federation commander campaign

[Sir Drake]

KZINTI COMMUNICATION FEED PRIORITY ONE

On board the heavy dreadnought Saint Palidus. Fleet Admiral Kzarr’s ear drop flat and a hungry grin spreads across his face.
“You misunderstand us, we were not opening up a negotiation with you, we were allowing you to correct your error. You start a war and fail, you do not get to stop on your terms. Obviously you will have to learn the hard way. You have already surrendered two systems and now more shall follow. Peace will be restored, but at a larger loss of Hydran Territory.� He turns right and snaps an order off screen. “Begin attack order mearowet' aatrurre…..{End Transmission}

[PallidaMors]

Hello, as I'm looking through the rules I have some questions about the basic setup of the campaign.

1. What do you use for a strategic map? The F&E hexagon-based map? I'm going to continue my comments based on this assumption.

2. Is each hexagon on the F&E mapped separately on an as-needed basis by the players (I will call each hexagon a "sector" from here on")? Based on my reading it looks like the answer is yes.

3. Where do you put these lines on the front and back of each box to indicate defensive capabilities? The strategic or sector map? I'm very confused, an example for people who have not seen your setup would be most helpful.

4. How do you translate the sector map with all these lines front and back into board setups for a tactical FC battle?

5. How do the results of a FC tactical battle translate back to the sector and strategic map level? Can you actually loose a hexagon from the strategic map or are you simply fighting over the parts of a sector?

What I would love to see if some digital photos taken and posted of your map setups. A photo-based tutorial of the setup and first turn of the campaign portion of Empire would be most helpful.

Given that the Prime Directive RPG game seems to be making a comeback with the upcoming release of PD:Federation, might I suggest the following to help with the scalability of this campaign:

1. Since each hexagon in the F&E map (west http://www.starfleetgames.com/federation/west_map.shtml and east http://www.starfleetgames.com/federation/east_map.shtml ) contains some 50 or so unexplored but habited/habitable worlds that make interesting RPG settings, can you create a sheet that allows you to catalog worlds within each hexagon as it is explored and subsequently "fortified" with lines at the front and back. This would allow your campaign to integrate with the RPG, bringing more people into the fun.

2. Please consider organizing your rulebook using the same numbering system that FC uses. I have a Microsoft Word Document already setup with the system if you'd like a copy so you don't have to reinvent the wheel.

3. Please add a section to the rulebook whose focus is the base setup and the introduction of the campaign tools (forms).

4. Please create separate player visual aids much like the laminated sheets in FC that allow players to not have to have the rulebook open during play.

5. Please make more use of actual digital pictures of your setup so the players can actually see what it looks like.

Thanks so much for reading! It looks like a great campaign, I just can't figure it out yet unfortunately. I look forward to your responses so I can playtest it!

Hi I will respond to you ASAP, I am travelling on business right now and when I have a moment I will give you a detailed and organized reply.

Thanks,

Pallida

[Pinkfluffychicken]

YAAAY!

T15 processed. And there was much smugness.

The Kzin are stirring in the North West and look as though they fancy a bit of Hydran for lunch and the Klingons and Lyrans are glowering at eachother in the South East.

Fleets are being built and forming up across the known galaxy. The dark clouds of war are forming on the windward horizon and there is a mutter of thunder - or was it plasma - in the subsonics.

The bloody claws of FEAR are extending....

Cue ominous music and mug shot of Tom Cuise. (Aaaaargh!)

[asguard101]

Hi I will respond to you ASAP, I am travelling on business right now and when I have a moment I will give you a detailed and organized reply.Pallida

Hey Palli gald to hear from you. I hope when you answer his questins, you are able to tell us the out come of the Lyran / Klingon battle, I'd love to know if the B10 went down in flames. And of course how the Hydrans fared.

[PallidaMors]

YAAAY!

T15 processed. And there was much smugness.

The Kzin are stirring in the North West and look as though they fancy a bit of Hydran for lunch and the Klingons and Lyrans are glowering at eachother in the South East.

Fleets are being built and forming up across the known galaxy. The dark clouds of war are forming on the windward horizon and there is a mutter of thunder - or was it plasma - in the subsonics.

The bloody claws of FEAR are extending....

Cue ominous music and mug shot of Tom Cuise. (Aaaaargh!)

HOw interesting, in your campaign as well as in mine. the Hydrans and Kzinti are at war, and they occupy the northwest secion of the map (alpha Quadrant) and the Lyrans and the Klingons are at war as well in the Southeast corner of the map....how coincidental.

[PallidaMors]

Hi I will respond to you ASAP, I am travelling on business right now and when I have a moment I will give you a detailed and organized reply.Pallida

Hey Palli gald to hear from you. I hope when you answer his questins, you are able to tell us the out come of the Lyran / Klingon battle, I'd love to know if the B10 went down in flames. And of course how the Hydrans fared.

hail and well met Asguard.

I will post a detailed answer to the questions when I get back, in terms of the Klingon Lyran battle.........

The B-10 survived, though she was burning the Lyran fleet managed to get about 50-60 points past shield #4, but the Lyrans withdrew, the Klingon player rolled at the end of turn 1 for the arival of his reinforcements, and he rolled a 1 for both ships. so durning trun 2 rthe Lyran fleet closed, and watched as the B-10 blew a massive hole in the shoeld of a Lyran CW and scored some internals. the Lyran CA was targettted by 12 drones and the ESG on the advance CA blew the drone wave away. the B-10 turned away to the klingon start postion to await the arrival of the Klingon C-7 IKV Plague and the D-5W Blood Vengeance. the KR had been claked and was in a position to flank the lyran fleet. the lyrans attacked the B-10 with a massive alpha strike from rnage 8 or so then disengaged before the Klingons could arrive.

it was a great game, and fast enough that we were able to play another battle right after it.

it was one of the Gorn raids into Romulan shipping lanes.

the Gorns attacked with a HDD and a FF, the Romulans used orion mercs to patrol. so ships from the the orion prime cartel intercepted. an Orion SAl and a Orion LR. the battel was inconclusive no hits scored the Orions withdrew and 2 freighters were destroyed.

Pallida

[Sir Drake]

I see PallidaMors responed while I was typing but here it is anyway

The Lyran / Klingon battle was fought last Friday. It only lasted 2 turns because both of the Klingon reinforcements made the best possible roles and were going to enter the board at the start of turn 3 within 13 inches/hexes of the location of the Klingon BB. I will recount it as best as I remember . I am running the Lyran empire and had another player helping to fly some of my ships.

The first turn the lyrans went speed 24 from a starting point in the middle of one long side of the table. The Klingons went speed 16 form the corner of the other long side of the board. Both sides headed toward each other with a few speed bumps along the way. A little past the halfway point the smaller Klingon ship that was actually a Romulan cruiser bought by the Klingon started to cloak. Impulse 6 or 7 the BB launched a wave of 8 drones at the lead Lyran, a CA. Impulse 8 came around and the BB unloaded on the Lryan DE near the back of the pack of Lyrans, knocking the #1 shield to half after reinforcement and one internal. The Lyrans knowing that at the range of around 15 inches were not going to be able to beat the battery reinforcement of the BB or hit the cloaked cruiser used their direct fire to take out one drone completely and do 2 points each to two others. With some really bad rolls all around.

Turn two starts with the klingons going 16 again and the Lyrans going 24 the Klingon cruiser staying cloaked. The rolls are made and it is known the reinforcements will be on board next turn. The Klingon cruiser had been and continued to circle around to the right as the BB and the lyrans closed head on. Impulse 1 the BB launches 5 more drones at the CA. Impulse 3 the klingon BB alpha strikes one of the CW’s knocking down the front shield and doing 24 internals. The Lyrans hold their fire for a closer shot. Next impulse the BB HETs away and the Lyrans fire knowing that they do not want to follow the BB with two more ships adding to the fight. The CA does some great shooting and knocks the back shield of the BB down by it’s self and the rest of the ships in arc do about 50+ internals the damaged CW is on the #5 shield and holds its fire. The Lyrans then high tail it to the edge of the board which they will reach at the end of the turn or soon after. The cloaked ship uncloaked when the shooting started but the plasma was chasing speed 24 ships and had no chance to catch up. The CA’s ESG ate all of the remain drones. We called the game about impulse 6 of the second turn realizing that the Lryans ships all had fresh shields facing and any damage wasn’t going to change the out come.


The end result was one Lryan CW with internals, the DE repaired the one point it took on turn 1, and internals scored against the Klingon BB. It was an interesting fight being the first time the Lyrans have been played. Having to keep a open formation use the ESG was a challenge. I just wish the reinforcements would have taken more time to get there, two more turns would have changed things quite a bit.

[PallidaMors]

AN OFFICIAL HYDRAN RESPONSE AND INTERNAL STUDY OF THE KZINTI

The Hydrans have determined the following:

The Kzinti Theocracy is to small to be it's own independent State, and they are to large to be an insane asylum.

The Hydrans will overlook the Kzinti need for peace and reconciliation and continue to move in the direction of full war, as it seems the Kzinti do not yet seem to understand what true war is, thinking that the occupation of 2 unimportant Hydran systems mean that a war is going badly for the hydrans certainly confirms that they have little percepton of what vicotry is and further less of a perception of what defeat will feel like for them.


END TRANSMISSION

[pinecone]

Duhn, Duhn, Duhnn

[asguard101]

Anyone wanna take bets?

[toltesi]

Hi I will respond to you ASAP, I am travelling on business right now and when I have a moment I will give you a detailed and organized reply.Pallida

Thanks for the response; I just wanted to reiterate how wonderful the rules are...my questions are geared to helping me (someone who isn't there playing) better understand how it all fits together. Nothing I have written should be construed as a negative or ungrateful comment.

Hope you have a safe trip!

[asguard101]

quick question, I'm pretty sure I know the answer, but just want to be sure. Are you using Fleet or squadron scale ships for your battles?

[Sir Drake]

we are playing with all Squadron scale.

also here is a map of our games strategic map as it stands at this point in turn 13 the black on white numbers are the hex numbers and the larger black munber in the midle is the system size.

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk15 ... Mapt12.jpg

as the Kzinti and Lyran player I have added a little more info to those areas but is probly hard to see and the location of mobile bases in other empires is out of date.

Here also is a map close up of the currant Hydran/Kzinti fights still to be finished for this turn. The 2 hexes with the yellow border are the ones the Kzinti took with out a fight and the arrows show the Kzinti attacks still to be fought.
http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk15 ... encive.jpg

enjoy.

Sir Drake

[DArc_Tangent]

The B-10 survived, though she was burning the Lyran fleet managed to get about 50-60 points past shield #4, but the Lyrans withdrew, the Klingon player rolled at the end of turn 1 for the arival of his reinforcements, and he rolled a 1 for both ships. so durning trun 2 rthe Lyran fleet closed, and watched as the B-10 blew a massive hole in the shoeld of a Lyran CW and scored some internals. the Lyran CA was targettted by 12 drones and the ESG on the advance CA blew the drone wave away. the B-10 turned away to the klingon start postion to await the arrival of the Klingon C-7 IKV Plague and the D-5W Blood Vengeance. the KR had been claked and was in a position to flank the lyran fleet. the lyrans attacked the B-10 with a massive alpha strike from rnage 8 or so then disengaged before the Klingons could arrive.

Admirals Log Battleship Stovokor: Lyran intruders intercepted. Plan to lure enemy fleet into decisive engagement between KR, Stovokor, and incoming reinforcements unsuccessful. Insignificant damage to Stovokor. Transmitting sensor data of ESG effects on drone swarms and potential for damage if used ship to ship. Unfortunately, no data on effect of ESG on plasma torpedo. Log ends.

[PallidaMors]

we are playing with all Squadron scale.

also here is a map of our games strategic map as it stands at this point in turn 13 the black on white numbers are the hex numbers and the larger black munber in the midle is the system size.

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk15 ... Mapt12.jpg

as the Kzinti and Lyran player I have added a little more info to those areas but is probly hard to see and the location of mobile bases in other empires is out of date.

Here also is a map close up of the currant Hydran/Kzinti fights still to be finished for this turn. The 2 hexes with the yellow border are the ones the Kzinti took with out a fight and the arrows show the Kzinti attacks still to be fought.
http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk15 ... encive.jpg

enjoy.

Sir Drake

This is the first time i have allowed for the map to be shown, this map is the current Empire map in the campaign. each empires capital was the origianl starting position on the four blank laminate hex maps. note the 2 home systems for the romulans, the home system on the Beta Map (north west map) was the original Seltorian homeworld, and is now a part of the Romulan Empire. also note the two larg eempty spaces on the top of the empire map, this is the future starting position for the ISC.

Pallida