Archive through March 29, 2022
Star Fleet Universe Discussion Board: Star Fleet Battles: SFB General Discussions:
Archive through March 29, 2022
Using the old sailing ship era as a template, wouldn't a ship have a letter of marque?
Spy novels (I know; they're not really the best source for accurate information) sometimes had the big players (CIA, KGB, ADB, etcetera) hire mercenaries, or at least subsidise them, to help prop up (or destabilize) fragile governments in third world nations. According to these storylines, it enabled the leadership of the superpowers to have a fig leaf saying they weren't involved in all those (questionably legal at best) shenanigans.
PRESUMABLY in the "Peace" outside of the Four Powers War and General War, there were situations where the Major Powers, as part of their "Interstellar Cold War" would want to conduct some military actions, but to do so overtly would trigger a war that they weren't that interested in starting.
My best guess is that, to facilitate these actions, all of the major powers had blind contacts within the Orion syndicates for just that purpose. Folks who, if "Arrested" by the major powers, would know NOTHING that would hurt the Cartels, so doing so would just hurt the Big Governments.
BUT this may all be just an idiotic romanticization. 
Mercenaries? Like Blackwater, Aegis, Guardia, Diligence, Control Risks, the Wagner Group?
There are articles in Captain's Log and in Prime Directive Federation which speak to the use of private security companies in Federation space. For example, some of the Armed Cutters and Prime Corvettes in UFP space are operated by these contractors.
There is another article somewhere - possibly in an issue of Captain's Log - which goes into more detail on the means by which the Orion Cartels operate "mercenary" ships alongside "pirate" ones. I recall something to the effect of it being common for the two roles to be kept apart: as in, the officers and crewbeings recruited to serve on "mercenary" Orion ships are on a separate "career path" to those the Cartel use to enact pirate operations. At least in times of war, when the demand for Orion mercenaries would be high enough to warrant such a distinction.
But even then, there would still be scope for working with "poachers turned gamekeepers", depending on the requirements of the situation: be it with the Orion pirates in the Alpha Octant, the Zosman Marauders (or, for that matter, the Orion-type raider cruiser Throne of Ozymondas) over in the Omega Octant, or the Jumokian pirates out in the Lesser Magellanic Cloud.
I imagine that stuff is beyond the scope of F&E.
Anywho, any hiring of Orions generally requires an Orion player or one of the non player Orion options to be enabled. You can then, if you like, use the hired ship for whatever, within the limits of the rules involved.
In over 30 games, I have only seen Orions actually used once, so it's not a common thing to see.
Is anyone aware of any other SFU scenarios that involve the Usurper War of Return that started in Y186 other than these following scenarios:
SH117
SH118
SH119
SH162
SH189
SH200
T8 (S1-S4)
If so, please cite as we need to review them for useful historical data to build an F&E scenario.
Thanks.
Colonel Strong, Module G3A has, on Page 109 (the index of scenarios in chronological order), a list of about fifteen scenarios set in Y116. Likewise, on page 114, it has a number of scenarios set in the Y186/187 from the WYN War of Return.
Chuck,
(SP1932.0) Flank Security from Star Fleet Times #6
SH260 as kind-of-a precursor
Is there a master compilation of scenarios that I can purchase somewhere, preferably on PDF?
Do you mean a "master scenario book" with the actual scenarios (no) or some kind of index of scenarios (yes)?
A master scenario book would be huge, probably a multi-volume set (SH, SG, and SM/T/U).
I'd buy a "master scenario book" if it was available, even though I'd know that it would be outdated by the upcoming new projects. Would enough other people be willing to buy it that it would be worth your time and effort to put it together?
That is one of the issues. If we have to provide free updates every time we do a new product, we couldn't afford to do new products. One option would be to use volumes, putting SH1-SH100 in one book, then SH101-200 in the second, and so forth. All the books would cost the same so the "last" book in a given series (say, SH) would be smaller than normal until more scenarios appeared. Also, would we move the SL (log) scenarios to the SH/SG categories or make them into new numbers? Anyway, we need to finish the MSSBs before we start that.
For a Klingon Tug-A carrying 2x (R3.67) HEAVY CARRIER POD (P-V7), what name would the tug have? Would it continue to operate under the Tug-A name? Or would it take on a new carrier-ish name like a CVT?
--Mike
I'd buy master scenario volumes and understand that new scenarios means - yah know - new volumes.
The CVT's were permanent conversions. A Tug-A with with V-7 pods would retain it's original name.
I'd buy the Master Scenario books. I'd keep the SL's in their same series but maybe publish SL (Historical) separate from SL (General) separate from SL (Omega/Other). The last two might be kind of small.
Finish the MSSBs first should be the priority in my opinion.
The TGA with two-V-7 pods is listed as a CVTA - Carrier Tug (See Klingon MSSB, pg 41), the TGB would be TGBVA.
Note the CVTA is different from the CVT (R3.16) pg 14. The CVTs were essentially permanent conversions with dedicated escorts.
Ahmad: There is a published list of scenarios. It's in Module G3A: Supplementary Annexes.
Garth L. Getgen
>> A Tug-A with with V-7 pods would retain it's original name.
Thanks. That's what I gathered from the Starship Name Registry, but wanted to be sure.
Apologies for the unclear question, I was interested in the naming of the ships (a Tug-A named Commissar Gorvis Kormlin), not the designation (CVTA).
So no matter what role a Tug-A named Commissar Gorvis Kormlin takes on, be it logistical, economic, battle tug, carrier tug, drone tug, whatever, it still is named Commissar Gorvis Kormlin.
However if the same Tug-A was converted to CVT (effectively permanently), it would take on a new name like Mantis.
Thx!
--Mike
From the Klingon MSSB (R3.16) - Known names: 9-Berserker, 5-Warrior, 4-Whirlwind, 10- Mantis. The following tugs are known to have operated as carrier tugs on a temporary basis: 7-Commissar Vadmark Vak Kalday, 3-Commissar Lev Kurman, 11-Commissar Ter Mikon.
Where in the forums is the generic scenario?
Do you remember when G plasma torpedoes were called "G" torpedoes because they were used by the Gorn? And R plasma torpedoes were called "R" because they were used by Romulans?
Hi guys,
Didn't know where to post this but is there any plans to complete the Master Race Books?