Sounds like a capitol assault.

By Joseph Jackson (Bonneville) on Sunday, March 17, 2024 - 01:27 pm: Edit

An intriguing idea, Jeff. I think Scenario #3, the fleet intercept action, might be abused as a reinforcement rally. Strict adherence to Rule(S2.27)Stalemates would be important, and maybe something like a derelict minefield, or other hindering terrain/encounter could mitigate that possibility.
I think the set up wouldn't be much harder than say, Scenario (T2.0) Economy of Force. The size of the fleets and the year of play are usually the complicating factors.
It sounds like a lot of fun.

By Gary Carney (Nerroth) on Sunday, March 17, 2024 - 06:45 pm: Edit

There are a number of case studies in various Star Fleet Battles modules, plus the way in which things are abstracted to work over in Federation and Empire, which might be worth considering.

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In SFB, there is the Fall of Demorak mini-campaign in Module C3A. In that setup, a series of 10 consecutive "combat rounds" (or playings of the same SFB scenario) are fought out, in which waves of Andromedan Motherships are being sent to try and whittle down the defences of the Lyran Democratic Republic's capital world. There is an optional eleventh combat round which can be fought, to represent the Andros sending in robotic Marines in order to conquer the planet itself.

One of the key factors in this mini-campaign is how it allows players to account for the outcome of two concurrent battles taking place elsewhere in LDR space.

One, also in Module C3A, involves the last mobile reserves that were drawn away from Demorak just prior to the main attack.

The other, published in Module X1R, involves the Red Guard, the Republic's squadron of first-generation X-ships.

Depending on how well (or badly) those battles go, there might (or might not) be a number of LDR reinforcements making it back to Demorak in time to affect the outcome one way or the other.

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Module X1R has a couple of other scenarios of note.

One, also involving the Andromedans, sees the Inter-Stellar Concordium's X1-squadron Echelon of Judgment rush back to the ISC capital region in order to defend the Korlivilar home world from a pair of Andromedan Dominators.

Notably, these Dominators are part of the second wave of Motherships to hit Korlivala; the first wave had destroyed most of the planet's defences. To put it another way, the Andromedans had already fought a first "combat round" prior to the onset of the scenario as presented in Module X1R.

As it happens, the Echelon of Judgment were involved in another major scenario in that same SFB module. In that one, however, they are the ones seeking to destroy the Seltorian Hive Ship Burning Torch of Vengeance, plus the in-system defences the Selts had set in place on and around their colony planet.

Beyond this, the Andromedan attack on the Romulan starbase Sanguinax is covered in Module X1; while there are two Revolt-era scenarios set in the M81 Galaxy in Module C3. Historically, the Seltorian rebels were able to deploy pairs of Battlewagons and/or Assaultagons against key Tholian installations; while Module C3 was written long before either type of siege variant was made to exist, there is a scenario variant in Federation Commander which accounts for the use of such units.

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Beyond the Alpha Octant and the M81 Galaxy, there are plenty of historical events involving bases and/or fortified planets in both the Omega Octant and in the Lesser Magellanic Cloud - not least of which being the final attack on the third Desecrator starbase at the culmination of Operation Unity.

Of these areas, the LMC is more fully established, in terms of the actual SSDs being in place to allow for such battles to be played out. Whether it's the various Magellanic Powers (the Baduvai, Eneen, and/or Maghadim) waging war with one another; these powers (and others native to the LMC) trying to hold back the Andromedan invaders while at the same tome mustering a pair of Desecrator attacks of their own; or even seeking to liberate their respective home worlds from Andro occupation in the post-Unity era.

Omega is more problematic. While there are various rules in place covering ground-based fighter, PF, and/or planetary control bases, most of the other units needed to establish fixed installations have yet to be committed to print. What is known from the background is that, much as the LMC draws a dividing line between the smaller base types used by the Baduvai and Eneen and the larger base designs operated by the Maghadim, there is said to be a wide variety in terms of what constitutes a given Omega empire's range of bases and ground defences. For example, it is reported that the Koligahr and Drex are renowned for their comparatively powerful bases - though even these would be stretched to breaking point by the stresses of the Andromedan and Souldra invasions of the Sixth Cycle.

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Most of the aforementioned data points have a key variable in common: whether or not the attacking force is able to draw the defending fleet away from the base and/or planet by the time the strike is being launched.

The Andromedans in particular were adept at forcing their opponents to scatter their warships piecemeal, responding to attacks on various convoys and colonies across a broad region of space, and then leveraging the Rapid Transit Network in order to mass their forces and to target those larger bases from which these ships had been de-assigned.

Only after the RTN was uncovered were their respective enemies able to attempt to subvert this by getting rid of the satellite bases and larger RTN nodes themselves. As it happens, there are also a few SFB scenarios featuring such attacks - but, as outlined in Module X1R, actually finding and destroying these nodes was itself a full-time challenge.

In other cases, the attackers in a given scenario either relied on the element of surprise (as was the case with the first wave of strikes by the Seltorian rebels during the Revolt), and/or used their fleet assets in the region to effectively "pin" the enemy fleet in place while the major attack was being carried out (as happened when the ISC smothered the area in which the Seltorian Tribunal fleet was operating, preventing them from withdrawing back to the Hive Ship).

Surprise attacks are also easier to carry out if the attacking has some means by which it can reduce the range at which it can be detected by the defenders: be it the Romulan (and/or Orion) use of the cloaking device in Alpha, or the playtest Zosman Marauders' use of their bespoke Stealth field over in Omega.

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One final note (for now) is to suggest considering how things are handled over in F&E.

When the Klingons and Lyrans launch their early attacks on the Kzintis and Hydrans, each map hex with a major Alliance base or planet on it is liable to see a large stack of Coalition ships placed upon it, plus stacks of Kzinti or Hydran warships parked in the same battle hex.

Yet, since the command limits seen in SFB also apply over in F&E, these engagements are fought out in a series of "combat rounds" (each more or less equivalent to a single SFB scenario), in which the Coalition seeks to steadily wear down the enemy defences.

For larger units such as starbases, this is represented in part through the option of scoring SIDS (or Starbase Incremental Damage Steps) against such bases. Score enough SIDS over enough combat rounds, and one can cripple - and eventually destroy - the base in question. Doing so reduces the amount of damage that can be scored on the defending ships in that combat round, however.

By and large, if both the attackers and defenders have large numbers of ships present to contest the battle hex, resolving this struggle one way or the other would be more of a marathon than a sprint - and certainly requiring more than a single SFB scenario's worth of fighting.

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Sunday, March 17, 2024 - 07:34 pm: Edit

It isn't a new idea, but I don't think anyone has successfully written one. Maybe there is one in the T-series.

By Steve Petrick (Petrick) on Monday, March 18, 2024 - 03:02 pm: Edit

Joseph Jackson: Ground defenses are not required to use six bases, they show up that way on the SSD because of convenience. On most planets you can have one per hex side, but you do not require such to defend the planet. You would need at least three to have full coverage of a small planet (there are gaps if you had only two on the FH/RH arcs), so three. You then get into the Bean Counters, i.e., you might want have six phaser-4s on each hex side but the Bean Counters do the math and decide your planet is only worth three phaser-1s (and that individual who was requisitioning the parts only got phaser-2s and took a kickback).

By Frank Lemay (Princeton) on Friday, March 29, 2024 - 10:58 pm: Edit

SPP,
Question re Bpv value for the Fed CVA.
G3 lists it at 222/200 and with the + refit, it is 232/210.

The awr refit adds another 5 Bpv.

The SSD shows the Bpv at 172/150 and with the + refit, it is 182/160 and again, the awr refit adds another 5 Bpv.

Which value is correct, G3 or the SSD ?

Thanks.

Cheers
Frank

By Jeff Anderson (Jga) on Saturday, March 30, 2024 - 04:20 pm: Edit

Hey, Frank!

While I'm no SPP (obviously ), the MSC in my copy of the 2020 update to Module J lists the BPV of the Federation CVA as the same as what you saw in Module G3, as does the 2020 update SSD book.

By any chance is your SSD book from the 1991 Captain's Edition? I can't be sure, but my guess is this was one of the small number of errata items with the newer update.

By Frank Lemay (Princeton) on Saturday, March 30, 2024 - 05:45 pm: Edit

Jeff,
My copy was 1991, I just bought Module J online a few minutes ago and you are correct.

Thanks so much !

Cheers
Frank

By Ken Kazinski (Kjkazinski) on Saturday, April 13, 2024 - 01:24 pm: Edit

From the BBS 2/13/2010 19:32:00, G3 Errata:

Annex #03-02: CVA: BPV is 222/200.

Annex #03-02: CVA+: BPV 232/210.

By Ken Kazinski (Kjkazinski) on Saturday, April 27, 2024 - 08:37 pm: Edit

The ISC Light Scout Pod (R13.92) SSD, Module R11, pg 87, shows two rows of APRs, but SFBOL shows the botton row of APR's as Battery.

Which is correct?

By Ken Kazinski (Kjkazinski) on Sunday, April 28, 2024 - 11:45 am: Edit

Is there a Sabot cost for ships with ready racks or is it zero for the ready racks?

By A David Merritt (Adm) on Sunday, April 28, 2024 - 11:54 am: Edit

FP11.11 Fighter or MRS 0.25 points per ready rack
This refit can be applied to any ship which has plasma torpedoes or which has ready racks for plasma-armed fighters. The refit cost for ready racks is paid per box, e.g., a heavy fighter has two boxes (cost 0.5), a medium bomber has three boxes (cost 0.75), and a heavy bomber has four boxes (cost 1.0). Sabots are not used in tournaments. See (K2.384) for Romulan Starhawks.

By Ken Kazinski (Kjkazinski) on Sunday, April 28, 2024 - 01:29 pm: Edit

Thanks.

By Chuck Strong (Raider) on Thursday, May 30, 2024 - 03:06 am: Edit

SPP:

Are Kestrel variants of the E4G and E4S possible? (a la the recently found forgotten K5G)
Is there a Lyran FFG that can be converted to a DWG?
Is there a Lyran FFV that can be converted to a DWV?

We are updating F&E counters for CO and FO which would properly include these such ships if they could exist but were never built.

SVC IS UNCLEAR. ARE THESE NEW SHIPS NOT IN SFB? NEED PETRICK APPROVAL AND RESERVATION OF PUBLICATION SPACE, PERHAPS CL55

By Steve Petrick (Petrick) on Thursday, May 30, 2024 - 01:39 pm: Edit

There is no doubt that if the Klingons made the hulls available the Romulans would have converted them. Lyran FFV is in a sense a lot harder to justify as the question of escort(s) comes up. An FFG could have been built as a police unit in the far corners of the empire but may not have been successful.

By Mike West (Mjwest) on Friday, May 31, 2024 - 03:00 pm: Edit

The Romulan K4R, K4D, and K4B all exist and have been published. I don't see why the Romulans couldn't have just converted them on their own into the K4G or K4S designs had there been desire to do so. So, I think they are completely legitimate conjectural ships at the very least. It would take no Klingon involvement for either ship to exist.

By Chuck Strong (Raider) on Friday, May 31, 2024 - 05:30 pm: Edit

Would not a notional Lyran FFV be escorted by a Lyran FFE (R11.11)?

By Mike Grafton (Mike_Grafton) on Saturday, June 01, 2024 - 09:37 am: Edit

I asked for the E4V to exist for the Roms. It would make a nifty mini carrier...

By Mike West (Mjwest) on Saturday, June 01, 2024 - 10:57 am: Edit

I assume that the Romulans should be able to make their own versions of the following ships easily enough, given that they have base versions of the hull available: E4E/A, E4C, E4G, E4S, E4T, and E4V. (The E4R already exists as the K4F.) All of those would be simple conversions of the base E4/K4R.

By Chuck Strong (Raider) on Saturday, June 01, 2024 - 02:58 pm: Edit

If these Kestrel versions exist as the K4G, K4S, K4T, K4C, and K4V, I would appreciate it we could get confirmation from SPP or whatever process is required to do so. ADB and the F&E staff is in the process of updating the products that would properly contain these such units/counters and it may take well over another decade before we get another chance to include them.

Thanks guys!
Chuck

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Saturday, June 01, 2024 - 03:57 pm: Edit

Definitely want all of those on the new sheets!

By Mike West (Mjwest) on Saturday, June 01, 2024 - 06:54 pm: Edit

SVC, do you want the K4 variant SSDs?

Are the two Lyran FF variants needed?

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Saturday, June 01, 2024 - 07:18 pm: Edit

Mike, yes for K4s.

By Mike West (Mjwest) on Sunday, June 02, 2024 - 01:33 am: Edit

Ok. It'll take a couple days to get the time for them, but I'll get it done this coming week.

By Mike West (Mjwest) on Sunday, June 02, 2024 - 10:59 am: Edit

As an aside, Chuck skipped the K4E. I figure if you're doing the K4V, you need the K4E. Plus that gives six ships instead of just five. Don't use it if you don't want to, but I'm gonna include it anyway.