Roscoehatfield? IIRC, in either module R8 or module R11, there's a reference to freighters operating with multiple Skids (up to three for the small and up to six for the large) at the expense of having the cargo pod.

Before I managed to get that reference through my incredibly thick skull (), I couldn't imagine a freighter withOUT a pod, so you're not alone.

Just a guess on my part (now), but I think it might have to do with the Q-Ships; I don't think they're modular, and threw me for a good number of years.

By John Christiansen (Roscoehatfield) on Monday, October 06, 2025 - 04:50 pm: Edit

Steve, thanks. That's what I needed.

Jeff, since I lost my collection of everything in a fire, I don't have the ability to look everything up.

By Dal Downing (Rambler) on Monday, October 06, 2025 - 06:09 pm: Edit

Just remember you can't hook up and haul of a pod during a scenario or game. Its a complicated process.

By John Christiansen (Roscoehatfield) on Monday, October 06, 2025 - 10:56 pm: Edit

Dal, that's OK. My thought process in this and other threads was towards early (pre-Y121) years energy requirements of Tholian Webs, and how the Tholians could most likely have handled that problem. The WT isn't available until Y150, and I noticed that the early years freighters had the same 25 box cargo pod. The WT has a cargo pod filled with APRs and has two web generators. The question about drop and hook made it plausible that the early freighters could have hauled web charger pods around. I suggested it as a new ship, and we'll see what happens.

My first thoughts were that maybe the Tholians could have converted their PC into a web charger. I began a conversation in that direction but kept getting either a PC hull with four P-1s and a lot of power, or a toothless PC with even more power, neither of which I liked even though the PC was the largest hull class available that early. SVC came up with the same answer I already did, so I chose to look elsewhere. When I saw early freighters with the same 25 box cargo pods and read in the rules that those same cargo pods were available in the early years, I had my next light bulb moment, the YWT based on the unarmed early freighter.

We'll see how that one is received.

By Eddie E Crutchfield (Librarian101) on Thursday, November 20, 2025 - 05:59 pm: Edit

A question does anyone have a copy ofrom the old A+ module of the counter sheet that the Fed ECP was on?? thanks

Ed

By David Cheng (Davec) on Thursday, November 20, 2025 - 08:03 pm: Edit

Hello Ed,

Just sent you an email.

-DC

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Friday, November 21, 2025 - 07:55 pm: Edit

Email me. I have the original art.

By Eddie E Crutchfield (Librarian101) on Saturday, November 22, 2025 - 10:37 am: Edit

Email sent. Thanks

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Monday, November 24, 2025 - 05:24 pm: Edit

for_all.jpg,image/jpeg}

By Russ Simkins (Madcowak) on Monday, November 24, 2025 - 08:01 pm: Edit

Christrmas for plasma chuckers already? Looks like #5's ate all the #8's and divided in two (mitosis?)

By Ken Kazinski (Kjkazinski) on Monday, November 24, 2025 - 08:45 pm: Edit

Steve,

All of the row 9 have an identification number of 5 and not 9.

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Monday, November 24, 2025 - 09:16 pm: Edit

email me and i'll fix it tomorrow. I only had 15 minutes, enough time to do it, not check it.

By Eddie E Crutchfield (Librarian101) on Monday, November 24, 2025 - 11:48 pm: Edit

Thanks, Now I print them on label paper, cut them and paste them to some of the many extre counters I have.

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Tuesday, November 25, 2025 - 01:21 am: Edit

Wait until I fix the numbers.

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Tuesday, November 25, 2025 - 03:45 pm: Edit

Try this one....

ECP Counters for all.jpg ecp_counters_for_all.jpg (684 k)

By Eddie E Crutchfield (Librarian101) on Tuesday, November 25, 2025 - 07:00 pm: Edit

outstanding

By Dan Kosko (Dak4482) on Tuesday, December 30, 2025 - 01:55 pm: Edit

Hi all. New to the games so please be patient. Is there a GOOD reference that explains the chronology/timeline everyone references here such as Y198, Y178, etc? I have seen numerous chronologies but they all use either our current years or another 4 digit system. Also a good chronology that tells of the development of ships over the timeline of millenia and different races as related to the game and not the TV series. Any help is greatly appreciated.
Dan

By Jack Bohn (Jackbohn) on Tuesday, December 30, 2025 - 03:19 pm: Edit

Welcome!
https://www.starfleetgames.com/masterindex.shtml has a PDF labeled "Timeline" for download.
Much history, and some tech and key ships are listed there.

By Robert Russell Lender (Rusman) on Tuesday, December 30, 2025 - 08:17 pm: Edit

Welcome Aboard Dan,

Here is the direct link to the timeline Jack mentioned.
https://www.starfleetgames.com/documents/Timeline.pdf

You might also enjoy a good read out of the history of the general war:
https://www.starfleetgames.com/sfb/sfin/general_war.htm

By Gary Carney (Nerroth) on Tuesday, December 30, 2025 - 08:23 pm: Edit

Welcome to the Star Fleet Universe!

-----

The central conceit of the SFU is the same as that used for the Star Fleet Technical Manual from which ADB's arcane licensing arrangements originate, in that the material we see in print is ultimately derived from a set of "Air Force data tapes".

The problem is that not all of the data in these tapes lines up neatly with known Earth calendars - or, indeed, with each other - and there is no "Rosetta Stone" with which to lock in a definitive correlation. So, when reviewing the data tapes, one is advised to make do as best one can.

At present, there are three "official" calendars, each based on different aspects of the data tapes; all three use the date of First Contact between Earth and Vulcan as the key point of reference. However, only two of these three are used in current ADB publications.

There is the "Amin-Audeh Chronology", which sets First Contact in the Earth year 2063.

There is the "Valkenburg Chronology", which sets First Contact in the Earth year 2400; this is used in the Federation Commander game system.

And thirdly, there is the "Y-calendar"; the use of this chronology assumes that the very concept of assigning First Contact to an Earth calendar date is impossible based on the data at hand, and simply defaults to the calendar used by the SFU's Federation itself (in which the year of First Contact is marked as Y1). Most ADB game systems, such as Star Fleet Battles and Federation and Empire, use this system.

A more thorough explanation of this concept is in an article published in Prime Directive Federation.

-----

Speaking of which, I might recommend taking a closer look at the Prime Directive sourcebooks that are currently available: the "core" rulebook itself, plus the empire sourcebooks for the Federation, Klingons, and Romulans.

While PD supports a number of different RPG engines, I would personally favour sticking with those written for GURPS 4th Edition, not least as those have been the most recently updated.

There are also articles to be found which cover such things as the different Tech Levels the various Alpha Octant empires progress through to the end of the known Y-calendar in Y225, as well as how different warp factors work in terms of operational and/or strategic warp movement.

Another volume of note is Away Team Log, which includes some historical data that, hopefully, shall end up being more fully filled out in future Prime Directive empire sourcebooks.

-----

Beyond this, there is an entirely unofficial thread over on the Trek BBS, in which I have tried to provide a bit more context for how some of the technologies of the SFU operate, in a relatively "rules-agnostic" fashion.

How well, or otherwise, that thread serves to help guide one's further exploration of the broader SFU is something I leave each would-be reader to decide...

By Dan Kosko (Dak4482) on Wednesday, December 31, 2025 - 12:22 am: Edit

wow. thx to all for the information. that will keep me busy for a while along with starting the scenarios in the Cadet training handbook.

By John Christiansen (Roscoehatfield) on Friday, January 02, 2026 - 07:30 pm: Edit

I'm going to ask this here first since it is about a rule in Module P6.

The rule is "(E107.122) Megaphasers are limited to the mauler firing arcs (E8.23) including the alternative firing arcs (E8.27), extended to their maximum range."

The question is what do the alternate mauler firing arcs look like beyond the range of 10 hexes? The outside looks obvious. It's the inside which is confusing me. In that short range shown there is no discernible pattern. There would be if the inside hexes at ranges 9 and 10 were blank.

By Ted Fay (Catwhoeatsphoto) on Friday, January 02, 2026 - 10:09 pm: Edit

Dan, welcome!!!

As you've seen, there's a huge amount of support here on the BBS. You just have to ask!

Ted

By Stewart Frazier (Frazikar3) on Friday, January 02, 2026 - 10:20 pm: Edit

Hmmm. mauler arcs, think it was at 5/9, then it might be 13/17/21 (or 4x+1) …

By Garth L. Getgen (Sgt_G) on Saturday, January 03, 2026 - 03:45 pm: Edit

Does anyone have a home-grown SSD of a Mobile Base with all the Pod / Module options depicted? Thanks!!


Garth L. Getgen