"This could be any pattern that I can produce on a drafting program."

Hmmm. Hexagonally shaped hex filling counters for things you want to be able to find easily without sorting through stacks? The thing that comes immediately to my (alleged) mind is a sheet of F&E counters for Things That Can Serve as Supply Points: tugs, LTTs, convoys, milcons, etc.

Oh, excuse me, here comes the nice man in the white coat with my morning pills...

By Shawn Hantke (Shantke) on Tuesday, December 03, 2024 - 09:50 am: Edit

Any thoughts on laser cut counters? Laser cutter/engravers have come down quite a bit in price just as 3d printers have.

WE ARE LOOKING INTO THIS.

By Mike Erickson (Mike_Erickson) on Tuesday, December 03, 2024 - 11:32 am: Edit

Stewart,

Thanks for the info. Indeed RS does!

Klingon: B10, D5, 3D5, D5DX, D5X, D5W, D5X, D5X, D6D,
3D6D, D6M, D6S, D7C, DX, DX, 3F5B, 3F5B, 3F5B,
6F5B, 3F5L, F5L, F5, F5W, DSX, HDW, HDW, FX,
MD5, PRIME, PRIME, SB, 2PF, 4PF, 6PF, RGT, BDE.

Now the next question is: Why F5B? It's not in the SIT and presumably the F5 counter covers all the minor variants?

--Mike

By Nick Samaras (Koogie) on Tuesday, December 03, 2024 - 04:23 pm: Edit

"B" for bundle.

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Wednesday, December 04, 2024 - 03:57 pm: Edit

SOMEBODY ASKED so I went and looked. The RS art still exists but is in the 216 die pattern. It would take me a few hours (3-4) to convert it to 280 and fill up the 64 empty spots. If only I could think of things to put in those spots.

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Thursday, December 05, 2024 - 02:05 pm: Edit

REPRINT UPDATE: After K and Y1, the next sheet to run out will be R6. Unfortunately, that is a 216 old graphics sheet, meaning I have to move it to a 280 format, create 64 new counters, and replace 280 ship icons with new graphics. That's a ton of work, a week anyway. Jean wants to get it now and I'm not sure I want to do that. We might use PLANETARY OPS as a fourth sheet on that run and it's good to go as is, no changes, no reformats.

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Thursday, December 05, 2024 - 03:44 pm: Edit

COUNTER-STRIKE, COUNTER-PUNCH, COUNTER-ATTACK
These involve a total of 9 sheets of counters. I doubt anyone would pay $270 or even half of that for a set. In theory I could do one of the following;

Create a single sheet with the 9 empires each getting 30 counters. I don't think that would be a workable solution.

Create five sheets with half of the counters for each empire. A bit wonky but plausible.

Just print one or two of the sheets and see if anybody buys them.

Thoughts?

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Thursday, December 05, 2024 - 03:51 pm: Edit

ALTERNATE COLOR TOURNAMENT CIVIL WAR SHEET

I found out that the T-sheet was done 30 years ago in 216 format with old graphics. That's bad, but not nearly so bad as R6. In theory I would....

1. Do sheet-T over again in new graphics, adding 64 counters which would allow us to include some new things. This is fairly easy as the 216 counters only need 60 graphic icons, all of which exist and just have to be copied and pasted. In theory that could take few enough hours that Jean would authorize me to do it.

2. Take the finished T-sheet, do not print it, but clone the file and change the colors.

3. Add 2 or 4 or 6 copies to the next short-run sheet and see if they sell or not.

By Gary Carney (Nerroth) on Friday, December 06, 2024 - 11:14 am: Edit

Would the eventual revision to the Module T countersheet allow for a few additional tournament cruisers to be added - perhaps for Alpha empires which did not exist at the time the original countersheet was printed? Or would such new TCs have to wait until, or unless, a would-be "Module T2" product was up for consideration?

On the one hand, the playtest Borak and Peladine TCs in Module E3 and Module E4 respectively were added to the 2012 edition of the Module T SSD book - so perhaps they might be easier to add here.

On the other hand, however, I'm not aware of there being any playtest Paravian or Carnivon TCs, based on their respective "lost empire" data in Module C6. So even if there was room left over for such ships (and for the respective seeking weapons they might use) on the countersheet itself, it might be too much to ask for brand new SSds to be drafted for the occasion...

-----

To double back to ACtA:SF for a moment:

Web tokens aside, there is this set of Special Action tokens which might be of use, perhaps.

Perhaps one set of larger tokens for 3788/3125 scale round bases, and a separate set of smaller tokens for use at 7000 scale?

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Friday, December 06, 2024 - 08:03 pm: Edit

Since T is a 216, we could add those empires, but we are nowhere close to out of T.

By Stephen G. Parry (Mutant) on Friday, December 06, 2024 - 08:53 pm: Edit

For an upgraded Module T sheet there is already a lot to add, i.e. all the races present in the 2012 SSDs that do not currently have counters. This includes the Jindarians and Vudar, who count as 'core master rulebook' races even though their TCs have never progressed beyond playtest. Then there are the simulator TCs, most notably the Frax. This TC has earned sanctioned status as well-balanced, but as a simulator race ship nonetheless remains ineligible for sanctioned tournaments!
The Alt T sheet is more than just copy and recolor. The main sheet already contains eight alternate fighter counters. Also, a reasonable approach would be to use just one color combo for alternate empire - light blue on white as used for 'general units' in the normal game, which are the colors used for those exiting alternate fighter counters (can't tell I like to play Hydran!). Now a consequence of only having one color combo, is you only need one set of ammo counters for the alternates. However, you ideally need to add further counters in that color, corresponding to what is on the standard ammo sheet. What you gain on the swings, you lose on the roundabouts as we say in Britain.
I am working on a mock-up of the alternate sheet to see how it could all fit; how best can I share it with SVC when it is done?

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Saturday, December 07, 2024 - 07:48 am: Edit

Email me a jpg. This doesn’t need anything beyond simple grid boxes with the proposed content. Don’t worry about ship icons.

By Stephen G. Parry (Mutant) on Monday, December 09, 2024 - 07:49 am: Edit

I am working on this currently. I should get it sorted today. I am doing a suggestion for the main sheet too, as one feeds into the other so to speak. I have already created most of the ammo icons - which makes it much easier to follow.

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Monday, December 09, 2024 - 02:02 pm: Edit

You don't need icons, just a box with words. I don't want to see you spending time on what doesn't matter.

By Stephen G. Parry (Mutant) on Wednesday, December 11, 2024 - 07:03 pm: Edit

Working out what ammo is needed is taking longer than expected. Any guidance please on drone counts? The original T counters nine plus swarm for the Wyn Fish - three more than the control limit. Is this even possible under the tournament rules? I presume that the Klingon can launch as many as fourteen by my reckoning - two self guided VI and twelve type I under double control.

By Stephen G. Parry (Mutant) on Thursday, December 12, 2024 - 04:25 pm: Edit

Correction (doh!) Klingon=max 8 (6 type I under direct control plus 2 self guided type VI) - Kzinti = max 12 (12 type I under double direct control)

By Stephen G. Parry (Mutant) on Saturday, December 14, 2024 - 08:34 pm: Edit

I have emailed the designs to design@starfleetgames.com
It will likely go into Spam.

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Sunday, December 15, 2024 - 05:57 pm: Edit

I will look at them when I get to the office Monday. However, I'm not done with the current batch of long-run counters, and the whole concept of this sheet is not one Jean has authorized (yet), and there are many demands on my time. This may well happen but not this year.

By Stephen G. Parry (Mutant) on Sunday, December 15, 2024 - 07:45 pm: Edit

Thanks, I appreciate you looking at my ideas. Hopefully they will not just work as an idea on their own, but perhaps provide a way forward for the main module T counters as well.
Out of curosity, what items are at the front of the long run list please?

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Sunday, December 15, 2024 - 08:30 pm: Edit

What's next? INDIGO, VULKAN, KILO, SIERRA; BASIC SET, KLINGON BORDER. It has not been decided yet if Y1, K, R6, PLANETARY OPS will go on Short-Run-Two or Long-Run-2025. If they go on short-run two we might be able to get the Tournament sheet there, but it means delaying a needed reprint to create an experimental sheet that might not sell.

http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/12032/33153.html?1733040495#POST873312

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Friday, December 20, 2024 - 02:20 pm: Edit

Stephen Parry: Please resend that file. I don't understand OUTLOOK but your email and some others just up and disappeared when I tried to reply to them. They aren't in trash or spam.

By A David Merritt (Adm) on Friday, December 20, 2024 - 02:39 pm: Edit

Check Drafts, and Sent.

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Friday, December 20, 2024 - 11:19 pm: Edit

They aren't in drafts, either.

By Stephen G. Parry (Mutant) on Saturday, December 21, 2024 - 12:27 pm: Edit

I have resent the files. Do you need the explanatory comments too?

By Stephen G. Parry (Mutant) on Saturday, December 21, 2024 - 12:59 pm: Edit

Apologies, I am sure I have seen some posts on this before, but the search on here either brings up loads of spurious posts or none at all.
What was the final verdict on selling counters as e-books? I would buy these.
As a Brit I get most of my Star Fleet in digital format and print - shipping costs are not fun. Plus, having a searchable Rulebook or printable SSDs is just so much more useful.
Printing quality counters is not going to be easy, but I have a good inkjet and a 3D printer and am trying a number of possible approaches.
1. For the old style silhouette counters, I am going to try a multi-layer multi-color 3D print approach. The counter is printed in the color of the ship, with the detail recessed 0.4 m. The last 0.4mm is then printed in background color via filament change. I have done this to make personalized dominoes before.
2. Similar approach, but 3D printing in background color, then inking the detail using acrylic paint.
3. For new and mega hex counters, printing in reverse on transparency foil, then gluing to 3D printed blanks or coated grayboard (chipboard to you Americans), using spray epoxy adhesive (as advertised by the Blues Brothers). The matrix of 3D printed blanks could include cutting guide slots to help cutting the surface layer cleanly.