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April 2012
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Star Fleet Universe News THE BIG NEWS: this month is that Star Fleet Marines is nearing release (set for 23 April), with the first components going to press this week. We're also please to see our partners at Mongoose shipping Federation Fleet Boxes and Klingon Fleet Boxes in quick response to orders (and all pre-orders have now been sent). WEBSITE: Our website, www.StarFleetGames.com, continues to grow and improve. You are welcome to send us your requests, comments, and suggestions. Joel Shutts, our graphics director, continues to update the website, do covers for the new products, shut down pirate websites, help out around the company, and learn more about the game business. One of our newest pages is for Starline 2500 where we display photos and 3d renders of the new starships. FACEBOOK: Jean continues to improve our page on Facebook, adding many new photos and other features. VIDEOS: StarFleetGames has taken its act to YouTube and we now have a YouTube channel. Our goal is to create a video for the new product releases during each month. We have "In the Box" videos to show you what you will see when you unpack your new game. We have also done "Spotlights" on a single product or product line. So pull up a chair and join us at the movies! Our newest uploads are: Star Fleet Marines Part 1 STARBLOG: Our StarBlog has moved to a new URL
and all links on StarFleetGames.com websites have been changed to match. The new
site is JAGDPANTHER
Custom Decals for Starline ships Have you ever wished you could accessorize your Starline 2500 Federation fleet with your own names and hull numbers? Well now you can!
ONLINE TOURNAMENTS Rated Ace Tournament 37 has all of its Round 4 games completed and Round 5
should start at any time. The games are exciting and the four remaining
players are all tough competitors. We think all the players and spectators are
having a good time. Good luck to the final four! The judge is Kerry Mullan.
NetKill Patrol for the First Quarter 2012 is over. The top three players are Brendan Lally, Joshua Driscol, and David Zimdars. Their playoffs are scheduled. SFBOL World League is just starting up. These teams of three players play to see which team is the best. If you are interested, please sign up on the BBS here: http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/12031/140.html?1333993383 DEMOS AND CONS WITH SFU GAMES Please send information to Jean via the email in her BBS profile, PM on the Mongoose or Federation Commander forums, or Message on Facebook. If you want convention support, please contact Mike Sparks at support@StarFleetGames.com. Your convention must meet a few simple requirements (one of which is being held in the United States due to shipping costs) which are here: http://www.starfleetgames.com/sfb/tournament/tourn_main.shtml\ River City Hobbies will be hosting demos of ACTASF on April 19 and 21 in La Crosse, WI. GnomeCon is held on April 20-22, 2012 in Savannah, Georgia. We know there is a Star Fleet Battles Cadet Game scheduled for Saturday evening and there is lots of open gaming going on. For more information see: http://gnomecon.org/ La Crosse Public Library will be hosting Gaming for Adults on April 26 in La Crosse, WI. There will be ACTASF demos during this event which starts at 4:00 p.m. A Call to Arms: Star Fleet First Official Tournament is tentatively scheduled for April 28, 2012 in London, England at Mongoose's headquarters. When we learn more, we'll let you know. No Brand Con in Eau Clair, WI will have open gaming demos on May 4-5. Games to be demoed include SFBF, FC, and ACTASF. For more information see: http://nobrandcon.com/ Fountain of Youth Games in Eau Claire, WI will be hosting demos of ACTASF on May 6. Archcon/Diecon 12 is going to be held June 22-24, 2012 in Collinsville, IL. They will be offering three sessions of A Call to Arms: Star Fleet. For more information, see http://www.diecon.com/D12/ Download Transmissions HAILING FREQUENCIES: This is our newsletter and will let you know all the news for all our games. You can subscribe here. Have you missed an earlier newsletter? Click here to get caught up! COMMUNIQUE: The latest Communique brings you more Ship Cards, scenarios, and more news from the Star Fleet Universe! It can be downloaded from the Commander's Circle. FC Forum Recent Posts
We are very pleased to see the medals, honor bars, and ribbons awarded to players being incorporated into their signatures. It is exciting to see lots of interesting conversations about a wide variety of subjects. Get in on the activity! While for new players the Federation Commander Forum is a little easier to
manage, the original (Discus-based) BBS is where most product development
takes place. If you have a proposal you'd like to see worked on, don't forget to
make sure it is mentioned here. It also has active F&E and SFB forums where
players run campaigns, Rated Ace tournaments and other SFB tournaments are organized (most FC tournaments are organized on the Forum), SVC's "My
Day" appears, along with current news and strategies dealing with Prime Directive, and each issue of Captain's Log is created. While less colorful
(no avatars or sigs), it is a vital part of ADB, Inc.'s communications. Batteries are the most critical system on an Andromedan ship. Here are some tactics for getting the most from your batteries as an Andromedan, and getting around them as a non-Andromedan. Surprisingly to many players, most Kzinti ships lack double drone control. Furthermore, while the type-C drone racks can launch two drones in a single turn, they cannot be launched within twelve impulses of each other. The following tactics can help minimize these limitations for maximum drone concentration and utility: F&E Strategy of the Month Klingons, are you tired of attacking the Hydran ships attempting to cross Klingon territory, crippling several or killing a ship or two, only to have them retreat closer to Federation territory? Demotivationals Throughout the month our graphics director places on the website various cards called Demotivationals. These are like postcards with an image and a phrase that is often used for humor. To see our previous Demotivationals click here. Mini of the Month Starline 2500 Federation Fleet
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New Releases Communique #76 has been posted to the Commander's Circle. Recently Released To be released during April 2012 To be released during April-May 2012 To be released during May 2012 To be released during June 2012 To be released during July 2012 To be released during August 2012 To be released during September 2012 To be released during 2012 PDF SALES: ADB, Inc. continues its relationship with Steve Jackson Games and their e23 Warehouse. We chose e23 because they have a philosophy that agrees with ours -- our customers are honest and honorable and wouldn't aid people who want to steal our products. Furthermore, we know from experience how devastating a computer crash can be and want our customers to know that they don't have to worry about the loss of their e-products bought through e23. What do we have there? We have created a new page that allows easy access to our PDFs for sale on e23. From here you can see what we currently have posted and have links to those products. RECENTLY RELEASED ON e23 RECENTLY RELEASED ON DRIVE THRU RPG NEW MINIS
Star Fleet Fiction "Come in, Lieutenant Commander Kerrell, and get yourself a drink before you sit down," Captain Korlass said, waving aside my attempt to salute and formally report. "You did well for your first mission! I have the honor to present to you the first of many command stars."
Korlass was being unusually friendly. There had been bad blood between him and Koranik, a feud I had stayed clear of. The promotion to lieutenant commander had not escaped my notice. I accepted the command star, noting that it was 5th rank, the lowest version of the award, and formally saluted him as required by protocol. He seemed to be humoring me by returning my salute, turning this into almost a wave toward his office liquor cabinet. I helped myself to some Sefarian brandy and took a seat. "I appreciated your support," I said. "Once we found the mining operation, it was more than my boats were designed to deal with. Sending additional ships so promptly was good for the flotilla's morale, to know that we will be supported." "You dealt with the situation superbly," he said. "I have genuinely looked forward to having such an aggressive warrior as yourself in command of my gunboats. I was particularly impressed that you went ahead and completed your mission despite having more prisoners and booty than you could accommodate." "The mission needed to be done," I said, "or you would not have assigned it." I did not need to mention that sending Slish-tak to look over the third cluster was, among every other reason, a way to ensure we'd get reinforcements, assuming we found anything else. "I am proud to have under my command an officer who will press home his attacks as you did on the convoy, and who will complete his mission regardless of the difficulty," he said. I knew that rumors had been circulating that Koranik, waiting for his promotion and transfer, was not the aggressive and almost reckless commander he was when first appointed to his post. There had been missions in which I wondered at his orders to withdraw from a fight in which we were outmatched, but nothing that was beyond the limits of his prerogative. This did not seem to be enough to explain the feud between Koranik and Korlass, but it was no doubt part of it. "While I have had only two days in command of the flotilla, it has opened my eyes to the broader priorities of higher command. I see more clearly what burdens you bear, and how the 747th can carry its share of those burdens." "Well said, Kerrell," Korlass replied, "We will make of you a sector commander in due time. I have read the reports on the status of your flotilla. I know you are short of boats. I have already told my station maintenance troops to help get your wounded boat back into operation. What else do you need?" (Continue reading here) Ask Admiral Growler BASES Eric Jimerson asks: Can a deployed and operational mobile logistics base be torn down and carted away (by friendly forces) during a scenario?
ANSWER: That is one of those "yes and no" questions that comes down to scenario rules. If the mobile logistics base is fully established at the start of the scenario, the answer is no (not even by special scenario rules). Positional stabilizers take a long time to spin up or spin down, and this cannot be done during a scenario (G29.12). However, special scenario rules might define that a base begins the scenario already under "deconstruction" (just as it might define the base as about to "come on line"). Existing rules say the mobile-base pods are not active while under transport (R1.24), so if it were about to undergo final disassembly (for scenario purposes), it would be inactive (phasers and power systems, shields, other systems, would not operate). It would simply be a "pair of cargo pods" for most purposes. (The crew would probably have to have been removed by a troop freighter or other personnel transport sometime prior to that point, perhaps leaving only the 35-to-45-man skeleton crew, i.e., the minimum crew, for the final disassembly. They would then be transferred to the tug or some other ship.) Loren Knight asks a follow-up question: Should the scenario use a cargo pod SSD or would you use the real SSD and hit systems according to what they are? Also, the number of internal systems might be different from a cargo pod. Another thought, the Victory Points awarded would be for the station parts and not for a cargo pod, right? What is the BPV of an inactive but crewed mobile logistics base? (Its EPV would remain the same, right?) ANSWER: Under the provisions of (G14.13) the systems on the inactive pods are not operable and are treated as cargo boxes for damage purposes. The Victory Points are based on the economic value of the unit (S2.20-C) and the economic value does not change just because the unit is inactive (it still costs the same to build the replacement mobile-base pods if they are destroyed). Francois Lemay asks: A base is in hex 2525 facing F; on Impulse #28 it rotates to 2525 facing A. On Impulse #29, enemy ships get to hex 2526A and fire on the base's #4 shield scoring 100 points of internal damage. My question is if the base's heavy phaser-4s #1 and #2 and phaser-3 #7 qualify for phaser hits due to their still being able to fire at anything in 2526 since it is Impulse #29? I suspect on Impulse #30 the phasers I mentioned do not qualify then. ANSWER: First, (R1.1G7) does not change (D4.321). If you fire at the base station on an impulse where (R1.1G7) makes it possible for phasers that are otherwise out of arc to fire at you, then those phasers can be hit under (D4.321). Second, the exception is a starbase. Under (R1.1D-2) the damage has to be applied to the docking module that is behind the shield that the fire is penetrating through. This changes once you have penetrated the armor belt behind that docking module, which makes the docking modules that were protected by that armor belt also vulnerable, but not the ones protected by the other armor belt. So in the case of a starbase, (R1.1G7) does not increase the vulnerability of the weapons in the docking modules to directional damage. (End of Ask Growler. ) F&E Q&A BASES: CHAINS OF SUPPLY Q: Rule (506.3) specifically prohibits the Romulans from building any kind of base in their off-map area, but a ruling in CL#38 said they could and a response to a rejected tactical note in the CL#40 Supplemental File said they could not. Can this be clarified, please?
A: This is an issue as old as the game. It was clarified in F&E2010 that the Romulans can build a mobile base or a colony there to provide Strategic Movement or a place to accumulate EPs. F&E2010 also provided the Klingons with an "assumed base" in their leased area in the Lyran outback. Q: In a confusing situation, an Hydran fleet in Lyran space was out of supply and drained the supply tug so that they would be treated as in supply. Later in the turn, the fleet re-established supply, and then lost the supply link. Did the supply tug get refilled or not?
A: It depends on when supply was re-established. Rule (509.53) is only part of the solution; the Sequence of Play establishes certain points at which supply is evaluated. If the supply tug was back in supply at one of those points, it was refilled. If not, it wasn't. Q: A diplomatically aligned neutral planet (540.24) generates EPs but is not connected to adjacent grids and is in its own partial grid until such time you are at war with the other neighboring power. They accumulate EPs which may be used to locally construct defenses and/or accumulate. May one use Orion smuggling to transfer EPs to the planet to augment its indigenous EPs for construction projects? A: Sure, if you have them per (410.34). You would have to obey all rules concerning the use of EPs for your empire at that time based on your economic condition. If you are at Peace, you could cancel PWC or use other diplomatic income to do this. Or, if you were at War but this was an inactive fleet you could use money from the general treasury at the local Orion's rate of exchange. The local planet would not allow you to remove such income via the Orions as they know it would just make their situation more untenable. (End of F&E Q&A) ASK AUNT JEAN Q: When will you release the long-promised Traveller version of Prime Directive? Send questions to Jean at design@StarFleetGames.com and SVC will decide which one Jean will answer next. Cool Stuff on the Website In this section we will provide links to various web pages and items that we think you will find "cool".
We have also uploaded new Xander wallpapers to our Wallpapers section on the website. We have new images of our next game Star Fleet Marines posted on our BBS topic page. STAR FLEET ALERTS These are the press releases we send to the wholesalers, retailers, and media. You can get on the mailing list for them by asking Marketing@StarFleetGames.com to add you to the list. (Obviously, they are free.) They are uploaded to the Star Fleet Alert page NEW MINIATURES! Starline 2500 Klingon D17 Cruiser
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