One of the issues is that with ICR-MM someone could build, in one year, at the same system with 3 SB, 3 AXCVA's, 3 AXSCS, or 3xFOP.

Anywhere he had three SBs!

Its hard enough for the attacker as it is in the game.

By ROBERT l cALLAWAY (Callaway) on Monday, February 19, 2007 - 03:11 am: Edit

and how many systems own three SB?

By John Stiff (Tarkin22180) on Monday, February 19, 2007 - 02:29 pm: Edit

Howard helped. Knowing that the "conversion rate" rules everything helps. Knowing what is a conversion helps even more. (That was my problem. I missed GC 101.)

The "new" techs that you mentioned are not in the "online rulebook". Are these things common knowledge amoung the veteran players?

May I assume that all GP in U3 have SDI tech? That would explain the "national guard" units that we all (apparently) have.

And yes, some galactic powers do indeed have three SB's at a system. (I'm not telling who!)

By John D Berg (Kerg) on Monday, February 19, 2007 - 08:09 pm: Edit

No some new tech is just that--new----someone thought of it and is trying to us it to his advantage before anyone else does. At HQ here I havea list of many such possible techs..waiting only for the clever player to identify them, some thought get developed completely by the player.

ROB, Actually in U3 and now in larger U1 races three SB are getting kinda common.

No all GP races do not have SDI (they must have done it the hard way).

By John Stiff (Tarkin22180) on Monday, March 12, 2007 - 02:51 pm: Edit

Question?

A ship travels behind enemy lines (one turn) and annexes the hex (second turn), creating an island of territory behind enemy lines.

Is the ship in supply?

By Chris Reando (Sfbo11mav) on Tuesday, March 13, 2007 - 10:04 am: Edit

I believe the answer is no since it has no continuity to the empires supply chain.

By John D Berg (Kerg) on Tuesday, March 13, 2007 - 10:05 pm: Edit

Chis correct, islands dont supply you

By John D Berg (Kerg) on Sunday, September 16, 2007 - 10:01 pm: Edit

The following 2 techs are up for player review. If you find a loop hole, or a blatant problem with them now is the time to speak, after 2 weeks discussion will end.

Do NOT try and tweak or change the tech plz, only comments on problems are being requested.

By John D Berg (Kerg) on Sunday, September 16, 2007 - 10:03 pm: Edit

C40.0) Alert Levels Tech (ALT)

C40.10) This technology is not available until Y170. It is designed to raise the overall internal security of an empire.

C40.20) This technology may be turned on or off each turn, indicated on the orders, along with current mobility. ALT is assumed to be “on” unless otherwise indicated.

C40.30) Benefits. When “on” the technology grants the empire the following:
a) Two free levels of counter-spying.
b) The morale of all systems is increased by one, even if under blockade. The increase in morale will affect income if the empire that has ALT turned "on" also has QCBs (B4.20).
c) A new chart is used for all/any capture attempts against an empire that has its ALT “on”.
1-2 = all capture points removed
3 = captured
4 = in doubt
5-6 = self destructs

d) Add 2 to the chance of a convoy being defended (B2.30).
e) The empire that has ALT turned "on" adds 1 to the die roll for "Cloaked Ship Detection" and "Hidden Base Searching" (Appendix 2).

C40.40) Restrictions. While ALT is “on” the using empire is under the following
a) The empire that has ALT turned “on” has the profits from its
trade pacts reduced by 10% to reflect the added costs of doing business
with foreign empires in this state of heightened security.
b) The empire that has ALT turned “on” may not have any BI higher
than "Typical" and any BI set higher by the empire will be reduced to "Typical" to
reflect the caution that ships will have and the redirection of key personnel from fighting to preventing boarding actions during this state of heightened security.

By John D Berg (Kerg) on Sunday, September 16, 2007 - 10:03 pm: Edit

C50.0) Troop Ship Support (TSS)

C50.10) This technology is based off of standard troop transports. Each troop ship can offer TSS protection to a certain number of friendly ships/bases each round of combat. They may do this from reserve. They are under none of the (A10.4g) combat restrictions/penalties while in protection mode. They may not do this in a turn they are trying to capture a ship/base themselves. A BAR module provides a base with TSS protection. A SC3 troop ships may protect 3 ships/bases, a CW troop ship 2, a SC4 troop ship only one. If a SC2 troop ships were to exist it would protect 5 ships. The declaration of protection is written down secretly and concurrently with other events in the combat round.

C50.20) A unit with TSS protection has its ship’s DF multiplier changed from a “5 during a capture attempts to a “7 . So if you wished to capture a FF with a 10/7 AF/DF it would cost you 49 attack points instead of the ususal 35.

C50.30) This tech must be researched and developed before it may be used.

By John Stiff (Tarkin22180) on Wednesday, September 19, 2007 - 10:31 am: Edit

ALT:

Problem, if one has no trade pact income, then there is no economic cost.

Problem, BI at typical is too restrictive in my opinion.

TSS:

I see no problems.

By Roy Steele (Klingon_Emperor) on Wednesday, September 19, 2007 - 04:03 pm: Edit

C40.30-C on a 1 or 2 all capture points removed? what if your racial special ability is capture points? are they also removed?

By John D Berg (Kerg) on Thursday, September 20, 2007 - 12:22 am: Edit

Roy, if someone had a racial ability to make capture points then, yes, they would be removed.

By Michael Powers (Mtpowers) on Monday, October 22, 2007 - 06:45 pm: Edit

Jean: What drove me away from the game was, basically, that I had no idea what to do, for ANYTHING. Something that the game manual badly needs is a "sample setup process" and a "sample game turn".

By Ryan Opel (Ryan) on Monday, October 22, 2007 - 07:31 pm: Edit

I think the key is to find someone to guide and answer questions. I started in U3 when it started up and have since joined U2.

Yes, the rules can be a little confusing sometimes but if you can figure out SFB or F&E you should be able to figure out GC.

By Jean Sexton (Jsexton) on Monday, October 22, 2007 - 07:42 pm: Edit

Mike, the Andro game was a different thing than I think had ever been done before. I don't think we'd ever designed our own starting fleets before with the number of restrictions that particular game required to get started. The GMs couldn't do it for us, because they knew what the Andros would be fielding and it wouldn't be fair to those players. It's always a balancing act.

To be fair, (A9.0) in the GC Rulebook does have a sample order for a squadron and our Intro newsletter has a sample turn in it (we've gotten better and it is a bit easier to read now).

With my first setup for Frax, I was told:

Here are your ships. Put them into legal squadrons and place the squadrons somewhere.

Here are the defenses you have. Put them somewhere (obeying the limits for defenses).

Here are your special rules (secret tech, legendary officers, rules that are different for you, that sort of thing).

Now, be aware that I had never played SFB, F&E, or any war game. I did manage to set up my empire with minimal help.

Your suggestion that the turn be explained more fully is a good one and I'll work with John to see if we can get an appendix into the Rulebook that explains the turn better and shows a few more examples of orders.

We'll be trying very hard not to let folks slip through the cracks in the future. If a new player doesn't have a senior Admiral in his Empire and need help, I'll try to help or find him someone that is an ally to help.

By Michael Powers (Mtpowers) on Monday, October 22, 2007 - 08:17 pm: Edit

I think what really confused me was the whole merchant-marine thing. I could not tell, from the rulebook, whether I was supposed to be tracking individual freighters--or whether I just bought freighters and had a "freighter pool" that gave me income depending on its size--or whether I had different numbers of freighters that I could assign to different trade routes--or what happened.

The sample turn in the intro newsletter is a mass of gobbledeygook.

By Jean Sexton (Jsexton) on Monday, October 22, 2007 - 08:52 pm: Edit

Mike, the problem with the Merchant Marine is that the answer to your implied question is Yes.

F-S and F-L serve a variety of roles within an empire. One is the freighter pool/working pool that keeps your trade routes functional. If there are not enought freighters, your trade routes collapse and that is a Bad Thing.

Freighters and other ships assigned to the Strategic Reserve earn EPs for the Merchant Marine. They exist in the SR as assigned.

FTs and APTs carry on business with your trade pact partners. They are assigned to a particular trade pact partner. They earn EPs for your empire which can be spent as needed.

Special freighters do special things as enumerated in the whole chapter on the Merchant Marine. I don't know why, but the Merchant Marine rules have always been the easiest for me to understand.

Again, though, you were affected by the special rules for the Andro Game. When I started Frax, I was given the MM to distribute as I saw fit.

As I said above, we need to do a better job of explaining the status sheet/turn report in an Appendix to the Rulebook. Without the Rulebook in hand, it is indeed a bit difficult to understand. however, the GMs are usually pretty cool about explaining anything I don't understand. I'll try to break down an explanation of the Status sheet in the next post.

By Ryan Opel (Ryan) on Sunday, January 13, 2008 - 08:09 pm: Edit

(C19.40) An elite X SQ may contain up to 4 SC3 hulls (6 if they are CL class, 5 if they are CW class).

What about a combinaiton of SC3X and CWX ships?

Would be CCX, 4xCWX be legal?
What about multiple combinaitons of SC3 and CWX?

Or does the addition of the CWX allow me to add 1 additional SC3 ship?

By John D Berg (Kerg) on Monday, January 14, 2008 - 05:28 pm: Edit

Mike and I are talking it over--get back to u

By Ryan Opel (Ryan) on Tuesday, January 15, 2008 - 10:30 pm: Edit

(C30.30) Units that qualify for TP status-> FT (and its variants), APT, FedX, and whatever that luxury liner is called.

For the luxury liner there are two versions. The Small Luxury Liner and Large Luxury Liner. Which version are you refering to?

By John D Berg (Kerg) on Wednesday, January 16, 2008 - 07:24 pm: Edit

C19.40) An elite X SQ may contain up to 4 SC3 hulls (6 if they are CL class, 5 if they are CW class).

What about a combinaiton of SC3X and CWX ships?

Would be CCX, 4xCWX be legal?
What about multiple combinaitons of SC3 and CWX?

Or does the addition of the CWX allow me to add 1 additional SC3 ship?


after conferencing with Incavo it has been decided that the rule is literal. There is no mix and matching. You can have them as listed but not mixed.

So its 4SC3X, or 6xCLX, or 5xCWX.

By John D Berg (Kerg) on Wednesday, January 16, 2008 - 07:25 pm: Edit

(C30.30) Units that qualify for TP status-> FT (and its variants), APT, FedX, and whatever that luxury liner is called.

For the luxury liner there are two versions. The Small Luxury Liner and Large Luxury Liner. Which version are you refering to?

both

By Howard Bampton (Bampton) on Wednesday, April 02, 2008 - 12:31 am: Edit

(D6.40) Only one class of command ship may be in a SQ. The following are considered command ships: BB, DN(this includes DNLs and any unit that serves as a DN substitute), CVA, SCS, BCH, CC, CWL, DDL, FFL, and Fleet Tugs with BP. This limit is on class of ship, not hull type. A Fed DN and DNG in the same SQ would be illegal, as would a Fed DN and DNL, as would 2xCC of the ISC. It is legal to have a SQ containing a DN class, CC, and CWL, however.


What does this rule mean? I had assumed that one could do one each of:
BB (including PFT, CV, and other varients)
DN/DNL (including PFT, CVA, SCS, DNH, DNL, and other varients, DN "replacements" like the KillerHawk)
BCH (including varients)
CC (including varients)
CWL
DDL
FFL

However, with CVA/SCS listed separately, I'm confused.

Related note- DWL should probably be added (either as another type or as an alternative to the DDL). NCC (CC version of NCA) should probably be added (as an alternative to the allowed CC)

By John D Berg (Kerg) on Friday, April 04, 2008 - 07:36 pm: Edit

You could, for instance, have a BB of any varient u want in a SQ, but NOT a BB abd BBV.

You could have a BB,DN,CC in a SQ but NOT at BB,DN,CVA,CC. Note that some nations CVA is NOT a DN hull--i.e. Fed.

Its the hull that matters, that help?