I don't know if we will do a single integrated "F&E Warbook" as the simple coalation of the component books produces the same effect and is easier to update.

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Saturday, January 06, 2018 - 02:25 pm: Edit

To actually answer the question: I have no idea what is needed for the issue and won't know until somebody sends it in. Nothing is ever submitted for a specific issue; if something is good it will find an issue to appear in soon enough.

By Jean Sexton (Jsexton) on Friday, February 02, 2018 - 06:28 pm: Edit

ADB Releases Ships for February!

On February 1, 2018, Amarillo Design Bureau completed its ninth wave of ships (73 in all, for over 500 available ships) in its shop on Shapeways.

The Federation gains its Federation Fleet Tug with no pods and a second one with a Starliner pod. Especially exciting are the release of more Franz Joseph designs. There are the Franz Joseph Tug with no pods and another with the Starliner pod, designed to move people across space. The Franz Joseph Federation heavy cruiser is available, based on drawings done for TV (but not pursued due to costs). The Franz Joseph version features a slightly larger, much curvier rear hull and different warp engine spacing and height. These are the official Franz Joseph designs offered by ADB, Inc. under its contract with Franz Joseph Designs. (We plan to release all of the Franz Joseph Federation ships over time. There are more tugs with varying numbers of pods and there will be other pod types.)

The line of "Fed Classic" ships was started in response to requests for smooth saucers. It gets the Federation Fleet Tug with no pods and one with a Starliner pod.

The Klingons aren't neglected. They get their D5S Scout Cruiser and D5SK Refitted Scout Cruiser.

The Romulans add the Condor+ dreadnought, FireHawk-K Heavy Cruiser, and FireHawk-K+ Heavy Cruiser. The "+" indicates it is a late-war design in the style of the Starline 2500 Romulan ships. They also get their StarHawk gunboats, Cohort-2 bombers, and Cohort-4 heavy bombers.

The Juggernaut fleet was built in another galaxy and sent to check us out. The Juggernaut Beta Dreadnought should prove an interesting challenge for the Milky Way residents.

The Tholians add their Police Destroyer.

The Seltorians get their mighty Hive Ship.

The Kzintis get their Police Corvette and Drone Cruiser.

The Lyrans and their wayward county of the Lyran Democratic Republic get their Cougar Carrier Tug, Cougar Battle Tug, Yaguarundi Light Carrier, and Siberian Tiger Carrier. They also get two sprues of pallets. One is of a pair of cargo pallets. The Combat Pallet Collection includes one battle pallet and one carrier pallet.

The Gorns get more fighters with their G-20 "Reptile," G-8 "Lizard," G-30 "Wyvern," Shenyang G-7, G-12 "Chimera," and G-10 "Dragon" fighters.

The Frax get their mighty battleship.

Empires from the Omega Octant continue to have new additions. The Medium Cruiser is the latest addition to Probr fleet. The Drex get their Dreadnought. The Trobrin get their White Diamond Bolt Cruiser. The Maesron add a Frignaut. A Short Carrier (and two different sprues of fighters) joins the Koligahr fleet. The Alunda get their Tracker.

Finally, we added a sprue of "specialty" shuttles. That includes a Ground Assault Shuttle, a Space Warning and Control Shuttle, a Scatter-Pack, and three kinds of Multi-Role Shuttles.

Check all these out here: https://www.shapeways.com/shops/amarillo-design-bureau-inc
Don't forget to follow us: https://www.shapeways.com/designer/adbinc

By Jean Sexton (Jsexton) on Monday, March 05, 2018 - 05:45 pm: Edit

ADB Releases Ships for March!

On March 1, 2018, Amarillo Design Bureau completed its tenth wave of ships (101 in all, for over 600 available ships) in its shop on Shapeways.

The Federation gains its New Scout Cruiser; the B-26 Bomber; the B-25 Bomber; and their own Heavy Shuttle Collection with three Heavy Transport Shuttles (HTS), one E3 Space Warning and Control (SWAC) Shuttle, and two Heavy Assault Shuttles (HAS). Especially exciting is the release of the last of the Franz Joseph designs. The Franz Joseph Federation Dreadnought is presented as Franz Joseph drew her. These are the official Franz Joseph designs offered by ADB, Inc. under its contract with Franz Joseph Designs. The line of "Fed Classic" ships was started in response to requests for smooth saucers. It gets the New Scout Cruiser.

The Klingons aren't neglected. They get their T7B Fleet Tug, T7K Refitted Fleet Tug, Z-1 "Zoran" Fighter, Z-H "Zerhon" Heavy Fighter, and Z-D "Zerdon" Fighter.

The Romulans add the Pioneer Eagle, King Eagle Command Cruiser, FireHawk-C Scout/Survey Ship, FireHawk-C+ Scout/Survey Ship, KR Heavy Cruiser (Obvious changes include a belly bird, scallops on the wings, and Romulan insignia), and KR Heavy Cruiser (Smooth, with no belly bird, no scallops on the wings, and no Romulan insignia for easier application of decals). The "+" indicates it is a late-war design in the style of the Starline 2500 Romulan ships.

The Tholians add their War Cruiser Heavy, Gunboat Pinwheel, Specialty Gunboat Pinwheel, Spider II-P fighter, Spider-H Heavy Fighter, and Gunboat Tender with Gunboats.

The Gorns get their Megalosaurus Light Cruiser, Megalosaurus+ Light Cruiser (refitted version), Allosaurus Buck Battlecruiser, and Allosaurus Buck+ Battlecruiser (refitted version).

The Kzintis get their Heavy Frigate and Needle Gunboat Flotilla.

The Juggernaut fleet was built in another galaxy and sent to check us out. The Juggernaut Light Cruiser should prove a challenge for the Milky Way residents.

The Seltorians get their Nest Ship.

The Lyrans and their wayward county of the Lyran Democratic Republic get their Light Tactical Transport. The Lyrans also get their refitted Tiger Heavy Cruiser and Jaguar War Cruiser in 3788 Scale.

The Hydrans make a return with their Chasseur New Scout Cruiser, Traveler Light Cruiser, Tartar Medium Cruiser, and Horseman Light Cruiser. Their Mongol Medium Cruiser was slightly reworked and re-released.

The WYN get their (Kzinti) Frigate (ZFF) and Pocket Battleship.

The Frax get their War Drone Destroyer, Submarine War Cruiser, and Submarine Missile Cruiser.

Empires from the Omega Octant continue to have new additions. The Gunboat Tender and Gunboat Flotilla are the latest additions to the Probr fleet. The Drex get their Hex Cruiser. The Trobrin get their Refitted Gunboat Tender, Bolt Gunboat Flotilla, and Torpedo Gunboat Flotilla. The Maesron add an Early Gunboat Tender and Gunboat Flotilla. An Early Gunboat Tender and Gunboat Flotilla join the Koligahr fleet. The Alunda get their Devourer Destroyer. The Chlorophons are introduced with their Great Oak Heavy Cruiser, Birch Destroyer, and White Pine Frigate. The Vari are also introduced with their Heavy Cruiser and Frigate.

Finally, we added a sprue of skiffs and a sprue of heavy shuttles. The skiffs include the Security Skiff, Seeker Skiff, Slammer Skiff, and Modular Courier. The heavy shuttles include three Heavy Transport Shuttles (HTS) and three Heavy Assault Shuttles (HAS).

Check all these out here: https://www.shapeways.com/shops/amarillo-design-bureau-inc
Don't forget to follow us: https://www.shapeways.com/designer/adbinc

By Jean Sexton (Jsexton) on Saturday, March 10, 2018 - 04:59 pm: Edit

Hailing Frequencies for March is now available: http://www.starfleetgames.com/federation/Newsletter/March-2018/index.html

Communique #147 is also up: http://www.starfleetgames.com/federation/Documents/Communique/Communique-C147.pdf

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Friday, April 13, 2018 - 06:58 pm: Edit

Some items from last night's podcast:

1. Major Kudos to Paul for creating the podcast and running successfully for 10 years with professionalism and integrity.

2. While Shapeways is the most visible thing the company is doing (by its nature we have to post things every day) it is by no means the only thing we are doing.

3. Metal minis will be available as long as anyone buys them and the molds last. When each mold wears out (most of them years away) we'll look at the sales and decide if the cost of a new mold is practical. For the Fed CC this is probably yes. For the Klingon E7, far more questionable.

4. Shapeways will continue to expand (probably 50 items a month with occasional mad months with twice that). The target is not to replace metal but to make Shapeways a complete product line. We will over time expand into other scales and other directions. For now, the priority is to get the rest of the empires out in 3125/3788 scales. That will take us all of this year and maybe more.

5. Somebody asked if we had been negotiating with a manufacturer for custom dice. We have a couple of times in the past but nothing came of it and nobody remembers any recent discussions. For every 1000 ideas, maybe 200 are possible, 100 are economically viable, and time/money can be found to get 20 of them on the market.

I think that's the most important parts. Lots of trivial stuff (like my recent effort to consume less caffeine) aren't particularly relevant.