down my troops. Removing a particularly stubborn field emplacement or denying the enemy movement or access.

Agree that stunning a bunch of goons in bad suits with goofy hats was ridiculous.

Not that it would always be possible, what with the ship itself having to deal with planetary defenses and enemy ships. Trying to "burn-down" an enemy emplacement while dodging phaser-4 fire would suck.

Drones would be useless as support...unless there were some type of non-nuke option.
Blech, I wouldn't even want to begin to mess with that.

Last resort sure, if you want to deny the enemy a resource you have no hope to capture or retain.
"I say we get the hell off this putrid Kzinti rock and nuke the site from orbit...its the only way to be sure."

in SFB there is already an anti-personnel ship-to-planet weapon: Transporter Artillery.

If ship board phasers were necessary for the mission, I highly doubt ground troops would have been sent in.

phdillman wrote:If ship board phasers were necessary for the mission, I highly doubt ground troops would have been sent in.

Couldn't disagree more. It doesn't always have to be part of planetside operations, but as history blatantly shows, no plan survives contact with the enemy and a couple of phaser strikes on the enemy might just be the difference between victory or defeat.

Forgot about the transporter artillery. Nasty stuff there.

So is this product completely different from Module M? Compatible?

I would equate Star Ship weapons use in SFM to using Nukes in Squad Leader ----

The game was designed for Marine vs Marine (whatever each Empire calls them), if that's not what you want to play then the games not for you ---

From my understanding, SFM is suppose to be compatable with Module M. Not the same, but, most of the equipment and the likes will be there.

Ship weapons cannot "surgically target" small things like squads. They just cannot do it. That's what trasnporter artillery is for.

In another sense, there is no point in playing the game if one side has ship-weapon fire support on any reasonable level.

Fred: You landed 6 six squads. HA! I have an entire battalion of troops, 27 rifle squads, plus vehicles, heavy weapons, engineer, commandos, and snipers.

Bill: Firing shipboard weapons. Two-thirds of your troops are dead.

Fred: run!

Bill: turn #2, Firing shipboard weapons. You now have only that one squad in the northwest corner. He wasn't close enough to anything else for me to get him with six phaser shots. Do you want to move him off the map or do you want me to kill him next turn?

Star Fleet Marines: Assault is now available from our storefront. We encourage you to support your local game store, but if there isn't a local one, then feel free to order it from us. We will ship this game to customers next week, about mid-week.

http://store.starfleetstore.com/merchan ... ry_Code=09

"Newly updated for 2012, Module T-2012 is the replacement for Module T-2000 first released in 2000. The new version has an 86-page rulebook that also has information for conducting a tournament for any games currently in the Star Fleet Universe, including Star Fleet Battles, Federation Commander, Federation & Empire, Star Fleet Battle Force, A Call To Arms: Star Fleet, and Starmada. It also has a 28-page SSD book including the 18 authorized and 10 experimental tournament ship SSDs, including the Borak and Peladine tournament ships. Also included are the Star Fleet Battles tournament countersheet, an ammunition countersheet and a standard 4230 Star Fleet Battles map."


Uh, whops?

I placed my order. I have really been looking forward to this product. Thanks!

Sweeper, we caught that and have put up a quick fix. We'll probably edit the blurb a bit more when Leanna is there to do the real fix.

Thanks for looking out for us on that though!

Ordered!

Like how the picture of the map was added to the product discription!!

Have a copy ordered through my FLGS. Have to wait for one of them to get the game in before it can be sent here. Figure two weeks or so before I get it.