George
I've come to accept we ain't gonna find out what they LOOK like. I just want to know what makes us so sure they're from Andromeda.
regards
Stacy

By Michael C. Grafton (Mike_Grafton) on Thursday, December 18, 2008 - 08:57 am: Edit

The ultimate carnivon weapon is the dealthbolt carried heel nipper swordfish weapon..

By Jim Cummins (Jimcummins) on Thursday, December 18, 2008 - 10:43 am: Edit

Instead of a standard overload option, perhaps moving to a multi- warhead design, smaller warhead maybe 60% standard, but 3 chances to hit one for each warhead, when in overload mode?

So if you roll well you do more than the usual 1.5 damage on overload, but better chance to hit with something.

By Mike West (Mjwest) on Thursday, December 18, 2008 - 11:09 am: Edit

Guys, I started this, so I am more guilty than the rest, but we need to move this Carnivon discussion elsewhere. It doesn't belong in this topic. Let's move it to the SSJ#3 topic and let this discussion get back to what the books should be, rather than designing one specific book.

Actually, if Jean could "transplant" these Carnivon and SSJ#3 messages over there, that would be even better ...

By Jim Davies (Mudfoot) on Thursday, December 18, 2008 - 04:27 pm: Edit

I believe that the RTN link from the Devastator could be traced back to Andromeda. Of course nobody would have known that until Y202, so it suggests that people were just speculating until then.

By Randy O. Green (Hollywood750) on Thursday, December 18, 2008 - 09:03 pm: Edit

Point taken Loren.

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Thursday, December 25, 2008 - 05:26 pm: Edit

THE YEAR OF THE BOOK: A compilation of possible books.

Alternate Reality Manuals: Everybody wants it; nobody knows what it is. Presumably a series of books, one for each alternate reality (e.g. Nazi Earth), possibly with material for one or all of our game engines?

Art of the Star Fleet Universe: Shawn Hantke. Compilation of existing art, some new, guide to extraterrestials. Not sure this would sell (danger of cluttering up the line with books that sold 14 copies), but it would be incredibly easy to do. No real idea how many pages of art we have.

Campaign Designer’s Handbook #2, revision or supplement, with new tech trees, including Omega: Somebody smarter than SVC would have to do it since he never understood the tech trees. If somebody wants to do it, let us know.

Captain’s Log Reprints: Leanna is committed to having all of the first 17 issues back in print by Spring 2009.

Captain’s Log Special Issue: Best of Star Fleet Times. We’ve meant to do this for years. Trick is to go through eleven boxes of junk and find all of the SFT issues (Bruce’s original computer files were destroyed long ago) and retype them.

Captain’s Log Special Issue: Best of Starletter. Somebody suggested this, but we not sure we even have copies of all of the Starletters, or that anything in them worth publishing hasn’t been.

Captain’s Log Special Issue: Stellar Shadows #3. Arguably the #1 item on the list, but it would take some work. Rules and SSDs would have to be created and then tested. Iffy that this could be done in time for release this year.

Captain’s Log Special Issue, Best of the early issues: Updated versions of items from the earlier issues which have not been otherwise updated. We are not sure just how much material there is to update.

F&E Playtest Manual: Much of Civil Wars is available in playtest mode (LDR, Vudar, Jindarians, Andros, Seltorians) plus Early Years in CL #12. That with all the unpublished Fed & Empire scenarios. Include a color counter PDF for download on website so players can print their own playtest counters if they like for the above. Suggested by Nick Samaras. SVC notes that this could also include the SITs for later SFB Modules.

F&E Tactical Notes compilation: They would have to be reviewed for obsolete items but this doesn’t seem that hard to put together.

F&E Warbook: Too much work to be done this year.

FC Briefing #2: Middle Years: Already scheduled for Feb 09.

FC Briefing #3: Support Ships (whatever targets VBAM needs). Already committed.

FC Tactics Manual: this could be easy (just string the published stuff together end to end) or harder (write a bunch of new stuff)

Federation Admiral Campaign book for FedComm: Being done by Victory by Any Means. They expect to give us a draft during Jean’s visit. If it’s good, publication in April or later. If it has problems, publication in July or Later.

Klingon Armada (also, Romulan Armada): Being done by Majestic 12 as a conversion of their Starmada game engine. Publication three months or more after they submit a final manuscript, which right now we think will be in February, so publication about the time of Origins.

Leanna’s Fighting Starships: Done by Neale Davidson: I confess that this should have been done long ago. The problem is finding enough SVC time to "work with" Neale and actually create the data.

PD for new game engines: We will do at least one new game engine (possibly two) this year, and two or three next year. Savage Worlds, D6, Fudge, Mongoose-Traveller, True20, and others are in development. Each system would do four books pretty quick (Core, Feds, Klingons, Romulans) and then each new book (Tholians, Orion Pirates, Feline Empires, Gorns) would be done for all systems currently in print, and any new systems would then do that book as well.

PD Tholians for all game engines. Possible for second half of 2009, dead lock for no later than mid-2010.

PD20M versions of Klingons, Romulans. Jonathan Thompson has been told he will be tortured if these are not done by 1 Jan and 1 Feb.

Prime Directive Final Frontier: The plan is to do this book with 2/3 common material (new adventures) and 1/3 "whatever the system designer left out of his core rulebook".

Prime Directive Adventures: A series of adventure manuals. These would be done for each system or perhaps as generic any system books. I would not bet on seeing the first one in 2009.

Prime Directive Deck Plans Manual: Free Trader, Federation Express, Federation Frigate, Klingon G1, Romulan SkyHawk, Romulan Snipe, Tholian PC/DD, Orion LR, Romulan gunboat, Small commercial freighter, commercial platform. Could be done as a book or a package of sheets.

SFB Cadet Training handbook: Reprint the thing, we have covers and maps in storage.

SFB Master Campaign Module: Updated versions of the T and U campaigns.

SFB Master Rulebook Supplement; Rules for Vudar. The R-section rules everybody thinks SVC left out. Updated or revised pages.

SFB Master Scenario Book: Part of the Master’s Series. Probably not going to get looked at before MSSB is done.

SFB Master Starship Book, Volume I: The Hydrans are 98% done, but that took two years. At least, it defined how to do the book. Theory would be to do another empire (Klingons or Lyrans) and see how that goes. We might end up doing one empire per book, or a selection of empires per book.

SFB Module C3A Andro Threat File: Very very likely to be done in 2009.

SFB Module C4R: More ships for the four simulator empires that only got a few ships in C4.

SFB Module C4X: X-ships for the empires in C4.

SFB Module CV: SSDs for carriers without fighters. Joseph R Carlson wanted this. Not sure how marketable it is or why we need it. Just use the existing SSDs and ignore the fighters.

SFB Module CVG: A book of SSDs for carrier groups. Petrick did it a decade ago (it was supposed to be J2) and we never published it.

SFB Module CVH: SSDs for carriers with heavy fighters. Very easy to do.

SFB Module D3: This isn’t (*quite*) out of print yet, but when we reprint it, we might include more saucers and scenarios. Then again, D3 didn’t sell THAT well.

SFB Module E2 follow up: The guy who did E2 would have to do that. We won’t disrespect his vision by doing it for him, and we would rather spend our time on our ideas.

SFB Module E3: We are open for bids on this.

SFB Module FTR: SSDs for fighter groups. Suggested by Mike Grafton. Easy to do, but how well would it sell?

SFB Module G3: Scheduled for January 09.

SFB Module G3A: Everything that didn’t fit into G3. Annex 5. The CCCP (combined convenient chart page). The rules cross-index. The carrier escort chart.

SFB Module Lost Worlds: Peladine, possibly others. Might take a bit of work. Might need counters.

SFB Module M2: The "missing" boarding diagrams and tables. Simon Robinson suggested this. Looks like something that needs to be done. Could be done easily enough.

SFB Module MY: Middle Years. A popular idea, but we are unsure what it is. The SSDs exist (just ignore the refits), and "scenario books" don’t sell that well.

SFB Module Omega M: boarding party diagrams and tables for Omega ships.

SFB Module Omega Zero: Omega Annex including Omega Chart/Fighter/PF. Get some tables for things like easy notes/tracking for Tachyon Missiles, HEATs, Partical Splitter Torps, Guard Assignments, Fighter and PF Groups, include a few pages of reference tables for quick and easy viewing. Jonathan Jordan suggested this.

SFB Module P2X: Playtest version of second-generation X-ships. SVC said this might take a lot of work and might be better done as a real product.

SFB Module R1A: SSDs of popular Tug+Pod combinations, specific empire SSDs for generic units that don't have them already, play aids, etc. Nick Samaras Does not seem that hard to do.

SFB Module R99: The best 72 submissions of new ships, which would be published as "Speculative (not real, but interesting) ships". This would be incredibly fun and would make a lot of designers happy.

SFB Module U91: Campaign Module about a particular campaign (Operation Remus, Assault on Rigel, Battle for Shiloh, whatever). Fiction (long story or stories, plus snapshots), F&E scenario, several SFB scenarios (with data for FC conversions), PD adventure. SVC has shown remarkable non-interest in this, doubting that a book of "all game systems" stuff would sell, not really having any campaign that excites him enough to do, not really wanting to supervise somebody else doing a major chunk of universe definition. But several players liked the idea.

SFB Monster Manual: SSDs for all monsters, new monster scenarios, fiction about monsters.

SFB Revolutionary Edition: Steve Cole is getting a bug to do this. It would change some SFB rules (e.g., moving in reverse costs, starcastle becomes a bad idea). Might be done as a single book of revised rules.

SFB Tactics Manual #2: Compilation of Term Papers, with corrections and updates

Silent Star Fleet: Being done by Iron Crown as a conversion of their Silent Death game engine. Presuming that Bruce N actually writes it (he says he is and we believe him), we plan to publish it ASAP. This may be in several volumes.

By Shawn Hantke (Shantke) on Thursday, December 25, 2008 - 09:00 pm: Edit

SFB Revolutionary Edition, would this make all of the Captain's Edition products obsolete? What are the effects to existing Scenarios, Fiction, History and Tournaments? If it will change, I would like full color and full page SSDs and more 1" color counters and color charts like FC.

By A. David Merritt (Adm) on Thursday, December 25, 2008 - 09:09 pm: Edit

My opinions, note that the "buy its" depend on my being able to afford the items in question.

Alternate Reality Manuals: Interesting reading, Buy it? Someday.

Art of the Star Fleet Universe: Judging buy attempts by other SJ Games art books, probably a poor seller, Buy it? Unlikely.

Campaign Designer’s Handbook #2: Note that the current Tech Trees do not align with Early Years on tech development. Buy it? Yes.

Captain’s Log Reprints: Cool, I already own all of these. Buy it? No.

Captain’s Log Special Issue: Best of Star Fleet Times. Buy it? Yes.

Captain’s Log Special Issue: Best of Starletter. Buy it? Yes.

Captain’s Log Special Issue: Stellar Shadows #3. Buy it? Yes, Top 5.

Captain’s Log Special Issue, Best of the early issues: Buy it? Eventually.

F&E Playtest Manual: Interesting reading, Buy it? Unlikely limited funds.

F&E Tactical Notes compilation: Interesting reading, Buy it? Unlikely limited funds.

F&E Warbook: Unfortunate, I would like to buy this, someday.

FC Briefing #2: Do not play FC

FC Briefing #3: Do not play FC

FC Tactics Manual: Do not play FC

Federation Admiral Campaign book for FedComm: Do not play FC

Klingon Armada (also, Romulan Armada): Unlikely to play or buy.

Leanna’s Fighting Starships: Interesting reading, Buy it? Someday.

PD for new game engines: I like that you are expanding the base, but I use the GURPS system.

PD Tholians : Yay! Buy it: Yes.

PD20M versions of Klingons, Romulans. I like that you are expanding the base, but I use the GURPS system.

Prime Directive Final Frontier: I like that you are expanding the base, but I use the GURPS system.
Prime Directive Adventures: Interesting reading, Buy it? Maybe.

Prime Directive Deck Plans Manual: Sheets would be more playable, Interesting reading, Buy it? Maybe.

SFB Cadet Training handbook: Maybe to use up the maps and counters, however this seems like the best use for free downloads, for new players.

SFB Master Campaign Module: Interesting reading, Buy it? Maybe.

SFB Master Rulebook Supplement; Buy it? Yes.

SFB Master Scenario Book: Interesting reading, Buy it? Maybe.

SFB Master Starship Book, Volume I: Interesting reading, Buy it? Probably.

SFB Module C3A Andro Threat File: Buy it? Yes, Top 5.

SFB Module C4R: Buy it? Yes.

SFB Module C4X: Buy it? Yes.

SFB Module CV: Buy it? No.

SFB Module CVG: Buy it? Yes.

SFB Module CVH: SSDs for carriers with heavy fighters. Very easy to do.

SFB Module D3: Hve the older D3, Buy it, Unlikely.

SFB Module E2 follow up: Buy it? Yes.

SFB Module E3: Buy it? Yes.

SFB Module FTR: Buy it, Unlikely.

SFB Module G3: Buy it? Yes, Top 5.

SFB Module G3A: Buy it? Yes, Top 5.

SFB Module Lost Worlds: Buy it? Yes. Would this include updated rules. i.e. Paravian/Carnivon General War/X-rules?

SFB Module M2: Buy it? Yes, although we never use these.

SFB Module MY: Buy it, Unlikely.

SFB Module Omega M: Buy it? Yes, although we never use these.

SFB Module Omega Zero: Buy it? Yes.

SFB Module P2X: I could see a playtest module for this, if only to limit the types of rules revisions we saw of X1.

SFB Module R1A: Buy it? Maybe.

SFB Module R99: Interesting reading, Buy it? Probably.

SFB Module U91: Interesting reading, Buy it? Probably.

SFB Monster Manual: Interesting reading, Buy it? Unlikely.

SFB Revolutionary Edition: Buy it? Unlikely, unless done as the following.
“Might be done as a single book of revised rules.”

SFB Tactics Manual #2: Interesting reading, Buy it? Probably.
Silent Star Fleet: Buy it? Unlikely.

By Stacy Brian Bartley (Bartley) on Thursday, December 25, 2008 - 09:48 pm: Edit

SVC
If you DON'T publish PD Tholians soon Loren's head will explode and NONE of us want to have to clean that up!
regards
Stacy

By Joseph R Carlson (Jrc) on Thursday, December 25, 2008 - 10:26 pm: Edit

SVC,

Perhaps parts that make up SFB Module FTR, SFB Module CVG, and SFB Module CVH could be in the same product.

I hope you really do SFB Revolutionary Edition. Also SFB Module Lost Worlds would be a cool product.

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Friday, December 26, 2008 - 01:35 am: Edit

Rather than everybody listing every product idea with a litany of why they would or would not buy it, would everybody simply list the five products you most want to buy and ignore the rest?

By Peter Thoenen (Eol) on Friday, December 26, 2008 - 03:05 am: Edit

SFB Master Campaign Module
SFB Master Scenario Book
SFB Master Starship Book, Volume I
SFB Module E2 follow up
SFB Monster Manual

SFB Revolutionary Edition <-- Jesus no. At this point SFB is fine tuned to tactics being based on rule subclauses and cross reference burned into muscle memory. Changing the rules is going to please as many people as it pisses off and given the market and industry would prefer to live the pain I know over the pain I don't. I am thinking most people won't come back if a new edition is rolled out. IF (big IF) you do go this route then please make sure you write OPTIONAL next to each rule.

By Jonathan Jordan (Arcturusv) on Friday, December 26, 2008 - 08:03 am: Edit

Top five products, geeze, really twist my arm to narrow it down to five.

Omega Zero, G3 and G3A, Leanna's Fighting Ships, SSJ3, depending on what it means maybe "Alternate Reality Manual", but probably Campaign Designer's Handbook #2.

Kinda hard to narrow it down to five books. But I doubt I'd buy too many more than maybe 7 anyway depending on how the year's financials go.

By Jason E. Schaff (Jschaff297061) on Friday, December 26, 2008 - 09:00 am: Edit

My Top 5:

F&E Playtest Manual
MSSB Volume I
CL: Stellar Shadows #3
SFB Lost Worlds
Federation Admiral

By Todd Warnken (Toddw) on Friday, December 26, 2008 - 10:39 am: Edit

I have a top 3:

Silent Star Fleet
Klingon Armada
Leanna’s Fighting Starships

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Friday, December 26, 2008 - 11:06 am: Edit

Ok, trying this again. G3 and G3A are going to happen so don't bother voting for them. Silent Star Fleet, Klingon Armada, Leanna's Fighting Starships, and Federation Admiral are going to happen if the outside designers send them in, so don't bother voting for them. FC Briefing #2 (middle years), the briefing for ships needed to support the campaign, and the first borders of madness thing are going to happen, so don't bother voting for them.

By Tony L Thomas (Scoutdad) on Friday, December 26, 2008 - 11:10 am: Edit

F&E Playtest Book
MSSB: Vol I
CL: SSJ #3
PD: Deck Plans
FC: Tactics Manual

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Friday, December 26, 2008 - 11:13 am: Edit

What did I say about G3? G3A? Briefings?

By Loren Knight (Loren) on Friday, December 26, 2008 - 11:43 am: Edit

There are more than five things I'd really want on this list (which lacks SFA for some reason). Some of the things on the list don't seem to be in question about publication like Fed Admiral, Klink Armada, and Slient Star Fleet, so I won't vote for those. I don't know enough about them to know if I'd buy them anyway.


Forcing myself to limit, here's my list:
================================================
-SFB Master Series: Anything in this series is a top buy.
-PD Final Frontiers*
-PD Adventures*
-SFB Monster Manual
-PD Deck plans (as a book with maximum layout for plans)
================================================

A sixth would be F&E Strategy Manual: Yes, tac notes but a Strategy Breifing article would be good. That is, F&E for beginners (walk through). A how to teach F&E type article too.

*I want everything PD but would like to see the background get more focus for a bit. Not just because I'm doing PD Tholians, but because the three existing core books need the support. We are building ship hulls without guns. We need to arm the ships on the water before building more hulls, IMO.


+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
I have some comments about other products.

X2: Would love to see this but I can wait for 2010 on this. This years seems a bit busy and X2 needs a LOT of special attention.

Alt Reality manual: It seems to me that this could be combined with the Campaign Manual (as a section: Alternative Realities). This might be a good test to see if the Alt Reality thing is popular.

Art of the SFU: Coloring Book. Not hard to finish.

Marines 2: YEs, this would be a good one.

SFB Monster Manual: I have a monster and some ideas on fiction: one new (The Drell) and another already submitted (Warbots) with fiction. Both need some work but are not that difficult to finish.

Tactics Manual #2: An updated tactics manual would be welcome. I'd like to submit my alternative view of Klingon D5 tactics. The idea that a D5 should be flown like a D7 is nuts, IMO.

By Joseph R Carlson (Jrc) on Friday, December 26, 2008 - 12:39 pm: Edit

SVC,

My choices from highest priority to lowest priority.

1. SFB Revolutionary Edition
2. SFB Module C3A Andro Threat File
3. SFB Module Lost Worlds
4. A combined product of SFB Module FTR, SFB Module CVG, and SFB Module CVH
5. SFB Monster Manual

If 4 is not possible (needs to be seperate products) then do SFB Module R99.

By Jeremy Gray (Gray) on Friday, December 26, 2008 - 12:47 pm: Edit

My top 5:

1. Captain’s Log Special Issue: Stellar Shadows #3 (see #2)
2. SFB Module Lost Worlds. (If this got us GW Carnivons, More GW Paravians, and the Peladine (something akin to C1-3), it would be hands down, without a doubt, my way, way, top #1, and my desire for SSJ3 would drop like a rock)
3. SFB Module C3A Andro Threat File
4. SFB Module R99
5. SFB Module C4R

By Lawrence Bergen (Lar) on Friday, December 26, 2008 - 01:10 pm: Edit

F&E Playtest would be cool. Of course ISC seems to be a major undertaking that might get in the way.

F&E Tactical: This would be nice I like the formart of the old SFB Tactics book and would request that this would focus on both General Tactics for beginners (ala the "Give me an example of..." type papers), More complex strategy discussion (ala the War Room stuff from the CLOGs), Tactics of the General War (focusing on the GenWar stuff), Alternat Tactics (not of the historical type, outside the GenWar).

I would buy both of these.

By Kenneth Jones (Kludge) on Friday, December 26, 2008 - 01:16 pm: Edit

1. CL SSJ#3
2. Campaign Handbook 2
3. C4R
4. SFB Module R99
5. SFB Module C3A

I'd be willing to work on helping with Tech trees. I did a batch of updated trees for a campaign that never got off the ground a couple years ago.


Module P2X might be a good thing as well. Working out the 2X rukes would need a lot of playtesting. More so than anything else other than E3.

By Loren Knight (Loren) on Friday, December 26, 2008 - 01:26 pm: Edit

I'll say this about P2X: Having a general compass direction would help a lot in developing proposals. The X2 forums produced lots of good ideas but the proposing was almost completely blind.