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We're having a sale. Our shopping cart will give you a 10% discount on orders sent from 24 Dec 2024 to 1 Jan 2025. This is a good time to grab missing or outdated modules and grab a few miniatures.
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You are correct; we have not done a newsletter in six months. Last July, on the morning of the day Stephen V Cole was going to finish and release the July newsletter, he suffered a very low blood pressure episode, became extremely dizzy, fell, and broke his hip. It took him months to learn to walk and get back to the office, but he's here now (limping badly) and whipped up this new North Polar Alliance ship to celebrate the season.
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We have recently found a company that can produce small numbers of die-cut (actually, laser-cut) counters allowing us to get SFB Basic Set and FC Klingon Border back into print before Christmas instead of waiting for the big reprint order to arrive in January. We're still experimenting here but this may allow us to do some special sheets in future. In any case, whenever we run out of something we can get a few to tide us over until the next major reprint. These new counters are really nice but incredibly expensive; each sheet costs us six times what the normal printing runs cost us.
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We're reprinting eleven sheets from several games and three different product lines; some will get extra counters added as we shift them to the new format. Stephen V Cole was about three-fourths of the way through with these when he broke his hip and just now completed the last sheet. These include SFB Basic Set (no changes), SFB Module K (more gunboats added), SFB Module Y1 (new civil war counters added, converted to fancy graphics), SFB Module R6 (new ships and shuttles added, converted to fancy graphics), FC Klingon Border (no changes), F&E Indigo (no changes), F&E Kilo (replaces the old K and L, adding 64 new counters), F&E Vulcan (replaces the old V+V, adding 64 new counters), F&E Sierra (replaces the old Strategic Ops sheet, adding 64 new ships), and F&E Planetary Ops (no changes).
Battlegroup Toronto is proud to announce our fifth Star Fleet Battles Toronto Championship!
Contestants will be playing for the "Art Trotman Memorial Trophy"
First prize includes a painted Kent Ing miniature and an ADB PDF product download. Thank You to both Kent and ADB for their generosity.
Previous Winners of this tournament are:
Kosta Michalopoulos 2016
Tim Linden 2018
Tim Linden 2019
Gregg Henry 2023
Where:
Royal Canadian Legion, Branch 10
1083 Pape Avenue, Toronto, ON
When:
Friday, Saturday, Sunday, July 19th, 20th,and 21st, 2024 9am-6pm
Entry Fee:
$20 single day, $30 full tournament
We will be playing in the Club Room of the Royal Canadian Legion, Branch 10. This is an inner-city location so there are lots of places to eat in the neighborhood and the location is accessible by public transportation. Some street parking is available.
• The tournament room will open at 9AM on Friday, July 19th
• Module T (2012) Star Fleet Universe Tournament Rules will be in effect.
• Tournament format will be determined based on attendance
• The semi-final games will be played on Sunday morning, July 21st.
• The final game, championship game, will be played on Sunday afternoon, July 21st.
Players not involved in the playoff games can participate in an SFB group scenario.
• Please join us and forward any questions to me at sebastian.palozzi@gmail.com
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.
FACEBOOK:
Jean continues to improve our page on Facebook, adding many new photos and other features.
If you haven't seen the 1,000+ pieces of art in the albums, you should drop by and visit. You don't have to be a member of Facebook to see our page, but if you are, please become our friend so you can get information in your newsfeed.
If you've already liked us on Facebook, but are not
seeing our posts, then remember to check your new "Pages Feed" on the left menu.
You can also go to our page and hover over the "Liked" button. Be sure that "Get Notifications" is checked.
TWITTER:
ADB has a Twitter feed. We are ADBInc_Amarillo. You'll find news as well as links to pictures. Check us out and retweet news of interest to your own followers. We're excited and our next goal is to get 400 followers. Help us reach that, please.
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
Star Fleet Marines Part 2
ADB Late May 2011
Starline 2500 Miniatures Review
Star Fleet Battle Force in the box
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:
Our StarBlog has moved to a new URL
and all links on StarFleetGames.com websites have been changed to match. The new
site is http://federationcommander.blogspot.com
The blog covers all aspects of the company.
STAR FLEET'S LEGIONS EXPAND:
Star Fleet Legions isn't a new game; it is all of you who play any of our Star Fleet Universe games.
For a game universe that is 36 years old, it seems odd (but very gratifying) that the number of active players is growing, not diminishing. We can tell this by the number of people on the fan pages, the number of Rangers and battle groups, the number of new Starlist entries, and of course by the sales numbers.
Starlist is growing by an average of 10 new entries and five updates per month. There are 1,240 active names on the list (plus overseas, Canada, and those who last contacted us in 1991-2004). Not on Starlist? Fill out your application here:http://www.starfleetgames.com/starlist.shtml.
Battle groups have been forming up left and right. We started with one in Tennessee. Now there are battle groups in California, Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Indiana, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Texas, and Washington. We've gone international with groups in Canada, England, and Taiwan. Battle groups are doing demos, tournaments, and game days in stores and conventions. Do you have a group you game with? Join us here: http://www.starfleetgames.com/battlegroup/index.shtml
How have these battle groups been forming? Usually through the hard work of a Ranger. Rangers run demos, start game days, contact conventions, reach out to stores, and promote Star Fleet Universe games. Do you want to be a Ranger? Start here: http://www.starfleetgames.com/rangers/index.shtml
Facebook Fan Pages
If you are on Facebook, you have no doubt heard of ADB's page on Facebook. Did you know there are fan pages galore? Fan pages are groups that are started and administered by fans. They are independent of ADB, so we may not know about all of them. These are ones we know about that support the Star Fleet Universe:
So join us on Facebook and get a fix of your favorite game there, too!
RANGERS:
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.
They announce: We have big changes coming to the program. A new handbook, suggestions for demoing our games, and vastly improved rewards. All we can safely say about the (already approved) rewards is they will include ALL physical products and PDFs – but nothing on shapeways.com.
To kick all this off we are verifying everyone’s email, plus getting their handles on the Federation Commander Forum and BBS. Our official comms will be the hidden Ranger section of the Forum, which are for handling business, answering questions, providing links to resources, etc. The Facebook group will be our more public social space, but no one is required to join FB if they don’t want to.
So, we are asking each of you to email Al at the address below with the following:
- Name
- Email (preferably the one used on DTRPG/Wargame Vault)
- Forum Handle
- BBS Handle
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
Ranger Commandant
Al Beddow
Sergeant-Major for Ranger Operations
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/
AMBASSADORS:
Jean Sexton Beddow has succeeded in recruiting two ambassadors (Michael C. Baker and A. David Merritt) to carry the word of the Star Fleet Universe to other
websites. They (and Jean) were awarded the first ever "Star Fleet
Ambassador Badges" as well as appropriate medals for their service to date.
These ambassadors do not just repeat press releases; they answer questions,
encourage discussion, and help people find the relevant documents on our
website. Contact Jean Sexton Beddow if you want to volunteer for ambassador duty.
Forum
BBS
JAGDPANTHER
Take a journey with us to an ancient age, just one step up from carving game rules on clay tablets. The year 1973 was at the very dawn of the independent wargame publishing companies. Typesetting was done with a manual typewriter, print-on-demand meant the photocopier at the library, counters were printed on paper (and drawn by hand), page layout was done with scissors and cellophane tape, and two guys in a garage could turn out a wargame magazine that won two Origins Awards. The point was creativity, new ideas, and imagination. Production values would have to come later.
That magazine was JagdPanther (Hunting Panther), created and run by the same Stephen V. Cole who later co-founded Task Force Games and then went on to found Amarillo Design Bureau. We found the ancient archives of this game company (which ran from 1973-1976, producing 15 magazines, about 50 games, hundreds of variants, and dozens of game reviews) and have placed them on Warehouse 23 so they are available to collectors. (Old issues have been selling on Ebay for over $100 each.) Issue #1, Issue #2, Issue #3, Issue #4, Issue #5, Issue #6, Issue #7, Issue #8, Issue #9, Issue #10, Issue #11, Issue #12, Issue #13, Issue #14 and Issue # 15 are uploaded.
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 .
SFB ONLINE EVENT
"Massive Attack! (the Alliance vs the Coalition Tournament) has begun. It's a Fan-organized event in a round-robin format. A second event is planned, so get in contact with kapten.hardcore@gmail.com or visit the topic with the same name at the starfleetbattles.com/discus.
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.
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.
COMMANDER'S CIRCLE: We continue to improve the Commander's Circle. All of the ships and scenarios are available as separate documents (the ships are organized by empire) so you can quickly see what is available. The FC Scenario Database and Master Ship Chart documents are also here. Our newest project was suggested by our players and is uploading low-toner Ship Cards. The Commander's Circle is the best place to find free additions to Federation Commander!
Every month we will feature one or more of our miniatures. If you paint miniatures, submit pictures of your minis and they may be selected for the next Mini of the Month!
This is the 3788 Scale Lyran Java Tiger Heavy Command Cruiser (CCH) painted by Nick Samaras.
Help us pick the mini of the month on our page on Facebook. The mini with the most likes and shares will become the mini of the month. Vote for the ones you like!
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EXTRAS FOR THE MONTH:
NORTH POLAR JINGLE BELLS CVS
You can look at Hailing Frequencies Extras here.Click here to see our previous issues of Hailing Frequencies.
Recently Released
Federation Commander: Booster Pack #39, SKU 4239, $19.95
The Star Fleet Battles Module R6 Rulebook 2023, SKU 5617-2, $13.95
Federation & Empire: Advanced Operations 2022, SKU 3209, $39.95
The Star Fleet Battles Module R1 Rulebook 2023, SKU 5606-2, $7.50
Federation & Empire: Strategic Operations 2022, SKU 3211, $24.95
Cadet Training Handbook Reprint Edition, SKU 5620, $9.95
Federation & Empire: Tactical Operations, SKU 3216, $36.95
Starmada Battleships Armada Unity SKU 6135, $16.95
Star Fleet Battles: Module R2 Rulebook Revised for 2021, SKU 5607-2, $7.95
Federation & Empire: Combined Operations 2021, SKU 3207, $29.95
SFB: Module R4J –Shadow of the Eagle, SKU 5638, $17.95
SFB: Module R4T – Tholian Will, SKU 5637, $25.95
GURPS Romulans 2021 SKU 8404, $24.95
GURPS Klingons 2020 SKU 8403, $24.95
ACTASF Book 2 SKU M30002, $29.95
Tholian Master Starship Book SKU 5437, $24.95
SFB: Module J – Fighters! 2020, SKU 5604, $19.95
Distant Armada Unity, SKU 6134, $16.95
Gorn Master Starship Book SKU 5436 $23.95
Captain's Log # 54, SKU 5754, $24.95
Captain's Log # 54 SSDs, SKU 5754-2, $3.50
Captain's Log # 54 Supplement, SKU 5754-S, $4.00
PDF and EBOOK SALES:
Click here and you can see all of the products we have avaliable as PDF and Ebooks.
RECENTLY RELEASED ON Warehouse 23
A Call to Arms: Star Fleet Book 1.2: Orion Ship Roster Card Pack Revised
A Call to Arms: Star Fleet Book 1.2: Klingon Ship Roster Card Pack Revised
A Call to Arms: Star Fleet Book 1.2: Federation Ship Roster Card Pack Revised
A Call to Arms: Star Fleet Book 1.2: Civilian Ship Roster Card Pack Revised
A Call to Arms: Star Fleet Book 1.2: Military Bases Ship Roster Card Pack
A Call to Arms: Star Fleet Book 1.2: Gorn Ship Roster Card Pack Revised
Federation Commander: Lyran Ship Card Pack #3
SFB: Module R6 Color SSDs 2023
SFB: Module R6 B&W SSDs 2023
SFB: Module R6 Rulebook 2023
SFB: Module R1 Color SSDs 2023
SFB: Module R1 B&W SSDs 2023
SFB: Module R1 Rulebook 2023
Federation Commander: Gunboats Attack
Federation & Empire: Strategic Operations 2022 Rulebook
Federation & Empire: Advanced Operations 2022 Rulebook
Captain's Log #51
Captain's Log #51 Supplemental File
Captain's Log #51 Color SSDs
F&E Romulan Civil War Playtest Counters
Captain's Log #50
Captain's Log #50 Supplemental File
Captain's Log #50 Color SSDs
Captain's Log #34
Federation & Empire: Tactical Operations Rulebook
SFB: Module R2 Rulebook Revised for 2021
Federation Commander: Klingon Ship Card Pack #5
Federation & Empire: Combined Operations 2021 Rulebook
Federation & Empire: Planetary Operations 2021 Rulebook
Captain's Log #33
SFB: Module R4J - Shadow of the Eagle - Rulebook
SFB: Module R4J - Shadow of the Eagle - Black/White SSDs
SFB:Module R4J - Shadow of the Eagle - Color SSDs
GURPS Romulans Revised
Captain's Log #32
Star Fleet Marines Battle Manual
SFB: Module R4T - The Tholian Will - Rulebook
SFB: Module R4T - The Tholian Will - Black/White SSDs
SFB:Module R4T - The Tholian Will - Color SSDs
RECENTLY RELEASED ON DRIVETHRU RPG and WARGAME VAULT
A Call to Arms: Star Fleet Book 1.2: Orion Ship Roster Card Pack Revised (DriveThru RPG or Wargame Vault)
A Call to Arms: Star Fleet Book 1.2: Klingon Ship Roster Card Pack Revised (DriveThru RPG or Wargame Vault)
A Call to Arms: Star Fleet Book 1.2: Federation Ship Roster Card Pack Revised (DriveThru RPG or Wargame Vault)
A Call to Arms: Star Fleet Book 1.2: Civilian Ship Roster Card Pack Revised (DriveThru RPG or Wargame Vault)
A Call to Arms: Star Fleet Book 1.2: Military Bases Ship Roster Card Pack (DriveThru RPG or Wargame Vault)
A Call to Arms: Star Fleet Book 1.2: Gorn Ship Roster Card Pack Revised (DriveThru RPG or Wargame Vault)
Federation Commander: Lyran Ship Card Pack #3 (DriveThru RPG or Wargame Vault)
SFB: Module R6 Color SSDs 2023 (DriveThru RPG or Wargame Vault)
SFB: Module R6 B&W SSDs 2023 (DriveThru RPG or Wargame Vault)
SFB: Module R6 Rulebook 2023 (DriveThru RPG or Wargame Vault)
SFB: Module R1 Color SSDs 2023 (DriveThru RPG or Wargame Vault)
SFB: Module R1 B&W SSDs 2023 (DriveThru RPG or Wargame Vault)
SFB: Module R1 Rulebook 2023 (DriveThru RPG or Wargame Vault)
Federation Commander: Gunboats Attack (DriveThru RPG or Wargame Vault)
Federation & Empire: Strategic Operations 2022 Rulebook (DriveThru RPG or Wargame Vault)
Federation & Empire: Advanced Operations 2022 Rulebook (DriveThru RPG or Wargame Vault)
Captain's Log #51 ( DriveThru RPG or Wargame Vault)
Captain's Log #51 Supplemental File (DriveThru RPG or Wargame Vault)
Captain's Log #51 Color SSDs (DriveThru RPG or Wargame Vault)
F&E Romulan Civil War Playtest Counters ( DriveThru RPG or Wargame Vault)
Captain's Log #50 ( DriveThru RPG or Wargame Vault)
Captain's Log #50 Supplemental File (DriveThru RPG or Wargame Vault)
Captain's Log #50 Color SSDs (DriveThru RPG or Wargame Vault)
Captain's Log #34 (DriveThru RPG or Wargame Vault)
Federation & Empire: Tactical Operations Rulebook (DriveThru RPG or Wargame Vault)
SFB: Module R2 Rulebook Revised for 2021 (DriveThru RPG or Wargame Vault)
Federation Commander: Klingon Ship Card Pack #5 (DriveThru RPG or Wargame Vault)
Federation & Empire: Combined Operations 2021 Rulebook (DriveThru RPG or Wargame Vault)
Federation & Empire: Planetary Operations 2021 Rulebook (DriveThru RPG or Wargame Vault)
Captain's Log #33 (DriveThru RPG or Wargame Vault)
SFB: Module R4J - Shadow of the Eagle - Rulebook (DriveThru RPG or Wargame Vault)
SFB: Module R4J - Shadow of the Eagle - Black/White SSDs (DriveThru RPG or Wargame Vault)
SFB:Module R4J - Shadow of the Eagle - Color SSDs (DriveThru RPG or Wargame Vault)
GURPS Romulans Revised (DriveThru RPG)
Captain's Log #32 (DriveThru RPG or Wargame Vault)
Star Fleet Marines Battle Manual (DriveThru RPG or Wargame Vault)
SFB: Module R4T - The Tholian Will - Rulebook (DriveThru RPG or Wargame Vault)
SFB: Module R4T - The Tholian Will - Black/White SSDs (DriveThru RPG or Wargame Vault)
SFB: Module R4T - The Tholian Will - Color SSDs (DriveThru RPG or Wargame Vault)
RECENTLY RELEASED ON AMAZON - KINDLE
For the Glory of the Empire
MISCELLANEOUS
Francois Lemay asks: In boarding party combat, it is unclear to me as to who rolls first, the attacker or the defender? Are the rolls done simultaneously? Who announces first the use of (D7.43), the attacker or the defender? If simultaneously, how is (D7.43) resolved, by simultaneous decision? If the attacker captures a ship thus preventing a self-destruction roll but the defender still has boarding parties on the ship plus militia, does the defender now become the attacker trying to retake the ship so they can attempt a self-destruction roll?
ANSWER: For steps #1 and #2 of the procedure, it does not matter who goes first. Both players calculate their total combat power, and roll on the (D7.421) table. At step #3, players would simultaneously reveal the intention to apply directed damage. If this results in the last control station being captured, the ship is captured. Then the attacker becomes the defender and vice versa. If a ship has been captured, the original owner cannot self-destruct it, as he no longer controls it (even if he recaptures it). Per (D7.55), the capturing forces cannot operate the self-destruct either. If you are using (D16.0) Advanced Boarding Party Combat rules, then the defender will move his forces first (D16.12) but combat is still resolved for each area by (D7.0).
George Duffy asks: A remote-controlled Borak hunter-killer fighter, one hex away from its target, in remote-mode loses guidance control due to (G24.22) by a scout 15 hexes. The hunter-killer began moving back toward the carrier (J15.32) on the next impulse and winds up in the same hex as its original target. Can the carrier controlling the hunter-killer under (JB100.121) switch it over to seeking mode immediately to regain the lock-on so that it can detonate?
ANSWER: In a word, no. You cannot order the fighter to change its targeting because you do not control the fighter. If you controlled the fighter, it would not be flying back to its mothership on its failsafe programming for when it is uncontrolled.
Mike Kenyon asks: A Romulan ship is cloaked at Range 2 from a Kzinti ship. Rule (D6.1262) implies that you can fire an overloaded disruptor within the true range but outside of the effective range of an overload, even beyond the "overload range limit." What then is the to-hit number for such a roll at an effective range of 9?
ANSWER: Per (D6.1262), you use the regular to-hit number (i.e., the number you would use for a standard shot) at the effective range. The overloaded disruptor would hit on 1-4, scoring eight points of damage if it hit. That damage would then be modified by the table under (G13.37).
Carl Herzog asks: I am a little confused about damage control. Rule (D9.712) says continuous damage repair can work in conjunction with (D9.2), "Repairing Shields in Combat." So if I have a damage control rating of 4, does this mean I could repair two shield boxes with continuous damage repair and allocate four energy points to repair two more shield boxes in the same turn?
ANSWER: Yes, although you have a limited number of systems that can be repaired with continuous damage repair, so continuous damage repair is not typically used to repair shield boxes. (It is not unheard of, though. It can be a good thing to do when facing a ship with hellbores, for example.)
Follow-up question: If that shield gets hit during the turn that repairs are underway, do I lose the repairs or can I take other shield boxes and recoup the repaired boxes at the end of the turn?
ANSWER: Let me make these things clear: First, shield repairs are allocated to individual boxes. Second, you cannot allocate repairs to a system at the beginning of the turn that was not damaged at that point. If your shield had no damage at the beginning of the turn, you could not allocate repairs (of any type) to it. So, assuming the shield had some boxes destroyed at the beginning of the turn, you could allocate repairs to those shield boxes, and, regardless of what damage gets applied to other shield boxes, your repairs will proceed normally.
Alex Lyons asks: Within the rules for the Juggernaut missile dreadnought it specifically discusses what happens when controlling multiple Shriek missiles. Normally I would not give a second thought to it or care, however, while looking over the Shriek missile rules (SL246.462), I see Shriek missiles are self-guiding. If Shriek missiles are self-guiding, why would the Juggernaut missile dreadnought have to worry about control channels?
ANSWER: There are advantages to maintaining control over a seeking weapon even if it is capable of self-guidance, such as the ability of a ship-guided seeking weapon to benefit from the guiding ship's ECCM.
Eric Phillips asks: I find this rule to be vague: "(M2.21) IMMOVABLE OBJECT: ... Mines cannot be placed in orbit (P8.472)..." What does this mean? Orbits can be at different levels, so does this mean you cannot place them near planets, or can you if it does not move because it is not "in orbit?"
ANSWER: I sent this to Kommodore Ketrick who replied: While in reality any mine is by definition moving in an orbit because the whole galaxy is moving, for purposes of any given scenario or campaign, once a mine is laid in a given hex its location hex does not change until it is destroyed. So if your orbiting ship or base lays a mine (whether by transporter or rolling it out the hatch), whether the hex you laid it in is adjacent to the planet or not, it will not move from that hex. Note: Black hole gravity forms an exception to the immovability of mines, i.e., lay a mine near a black hole and the black hole's gravity will pull the mine in.
Scott Tenhoff asks: If I apply partial-X refits to a Romulan SparrowHawk-J (most notably upgrading the plasma-S torpedoes to plasma-M torpedoes), what is the modifier when I roll for shock?
ANSWER: There is no rule specifying increased shock in this case (maybe there should be), so shock rolls are the same as for the unmodified SparrowHawk-J.
Garth L. Getgen asks: I was reading rule (S8.0) on limitations of fleet composition. I recall seeing a rule someplace that requires one to have "x" amount of size-class-4 ships per "y" number of size class 3 or larger, but it is not in (S8.0). Am I simply mistaken about remembering that rule?
ANSWER: There is no rule preventing you from having a fleet composed entirely of size-class-3 ships. There is a rule like that for size-class-2 ships, and various restrictions on certain classes of ships, but no requirement to have size-class-4 ships in your fleet. Others have noted that Module C5 has requirements for size-class-4 units, and that you cannot take a multi-ship force made up entirely of size-class-3 units. See (MS1.22). This is of course limited to the empires of the Lesser Magellanic Cloud, not a general requirement. You might perhaps be confused by an F&E rule (Battle Groups) which allows you to replace two size-class-3 ships with three size-class-4 ships, assuming certain other conditions are also met.
(End of Admiral Vanaxilth)
HEAVY QUESTIONS ON VHP PODS
Q: Does the VHP overload Kzinti, Klingon, or Lyran LTTs under (517.41) because it uses the same rule (517.36)? Or is this not a weight issue? Rule (530.225) seems to indicate single weight but this implication of (517.36)-(last sentence) and (517.41) (last sentence) seem to conflict with that concept.
A: No, the VHP is constructed similarly to other pods that do not overload LTTs.
Q: Can the Lyran VHP pod be mixed with other pods?
A: No. The VHP is, based on (517.36), a pod that cannot be mixed with other pods.
Q: Can a Lyran VHP pod (530.23) (which is a single weight pod) perform an R+R mission by being mounted on one tug with a Klingon VHP pod that is not overloaded?
A: Yes, the ability for the Klingons and Lyrans to share pods allows for this, but since the pair are single-weight pods the tug would be overloaded. While VHP pods cannot be mixed with other pods, putting two VHPs on a single tug is allowed, but would be overloaded. Since they are on one tug, it would be a single "R" Fleet Transport mission (509.1-R).
Q: The last line of (517.36) states: "The VHP pods in Advanced Operations use the same rule." Is this statement general to all nationalities of VHP pods from AO or specific only to the Klingon, Kzinti, and the implied Lyran pods? Please note rule (530.225) [which has been re-numerated as (530.23) since CL#36] does not mention carriage restrictions for any empire nor does it reference rule (517.36).
A: This rule is specifically for just Klingon and Kzinti pods. That includes any Klingon pods that the Lyrans use or build.
Q: Rule (530.23) gives the Lyrans a maximum limit of one VHP. The online OOB charts (711.3) PRODUCTION NOTES gives a max limit of two Lyran VHP. The online 2008 SITs show a limit of one. Which is correct?
A: This rule is correct, only one VHP for the Lyrans.
(End of F&E Q&A)
In this section we will provide links to various web pages and items that we think you will find "cool".
We have recently updated the look and design of the Rangers Page, check it out here: Rangers Page
Here are links to various flyers you can use to advertise your Demos and Game Days: Ranger Resources
Here are links to the new pages of Starline 2500 miniatures pictures.
Starline 2500 Battleships page
Starline 2500 Federation Miniatures
Starline 2500 Klingon Miniatures
Starline 2500 Romulan Miniatures
Starline 2500
Traveller Prime Directive
Call to Arms Star Fleet
We have also uploaded new Xander wallpapers to our Wallpapers section on the website: Wallpapers
We have new images of our game Star Fleet Marines posted on our BBS topic page.
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
Alert 190709 CL53 (Adobe Acrobat Required)
Alert 190309 Distribution (Adobe Acrobat Required)
Alert 170327 CL52 (Adobe Acrobat Required)
Alert 160531 Cart (Adobe Acrobat Required)
Alert 160518 Captain's Log #51 (Adobe Acrobat Required)
Alert 160317 For the Glory (Adobe Acrobat Required)
Alert 150331 Captain's Log #50 (Adobe Acrobat Required)
DIRECTED DAMAGE WITH OVERLOADS
- Lieutenant Commander Paul Stovell, USS Kingst
The rules do not allow ships firing overloads to use directed damage, but nothing stops a ship from splitting its fire. So, when fighting squadron or larger actions, consider firing the heavy weapons of one ship at a target and using directed damage on the same target with another ship's phasers.
This isn't a "use every time" kind of tactic. Sometimes you won't have enough firepower available to want to fire on more than one target, but sometimes de-fanging two ships rather than crippling one is the way to go.
As an example, take a squadron of three Klingon D5 war cruisers exchanging fire at Range 4. If energy is available for full overloads, this squadron could expect to score 64 points of damage with overloaded disruptors and a further 30 or more points of damage with phasers. This is enough to cripple, but not quite destroy, an enemy war cruiser or light cruiser. Splitting this fire on two targets might generate six-to-eight volleys in total, three of which could use directed damage.
This tactic might be particularly useful against enemies such as the Hydrans and Federation who may not want to exchange fire at Range 3-8, but want to close further.
(End of FC Tactic of the Month)
ANDROMEDAN RADIATORS
Commander Michael Grafton, USS South Carolina
When your satellite ships take a lot of power into their panels, it is fairly standard to transport them back aboard for a period of cooling off.
Another option is to transport them into a convenient planetary atmosphere for a while. This has a couple of advantages.
1. The power absorber panels dissipate energy at double the normal rate.
2. Your satellite ship can repair its power absorber panels at the maximum rate (of degradation or damage).
(End of SFB Tactic of the Month)
THE ROMULAN CVEG GROUP
Like the Kzintis, the Romulans have a couple of advantages when it comes to implementing the CVEG rules (318.43). Here the Romulans can take advantage of the fact that the NHB, FHB, and SPB all have eight fighter factors and the SKB has four fighter factors. The Romulan CVEG will consist of a NHB, FHB, SPB or TH (year in service permitting), SKB, FHM or SPM, and two SKEs for the minimum group size. The TH provides the third attrition squadron as it is a PFT also. Any available PFT could be added to the battle force for the third attrition squadron. The big limitation on the TH and SKB is that you only have a total of eight fighter factors and would have to include a SUP or second SKB to get to the full three squadron limit for attrition units.
For example, here is a NHB CVEG group: NHB 9-10 + 8 (fighters), SKB 4-5 + 4 (fighters), SPM 7, SKE 5, SKE 5 = 30-32 + 12 (fighters) plus other units in the battle force.
(Ed of F&E Strategy of the Month)
CRITICAL-AND-RUN RAIDS.
-Commander Tony L. Thomas, USS Tennessee
At first glance, the Hit and Run Raid! special action does not seem to be all that great. You have to be within 4" of your target, and you have to drop the facing shield. In addition using this special action means you must take a power drain penalty.
But let's take a closer look. Through judicious use of movement, you can often arrange to use this special action with no return action possible. If all of the enemy's ships have moved, you can move your remaining ship (or ships) to within 2" of a target ship with down shields (or shields you expect to knock down during the attack phase) in such a manner as to enable you to drop a facing shield leaving no enemy ships in arc to fire through the gap. Since your opponent has already moved his units, he cannot move anything to a position that will let it take advantage of the gap in your defenses.
Two out of six rolls on the die will generate a successful attempt. This gives you a 33% chance of inflicting a critical hit on your helpless target, and it can be done once for every transporter on board in addition to regular weapons fire. That is five times for a Klingon D7 or Federation BC, and if you are flying a Klingon C8 you have eight transporters! Or if you have a crippled ship that is limited to firing only one weapon system, and it can get within 4" of a valid target, go ahead and try for a critical-and-run raid.
Developer's Note: This note was edited to reflect revised rules.
(End of A Call to Arms: Star Fleet Tactic of the Month)
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