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December 2022
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Star Fleet Universe News THE BIG NEWS:
The big news this month is the release of the final 13 Dec 2022 edition of Federation & Empire Strategic Operations, which was released as an "early bird" PDF four months ago. The final edition is available in hard copy and has been updated on the PDF stores. You can download the Strategic Operations Rulebook from these sources: Warehouse 23: http://www.warehouse23.com/products/ADB3211-2 DriveThru RPG: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/407149/ Wargame Vault: https://www.wargamevault.com/product/407149/ It is available as a complete expansion (including the rulebook and three sheets of double-sided counters) from either your local game store or direct from ADB: https://www.starfleetstore.com/expansions-c-22_88/fe-strategic-operations-2022-p-464.html Our best wishes this holiday season, and we hope you can take time to be with family. If you have a spare minute, throw in a prayer for
peace on Earth.
WEBSITE:
Our website, www.StarFleetGames.com, continues to grow and improve. You are welcome to send us your requests, comments, and suggestions. Simone Dale, 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.
TWITTER: VIDEOS: Star Fleet Marines Part 1 DOING VIDEOS OF THE SFU
A customer asked about posting "tutorial videos" for our games. We like it when people do that (and even give commendation medals) but you need to have us check the videos to make sure you aren't violating something somehow (or that you didn't make a rules error). Doing such videos to make money is not cool. Please drop us an email before you post the videos.
STARBLOG: STAR FLEET'S LEGIONS EXPAND: This month we feature Battle Group Hampton Roads, headquartered in Hampton, Virginia. CO William Phillips reports they play Star Fleet Battles and Federation & Empire. They also enjoy attending gaming conventions. Read more here: http://www.starfleetgames.com/battlegroup/battlegroup_HamptonRoads.shtml
Do you have a battle group? Be sure to report your activities here: http://www.starfleetgames.com/battlegroup/report.shtml
Do you want to see if there's a battle group near you? Check out the map here: http://www.starfleetgames.com/battlegroup/gather.shtml#US
Facebook Fan Pages
So join us on Facebook and get a fix of your favorite game there, too! As announced in Captain's Log #54, Jean Sexton Beddow's husband, Al Beddow has been appointed to take over the day-to-day of running the SFU Ranger demo team. He comes with a bit of experience both teaching various types of games as well as having been in quite a few demo teams (and ran/helped run a few). He is most familiar with GURPS Prime Directive but early on played ACTASF and spent Gencon 2012 demoing it in the Mongoose Publishing booth there. So, we are asking each of you to email Al at the address below with the following: - Name Al will add you to the Ranger group on the forum once he has this info, which will let you access our area there. He is looking forward to working with all of you to spread the news of the Star Fleet Universe! Current stats: We have heard from 22 of our Rangers and have three new ones! We are excited to see the Rangers becoming active as playing in person and cons once again start up. Jean Sexton Beddow Al Beddow Ranger Email: adbrangerhq@gmail.com FB Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/517647465103651/ ADB Forums: http://www.starfleetgames.com/federation/phpbb2/index.php ADB BBS: http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/
JAGDPANTHER
Custom Decals for Starline ships
Tenneshington Decals continues to produce decal sets made to fit Federation starships in ADB's Shapeways 3788, 3125, 7000 "Elite", and 2500 "Prestige" scales. A wide selection of ships are available, with sets for the CVo operational ("flatbed") carrier, CVA heavy fleet carrier, CF fast cruiser, and DDF fast destroyer recently added. The 3788 scale decals are also great to use on ADB's metal Starline 2400 ships and the 3125 scale decals can be used on ADB's metal Starline 2500 ships. Tenneshington will also continue to offer their legacy decals for Starline 2500 ships as special orders, for customers wishing to match their existing minis. As with all of their products, the names on the ships are up to the customer and all sheets are custom-printed to order. Additional decal sets are available for shuttlecraft and to sets to detail any ship with additional window blocks, sensors, hatches, and even phaser scars. For more information or to download the order sheet, check them out at www.tenneshington.com. Or if you prefer, email Will McCammon at: will@tenneshington.com or Tony L. Thomas at: scoutdad@tenneshington.com .
ONLINE TOURNAMENTS Update to Sapphire Star IX: With Sapphire Star tournaments IX and X finished, XI is now running. The second Sapphire Crown tournament will kick off on 1 June with the four most recent winners.
DEMOS AND CONS WITH SFU GAMES Due to the COVID-19 virus, many conventions have been cancelled. We encourage you to check out Star Fleet Battles Online where there is a free demo version. It is a good way to hang out with others who play Star Fleet Battles and Federation Commander. Check it out here: https://www.sfbonline.com/index.jsp Star Fleet Battles games are played regularly in Columbus, Ohio, on Sunday afternoons at the Soldiery. Lee Hanna is the contact person. 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: This monthly magazine repeated much of the same information that Hailing Frequencies does. December 2019 was the last month it was published. Old issues can be downloaded from the Commander's Circle. Mini of the Month This is the 3788 Scale Lyran Java Tiger Heavy Command Cruiser (CCH) painted by Nick Samaras.
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New Releases EXTRAS FOR THE MONTH: You can look at Hailing Frequencies Extras here.
Click here to see our previous issues of Hailing Frequencies.
Recently Released
SHAPEWAYS:
We’re now offering some of our miniatures and some new designs on Shapeways. You can check out the store here: https://www.shapeways.com/shops/amarillo-design-bureau-inc?sort=newest
PDF and EBOOK SALES:
RECENTLY RELEASED ON Warehouse 23
Ask Admiral Vanaxilth SCOUTS
Francois Lemay asks: Once a scout starts to attract a drone, who controls the flight path of the drone: the scout or the drone owner?
ANSWER: Attracting a drone changes the target of the drone; it does not change the owner. The owner of the drone still controls its movement, within the constraints of (F2.2). Roch Chartrand asks: Channel #1 was used to break lock-on on Turn #1, Impulse #31. Can the same channel be used for something on Turn #2 Impulse #1? ANSWER: By (G24.12), yes it can. Nick G. Blank asks: I would like you to clarify rule (G24.132) and its accompanying example. The relevant part of the rule says "If a scout blinds a channel that is providing ECM/ECCM or self-protection, the channel is considered blinded for the step in which it is blinded ... fire during the same step ... would lose the scout support." The example says that if a fast patrol ship tender (scout) powers channel #1 to loan electronic warfare to its fast patrol ship flotilla, and fires its weapons on Impulse #32 (blinding channel #1), then powers channel #2 on the next turn to again loan electronic warfare to the fast patrol ship flotilla, that the fast patrol ships would never be without electronic warfare support. This seems to contradict the rule, which the way I read it says that the fast patrol ships in this example would be vulnerable (without the fast patrol ship tender's lent electronic warfare) during the Impulse #32 firing step in which the fast patrol ship tender fires its weapons, i.e., an enemy that fired at the fast patrol ships in the same firing step in which the fast patrol ship tender blinded its sensor would not have to deal with the lent electronic warfare. The example and rule seem to contradict each other; which is correct? ANSWER: This one had to go to Kommodore Ketrick who replied: I hate to say it, but the example is quite clearly wrong. It was probably written originally for some other scout function and was changed to the more common and prosaic electronic warfare lending function at some point without realizing that made it contradict the rule. The rule is pretty clear that electronic warfare lending ends immediately with the firing of the blinding weapon providing no benefits. So the example is wrong and I have made a note to fix it, to wit: (G24.132) The example, following this rule is in conflict with it, and therefore the example is wrong. The PFT could not continue lending to the PF flotilla on Impulse #32 if it fired its weapons and blinded its channel. Any weapons fire directed at the PFs on the same impulse would not be affected by any EW the PFT was lending them. Daniel K. Thompson asks: Regarding the scout channel answer for (G24.132): The rule seems to contradict itself since it starts off by saying blinding is done after weapons fire is resolved on the first line of the rule. It then goes on to say it happens before it is resolved. Can this be clarified some please? Which is correct? ANSWER: Kommodore Ketrick replied: I can see where the first sentence of (G24.132) could be a little confusing relative to the fourth sentence. However, there is no contradiction. The scout channel is considered blinded after weapons fire is resolved in terms of functions other than electronic warfare lending, and for purposes of when the 32-impulse blinding period begins. However, any electronic warfare lending from the channel will be canceled during the phase the scout fired the blinding weapon. Follow-up question: So, for example, if the scout fires a phaser-1 during the exact step where all similar weapons are fired, any electronic warfare it is generating does not count for any purpose? ANSWER: You have the gist of it, but let me give an example to make sure we are all clear. A Hydran scout has two special sensors powered. One has been used to break lock-ons of some drones. The other is being used to lend four ECCM to a friendly Tartar. On Turn #2, Impulse #15, the scout fires a phaser-1. This will blind one channel through the direct fire phase of Turn #3, Impulse #15. The scout player chooses the one that had been used to break lock-ons, so the ECCM lending continues. Impulse #16, the Tartar has reached optimal firing range, but the scout needs to fire all four pulses from one of its phaser-Gs at some drones that are getting close. This fire will blind the other scout channel. The Tartar fires one of its hellbores in the first hellbore firing option. It will benefit from the ECCM. However, the phasers it fires this impulse will not benefit nor will the other hellbore that it fires during the second hellbore firing option. Francois Lemay asks: A Kzinti battlecruiser has just launched four drones and is then placed in stasis. There is a Kzinti battle station in the battle and it has all three channels powered. Can the battle station use one of these channels to take control of the battlecruiser's just-launched drones even though it has not already declared the use of that special sensor for this purpose? ANSWER: Yes. There is no defined point in the Sequence of Play or in (G24.24) for activating a special sensor's seeking-weapon control function, so it you can use a scout channel for this purpose at the point the control channels are needed. Normally, this would be at one of the steps in the 6B6 Seeking Weapons Stage, but in this case, we have an involuntary transfer, which overrides the normal sequence of play. Ed Crutchfield asks: If you put a scout pod on a tug, do you pay the economic BPV for the tug or do you just pay the combat BPV? You would still pay the economic BPV for the scout pod. Also, how would that apply any other pods attached? ANSWER: This one went to Kommodore Ketrick who replied: If the tug has a scout pod, the tug is a scout, i.e., any power systems on the tug and the second pod can be used to power the special sensors and operate them. Firing the weapons of the tug or the added pod will blind the special sensors, and if the tug was on passive fire control the pod could still lend the whole combination ECM. If you do not want to pay this penalty, do not fit your tug with a scout pod and other pods. When the tug drops the scout pod it will still be considered (for scenario victory point purposes) to have been the scout it was when it arrived if it is destroyed in combat. Lieutenant Kilgore asks: My squadron is deployed with its back to an asteroid field. The Kzinti dreadnought has 12 drones in flight, some of them targeted on badly crippled ships in my squadron. The dreadnought transfers control of six of those drones to the scout (the only other ship), and launches six more. I then blow up the dreadnought and the scout. What happens? ANSWER: You win. F&E Q&A
WAR AND POLITICS Q: Rule (430.24) describes what happens if the enemy occupies one of my provinces then leaves. My question is just what constitutes occupation. If the enemy entered the province on a given turn, destroyed my only units in the province, and then withdrew on the same Player Turn, did he "occupy" the province or was he just passing through to attack units?
A: To "occupy" a province you have to stay in it (at least temporarily) which means leaving ships in it at the end of the combat phase (not retrograding them out). Q: At what point in the turn is the roll made for planetary rebellion? A: This die roll is made in Step 3A-3K on the latest versions of the Sequence of Play. Q: Rule (305.24) allows for two warring empires to exchange captured ships in neutral territory. Once the Federation enters the war, the WYN Cluster is the only neutral territory available to the Kzintis and Klingons for such an exchange, so can they do the exchange there? A: Only if both ships are (each) six combat factors or less. The WYNs will simply steal anything bigger. Q: Can a neutral planet conquered by the enemy be used as the source of an infiltration attack (537.12) against an enemy unit occupying the neutral planet? A: No, there is not enough infrastructure in place for you to pull this off. (This opens a whole can of worms that we would prefer to keep closed.)
Q: Regarding hospital ships and captured/annexed planets, rule (448.28) says that a planet is annexed when the province it is in is annexed. At that point, the recovery clock of four turns starts (508.25) and the hospital ship (451.31) can cut the time down to two turns. If I understand this correctly, it means that a hospital ship can't help a captured planet until its annexed? A: Correct. No doubt your hospital ship is conducting humanitarian missions to save lives, but none of them count for recovering from devastation. 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: Wallpapers 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 FC Tactic of the MonthIN PRAISE OF DRONES The greatest strength of drones is their power-to-damage ratio. For zero power, you get twelve points of warhead. No other weapon can hope to match that. While it may be discouraging that those twelve points are by no means guaranteed (particularly when you consider that phasers will always do damage up close), drones have much, much longer ranges.
Drones are such a good deal that the enemy cannot afford to let them hit. He must stop them, which means using weapons against the drone and not your ship. Drones are also exceptional at controlling space and, more importantly, power. Outside of dedicated defenses (ADDs, phaser-3s, and counter-drones), each drone will require one point of power to stop. That is a two-point power gap: the point you did not spend, and the one your opponent did. In addition, there may be another point to tractor it when the phaser misses, and another point for a second phaser shot later.
When flying Probr ships, there are times you know your opponent is planning to launch a wild weasel to take care of your high energy acceptance torpedoes, but you still need to launch anyway. Given the nature of your weapons, going in for the anchor is a tough proposition. Launching at medium range, and then running away while he is under wild weasel restrictions is not so bad though. Eventually he will run out of shuttles, and your torpedoes rearm quickly if you can find the power.
To make the best of this situation, you should consider taking advantage of rule (OFP2.33). Here is how it works. Instead of targeting the enemy ship, you target the hex behind the enemy ship, and then plot a change of targets, to the enemy ship, for the impulse the high energy acceptance torpedo reaches that hex. As soon as your opponent launches the wild weasel, shoot it down with your phasers. By the time the high energy acceptance torpedo changes targets, the explosion period will have ended, so the torpedo will track his ship, not the wild weasel. It will circle back at him, and he will have to eat it, use another wild weasel, or shoot it (which will take a lot of phasers with the 3:1 damage ratio for high energy acceptance torpedoes). Pulling this off does have a few complexities. First, an effective counter is for him to simply lab the torpedo as it approaches, not launching a wild weasel until after you announce (and you have to announce it) the target change. A counter to this is to launch two high energy acceptance torpedoes his way, one ballistic with a target change, the other simply targeting him. This works best if you were running away to reload, anyway, so you might as well launch all the bearing torpedoes. You get both torpedoes out quickly, but he still has to deal with them both separately. You can also get good use out of this technique if you are at Range Zero to Range One, since he will not have an opportunity to use labs. Of course, the Probr usually does not want to be that close to anyone. Another important thing to note is that by rule (OFP2.332), there is a four-impulse delay after changing targets before the torpedo can hit. If it enters the target hex too soon, it will do no damage and be removed. However, by targeting a hex directly behind the enemy ship, it will take at least five impulses to circle back around and hit it. Or, you can target a hex on his flank, and arrange the position of the high energy acceptance torpedo so that it will circle its target until it uses a high energy turn, meaning you can delay impact as long as you like. This requires your target to remain stationary, however. Finally, depending on the range and how quickly your opponent launched the wild weasel, your high energy acceptance torpedo might end up reacquiring the wild weasel because it is still in the explosion period. However, all is not lost. You still get to score collateral damage, and keep your opponent under weasel restrictions much longer. If he reactivates his fire control during the explosion period, it will come up before the torpedo hits, voiding the wild weasel. This technique works best as a surprise for someone who has not seen it, but an opponent who knows this trick is in your tool kit will have to think that much harder and use a few more resources to deal with your high energy acceptance torpedoes. And if he is doing that, he is putting less effort into shooting at your ship, which is exactly what you want. (End of SFB Tactic of the Month)
The Kzintis and Hydrans should go out of their way to have several police flagships in their capital once they are eventually attacked. Costing two economic points (531.31), these tiny ships give you a one electronic warfare point scout (and a Marine battalion if you need them to deter Marine invasion by the Coalition). You may freely place them in defense of any system where their one electronic warfare point will shift the balance for you, or their one Marine factor will help your defenses.
Of course you can only build one per year, so start early. Get odd numbers, of course, to maximize the number of them available in your "mobile" force. (End of F&E Strategy of the Month)
A Call To Arms: Star Fleet Tactic of the Month The Klingon oblique attack is one of the most useful tactics for the Klingon player in Star Fleet Battles. This article examines whether or not it is a viable tactic in A Call to Arms: Star Fleet.
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