SFB Rules Q&A

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Please note: Omega-based questions go in the Omega Q&A; Magellanic-based questions go in the The Magellanic Cloud Q&A.

Authors, please note that if you have a rules question pertaining to a story, such questions are always carried out through email
By Frank Lemay (Princeton) on Sunday, December 07, 2025 - 01:52 pm: Edit

Question re a scout using a SENSOR channel to control drones.

Kzinti DDS has 3 channels powered but has not used them yet.
Lyran ships tuck in behind a planet and the 2 Kzinti ships controlling drones now lose lock on to the Lyran ships.
However, the Kzinti DDS still has the Lyran ships in her LOS.
Can the DDS immediately use a channel to conrol 6 drones as an involuntary transfer and 6 more as an involuntary transfer again for her regular control channels ?

Thanks.

Cheers
Frnak

By Frank Lemay (Princeton) on Sunday, December 07, 2025 - 07:58 pm: Edit

As I look at my question, I think what I am actually asking is does the scout need to announce a Sensor channel is for drone control the imp before it is required or can it do so on the imp when needed whether it be voluntary or involuntary ?

Thanks.

Cheers
Frank

By Dennis Surdu (Aegis) on Thursday, December 11, 2025 - 08:14 pm: Edit

I have asked this question before and seem to remember that SPP told me drogues are paid-for using Commanders Options under scenarios specific situations only and normally they should be counted as part of your force BPV. Is this correct?

By Gregory S Flusche (Vandar) on Friday, December 12, 2025 - 06:00 pm: Edit

As I understand it in a published scenario You have to buy them with COs. In a build Your own force they should be bought as part of the ships force.

By Ken Kazinski (Kjkazinski) on Sunday, December 14, 2025 - 09:12 am: Edit

I posted these in the MSSB-R03 After Actions report area, but I would like to see if these updates to (R3.R53) are acceptable.

(R3.R53) MSSB-R03 Klingon - Per R3.R53 J-boom shields are: D6J/D4J/D3J = 13; D5J/DWJ/D5JX = 10; E7J/F6J/F5J/F4J/F3J = 9, E4J = 7. Per module Y2 (pg 35) the F4J shields #3, #4, #5 boxes are only 7. Should not the "F4J" be 7? Update "E7J/F6J/F5J/F4J/F3J = 9" to "E7J/F6J/F5J/F3J = 9, F4J/E4J = 7." - Ken Kazinski, 06 Dec 2025.

(R3.R53) MSSB-R03 Klingon - Per R3.R53 J-boom shields are: D6J/D4J/D3J = 13; D5J/DWJ/D5JX = 10; E7J/F6J/F5J/F4J/F3J = 9, E4J = 7. Per module Y2 (pg 35) shield #3, #4, #5 boxes are only 5. Should not the "F3J" be 5? Update "E7J/F6J/F5J/F4J/F3J = 9" to "E7J/F6J/F5J = 9, F4J/E4J = 7, F3J = 5."- Ken Kazinski, 06 Dec 2025.

(R3.R53) MSSB-R03 Kligon Booms - Per (R3.R53) "J-boom shields are: D6J/D4J/D3J = 13" but the D3J's shields are 15/12/10/10/10/12. The boom would have more shields than the complete boom and aft sections. Should not (R3.R53) be updated so the D3J has 10 shields all around? - Ken Kazinski, 10 Dec 2025.

(R3.R53) MSSB-R03 BOOMS: (R3.R53) states "J-boom shields are: D6J/D4J/D3J = 13; D5J/DWJ/D5JX = 10; E7J/F6J/F5J/F4J/F3J = 9, E4J = 7." The F3J booms shields are 9/7/5/5/5/7. The separated boom would have more shield boxes than the complete ship. Possibly create a new entry for the F3J to "F3J = 5." - Ken Kazinski, 12 Dec 2025.

By Steve Petrick (Petrick) on Tuesday, December 16, 2025 - 04:30 pm: Edit

By Frank Lemay asked on Sunday, December 07, 2025 - 01:52 pm:

Question re a scout using a SENSOR channel to control drones: Kzinti DDS has 3 channels powered but has not used them yet.

Lyran ships tuck in behind a planet and the 2 Kzinti ships controlling drones now lose lock on to the Lyran ships.

However, the Kzinti DDS still has the Lyran ships in her LOS.

Question: Can the DDS immediately use a channel to control 6 drones as an involuntary transfer and 6 more as an involuntary transfer again for her regular control channels ?

REPLY: Yes and no. The KInti scout must first meet the conditions to accept control of the drones, i.e., the drones in question must be in a position to "see" the Lyran target and to see the Kzinti scout. The transfer is done to a channel held "in reserve" (powered, but not assigned a role to this point in the turn and not previously or under the effects of being blinded), this allows you to pick up SIX. and six only, of the seeking weapons. This is the "yes" part, the "no" part is that no scout can use more than one (1) channel to control seeking weapons at any one time or during a turn. The largest control rating for a scout is nominally 18 seeking weapons; 12 seeking weapons controlled by its own separate drone control rating (usually six, but the given scout might be a staircase or bats or Kziinti Super Space Control Ship, and a maximum of six controlled by one special sensor.

By Frank Lemay (Princeton) on Tuesday, December 16, 2025 - 07:15 pm: Edit

Thank you SPP.

Cheers
Frank

By Dana Madsen (Madman) on Wednesday, December 24, 2025 - 10:33 pm: Edit

Steve P, follow up on the Kzin question above. The situation described doesn't actually cover all of what happened, and maybe in the timing / sequence your answer might change. Also, this game is over, just looking for confirmation on whether we played the situation correctly or what we need to do differently in the future. For perspective I was the Kzin player and I'm not sure we handled this correctly.

Board situation, place a planet, on imp X lyran ships are 1 hex away south west of the planet in dir E from the planet. 2 Kzin ships are south east of the planet in dir C (a little towards direction D, not on the hex line). The Kzin DDS is in Dir B from the planet, to the north east, a little above the hex line so partially towards dir A. 9 or 10 drones are either south of the planet chasing Lyrans, or south east or north east. Some of the drones had the planet directly between the drone and the lyrans but the 2 kzin ships had lock on. None of the drones had ATG.

Impulse X: 2 Kzin ships controlling drones targeting Lyran ships adjacent to a plant and have LOS on this impulse to the Lyrans (note some of the drones did not have LOS to Lyrans as the planet was in the way but I assumed as the controlling ships had LOS they were still fine), some of the drones were right behind the Lyrans and the planet wasn't in the way. Kzin DDS is along a separate hex and on impulse X does NOT have LOS to the Lyran ships. Kzin DDS is only controlling the ECM drone targeting it so the DDS has 5 empty control channels.

Impulse X+1: Lyrans move north, dir F from the planet, into the shadow of the plant from the initial Kzin ships and they lose LOS, however in moving the Kzin DDS gains LOS to the Lyrans. Under F3.532 - Involuntary Transfer, transfer takes place at any point in the turn when original controlling ships are disqualified from control for failing any check in F3.3. So they lost lockon when they lost LOS.

Question 1: does the Kzin DDS immediately gain lockon when they get LOS to the Lyrans or is there a delay at any point in the sequence of play. Ie at the moment in movement when the other Kzin ships lost LOS and lockon, does the DDS gain it at that instant, or does it gain it later. If it doesn't gain lockon at that instant it wouldn't be able to assume control of any of the drones released under involuntary transfer. FYI, we played that it did gain lockon and was able to accept transfer of 5 of the drones on it's empty channels.

Question 2: is there a point in the sequence of play where the Kzin DDS needs to declare that it is using a channel for controlling drones. Or can it just declare that at the instant it's required. Ie without declaring in any previous impulse that it was using a sensor for control could it have declared that at the instant the other 2 kzin ships were trying to transfer 10 drones that had just become uncontrolled. We played that the kzin hadn't declared a channel used for that purpose at that instant, so it was only able to accept transfer of 5 drones (assuming that transfer was legal). But what point in the sequence of play does the scout declare that it's using a channel to control drones. Can it declare it an any point it needs to, so that it can satisfy involuntary transfer, or would it have to have forseen the issue and announced it in a relevant step an impulse earlier.

Question 3: should the drones have lost lockon if the lyrans flew on the far side of a planet from them even though a controlling ship had lockon. It wouldn't have affected every drone on the specific impulse but at some point over multiple impulses of movement every drone would have been affected by this.

Thanks,
Dana

By Eddie E Crutchfield (Librarian101) on Monday, January 05, 2026 - 09:52 am: Edit

Aquestion on T-Bombs, do you have to have a lock-on to transport out a t-bomb?

By Jessica Orsini (Jessica_Orsini) on Monday, January 05, 2026 - 10:01 am: Edit

Eddie: per (G8.17), the unit operating the transporter must have a lock-on to both the origin and destination of the transporter action.

By Eddie E Crutchfield (Librarian101) on Monday, January 05, 2026 - 06:25 pm: Edit

Jessica so even if it is empty space, Its not like I have anything there to lock on to? How do you lock on to empty space?

By Alex Chobot (Alendrel) on Monday, January 05, 2026 - 07:13 pm: Edit

You need the T-bomb to materialize intact. Transporting without a lock presumably would result in the item being transported materializing in a random jumble, or just as its constituent atoms, or the like.

By Dan Kosko (Dak4482) on Thursday, January 08, 2026 - 03:06 pm: Edit

Hi all. In the Module J Fighters Rulebook 2020 version in the table of contents it shows that there are supposed to be annexes 3,4,6,7G and 12. I guess those entries on pages 113-120 might be 4 and 7g but I dont see any references to commander's options or monsters. Am I missing something?
Dan

By Ken Kazinski (Kjkazinski) on Monday, January 12, 2026 - 09:50 pm: Edit

Dan,

Look on page 80 for the annexes.

By David Hanson (Glimaash) on Wednesday, January 14, 2026 - 09:12 am: Edit

I have a few questions about Warp Booster Packs. Relevant rules below.

Question #1 If fixed to a shuttle, it says they can be turned on or off during energy allocation (J5.13). J5.14 talks about use with mid turn speed changes. Is J5.14 applicable to shuttles or just fighters?

Question #2 J5.14 says "the WBP can be turned on (or off) once during the turn in addition to any change made during the Energy Allocation Phase" Does this mean they can be turned on once and turned off once during the turn (similar to cloak) or is it that it can be turned on or off only once total?

Thanks, David

Relevant Rules:

(J5.13) ACTIVATION: If a manned shuttle is carrying a WBP, it has the option of turning it off during the Energy Allocation Phase of any
turn; it must remain off for the duration of that turn.

(J5.133) A shuttle fitted with WBPs can be launched with the packs on or off (active or inactive); WBPs are turned off automatically when
the shuttle lands. This does not count as a “change” under (J5.14).

(J5.14) SPEED CHANGES: If using speed changes in mid-turn (C12.34), the WBP can be turned on (or off) once during the turn in addition to any change made during the Energy Allocation Phase.
NOTE: (C12.342) explains that this is not a “speed change.” If a fighter uses emergency deceleration (J4.13), the packs are turned off. This does not count against the limit of turning the packs
off once per turn. See also (J5.133) for another exception to the limit.


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