Flesh out the Omega, Magellanic, and Simulator fleets? I do like that idea, Nick. Also, while I LOVE Early Years, what's been done with them is pretty complete in a stand-alone sense, and while I'd love to see the earliest fights (Sub-Light Star Fleet Battles?), the lack of contact that early on (according to history presented in the Y-modules) makes that more than a little problematic.

On the other hand, as I understand it, fairly on in the R-module series, there was a joke at ADB, Inc., that "Module R-13" was going to be subtitled, "The Ships Rejected by ADB." Well, the next module in the R series will be number thirteen...

In all seriousness, SSJ has included a couple designs which, while on the surface seemed truly great, the analysis you presented in the color text explained why they weren't really workable. For my part, I'd get a royal kick out of a module like that.

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Sunday, June 02, 2019 - 05:15 pm: Edit

I do not at all agree that a starship combat game is dead if there are no more ships to add. I also didn't say that. We add more in CapLog every time, after all, I just don't know that you can fit another six new classes into the General War. The history is pretty full.

By Nick Samaras (Koogie) on Sunday, June 02, 2019 - 05:33 pm: Edit

I should have explained myself better on the ship pack idea. In Captain's Log we have seen examples of classes (light battleships, picket carriers) for a few empires, with the presumption the rest would be seen in a future R-module. What I am suggesting, instead of the R-Module that requires counters, you release a PDF with ALL of the ships of a given class, the ship descriptions, the MSC, the annex info, a graphics for counters if you want to print them. Like an R-module on an installment plan. It also does not tie you up in developing a whole module at once.

There are many possibilities here. Tug+pod combinations. Empire specific configurations for generic units that don't have them. Some Omega CWs and DWs. Missing variants for X-ships and Early Years. etc.

By Tom Talasco (Pvt64) on Monday, June 03, 2019 - 10:25 am: Edit

I second A Romulan version of "For the Glory of the Empire". Although I am very happy to see resumed movement on ACTASF!

By Jack Anthony Jones (Designered) on Monday, June 03, 2019 - 11:13 pm: Edit

Rounding out the MSSBs sounds good. In the meantime, really ooking forward to X2!

(If you were taking a survey, which I realize you are not!

By Remco Mul (Remco) on Tuesday, June 04, 2019 - 03:54 am: Edit

What is Xork 1?

And I love the stuff that's on the horizon for SFB and F&E. Thanks for adding some rough indications what could come when SVC.

"Flesh out the Omega, Magellanic, and Simulator fleets?"

Would love this as well, as well as the sub-light stuff.

By A. David Merritt (Adm) on Tuesday, June 04, 2019 - 10:54 am: Edit

Xorkalians will be the X2 era bad guys.

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Tuesday, June 04, 2019 - 10:35 pm: Edit

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Wednesday, June 26, 2019 - 06:07 pm: Edit

Had a meeting and decided that R1 General Units MSSB will come after R7 Tholian MSSB.

Petrick reports that there are 124 missing pieces of Gorn art. Jean is proofreading the Gorn MSSB in anticipation of release during July.

By Jean Sexton (Jsexton) on Thursday, June 27, 2019 - 03:11 pm: Edit

Captain's Log #53 Is Now Available

"Your objective is to find a way for us to take control of Adanerg that does not violate the Organian Treaty." -- Klingon Brigadier Grosk

Join us for Captain's Log #53 and see what happens in "Practice to Deceive." Adanerg lies in the Neutral Zone between the Federation and the Klingon Empire. Both sides want the planet; the Klingons vow to eliminate the Federation "nest of spies" by sending their own spies, backed by Marines. As Sir Walter Scott wrote, "Oh what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive."

Captain's Log #53 includes information for all of our games including updates, new ships, information about "space trucks" and customizing civilian ships, a first contact story, information about the ISC and the Bureau of Inquisition, and new scenarios.

Star Fleet Battles: This game gains three new scenarios (the fourth one is a repeat of Space Hockey), information on mind-control plants, Aurora Update, Proposals Board, Ask Admiral Vanaxilth, Battle Groups, Term Papers, Platinum Victory by Bill Schoeller, and new ships: free minelayer; Federation old survey cruiser; Fralli cruiser (the USS Powerista); Gorn advanced destroyer, heavy destroyer heavy fighter carrier, medium cruiser escort, and frigate escort; LDR police flagship, heavy police flagship, commando destroyer and commando war cruiser; and five Omega ships (Federal Republic D7 battlecruiser, D6 battlecruiser, F5L frigate leader, F5 frigate, and Lyran light cruiser).

Federation Commander: You will find five new scenarios, Battle Group tactics by players, and a preview of rules for X-ships. To support the new rules, there are X-destroyers for the ISC, Gorns, Romulans, and Hydrans. Other X-destroyers have appeared in various issues of Communique; there is a list of those included.

Federation & Empire: This game has Tactical Notes, Q&A, revised rules for special raids, and a new scenario -- the Federation against everyone.

Starmada: A preview of rules for hellbore cannons and beta rules for Andromedan weapons are included. New ships include the Hydran Tartar and Rhino Hunter and the Andromedan Intruder and Cobra.

A Call to Arms: Star Fleet has an update on the release schedule (hint: it will move much faster now) and battleships for the Federation and Klingons.

And there are still more articles: Starline miniatures, Star Fleet Awards, Command the Future, Input Guide, Galactic Conquest, Prime Directive, Star Fleet Marines (wild animal packs), and the mind-control plant special event card for Star Fleet Battle Force.

Supports Federation Commander, Star Fleet Battles, Federation & Empire, Prime Directive, Star Fleet Battle Force, SFB Galactic Conquest, Starmada, A Call to Arms: Star Fleet, Star Fleet Marines, and Star Fleet Warlord.

The Supplemental File (which includes background information and a Star Fleet Battles scenario) is free as a PDF and for a nominal fee in print.

Order Captain's Log #53 here: https://www.starfleetstore.com/new-products-c-7/captains-log-53-p-1268.html

+++

Supplemental File

This 8-page booklet includes interesting and useful information about the main Captain's Log #53 issue, as well as new materials.

Included are:

• Over two pages of publisher's notes.
• Notes from other staff members.
• Star Fleet Battles scenario (SL354.0) A Confusion of Objectives.
• Rejected papers for Star Fleet Battles and Federation & Empire.

Order the Captain's Log #53 Supplemental File which is free as a PDF!

Warehouse 23: http://www.warehouse23.com/products/ADB5753-S
DriveThru RPG: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/281029/
Wargame Vault: https://www.wargamevault.com/product/281029/

Print version from ADB for a nominal price: https://www.starfleetstore.com/new-products-c-7/cl-53-supplement-p-1270.html

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Thursday, June 27, 2019 - 05:47 pm: Edit

Today, Leanna sent the revised ALIEN ARMADA UNITY book to W23 while Jean sent it to Drive Thru. Leanna activated the hard copy on the cart.

Call it the June Checkmark on my promise of a new product every month for the rest of this year.

GURPS PRIME DIRECTIVE REVISION, Gorn MSSB, and ACTASF Book Two all need only relatively minor work.

Daniel Kast has promised the Starmada Distant Armada Unity PDF in a few weeks and Starmada Battleships Armada Unity a few weeks after that.

The Merchants of the Federation Playtestable PDF just needs me to get the contract signed and stitch the PDFs together.

Ryan's Star Fleet Universe Index needs the contract signed and some SteveX2 time to resolve some conflicts and it can go to press.

We're looking into doing an FC booster pack of CWLs and DWLs (maybe just for Feds and two other empires, not K or R) in the near term. Those are the easiet ship cards for me to create. We are talking actual laminated cards. This could be a market test to see if enough laminated cards can be sold to be worth the trouble, otherwise we can do all of the future FC products as PDF only.

So there's a good chance I might pull this off.

By Jean Sexton (Jsexton) on Thursday, July 11, 2019 - 04:02 pm: Edit

STARMADA UNITY CONTINUES

We have released Alien Armada Unity, the third book in the new edition. This edition unifies the previous Nova and Admiralty editions, so there will no longer be Starmada fans who cannot game together. The new rules preserve the best of both previous systems, and add dynamic seeking weapons rules that do what seeking weapons are supposed to do: force the enemy to move out of key areas or shoot his way through a swam of drones. Next year, the sixth book in the series, RUMORS OF WARS, as well as the seventh and eighth books, will appear in the Unity format only.

Because we want to bring all Starmada players together, we're making Unity a free PDF upgrade for anyone who bought the Nova or Admiralty editions of this book. Nothing was wrong with either edition, other than the fact that it was harder to find opponents who played by the same rulebook. That problem is now solved.

If you bought a PDF of either the Admiralty edition or Nova edition through Warehouse 23, DriveThru RPG, or Wargame Vault, then your PDF library now contains the original older Nova or Admiralty edition you bought AND the new Unity edition we're giving you. As each book is replaced (Alien Armada now, the others -- Distant Armada and Battleships Armada -- over the next few months) we will take the old editions off sale (but leave them in your library) and upload the new edition for sale to new players. (If you want the Starmada Logs, then you need to purchase them promptly as they will not be updated nor will they remain on sale after the last of the old books is taken down.)

Get your copy of Alien Armada Unity from the following sources:

Warehouse 23: http://www.warehouse23.com/products/ADB6133

DriveThru RPG: http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/244926/

Wargame Vault: http://www.wargamevault.com/product/244926/

It is available in hardcopy from ADB: https://www.starfleetstore.com/starmada-c-89/alien-armada-unity-starmada-p-1262.html

Anyone who bought a hardcopy of Alien Armada Nova or Alien Armada Admiralty can get a free PDF copy by contacting us at marketing@starfleetgames.com. If you want to replace your hardcopy Nova/Admiralty book with a hardcopy Unity book, we'll sell you one for our cost ($8, less than half price) plus shipping. Hardcopies of Nova/Admiralty books will no longer be available but you will be able to buy hard copies of the new Unity books from ADB, Inc.

By Jean Sexton (Jsexton) on Friday, July 12, 2019 - 07:01 pm: Edit

Hailing Frequencies for July has been released: http://www.starfleetgames.com/federation/Newsletter/July-2019/index.html

Communique #163 is also available: http://www.starfleetgames.com/federation/Documents/Communique/Communique-C163.pdf

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Thursday, July 18, 2019 - 03:15 pm: Edit

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Friday, July 19, 2019 - 03:21 pm: Edit

Gary C: thanks for Omega deletions.

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Monday, July 22, 2019 - 06:52 pm: Edit

EVERYBODY PLEASE READ

I got a few emails over the last few days expressing confusion (my fault, I didn't explain things) and concern over the "five easy pieces" product plan.

The object of Five Easy Pieces is to (a) finish up some stuff that is half-finished and (b) show you good faith by shipping five products (actually seven when you count CL53 and the print version of Alien Starmada) in short order.

Some people heard "five products" and thought nothing else would be happening before January.

The key word is five EASY pieces.

Gorn MSSB will take about one day of work (we already spend four on it) and would be done now except Petrick is getting over his cold and I don't want to get sick.

Ryan's Index will take about one day of SVC and SPP time to resolve a list of conflicts.

Merchants of the Federation will take about one day of SVC time to pull together a dozen documents into one PDF package.

Gurps PD revision will take a day of my time to read the 40 pages of new stuff Jean added to the book.

ACTASF Book 2 is the hardest and will take at least five and maybe as many as 10 days for me to do the page layout.

All five should be done before I go to Hawaii on 12 September.

Then I can come home and pick from a dozen other projects for my next task.

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Tuesday, July 23, 2019 - 07:43 pm: Edit

IMPORTANT NEWS

Today (Tuesday 23 July) I finished the art for the Gorn book. [There will be two or three missing pieces that need to be created or corrected, but until we know what those are, if there are any, I don't have to worry about it. Other than some Act of God I don't see anything to stop this releasing as a PDF next week. Part of the release process is up to the PDF stores and we have no control over how fast they work, but they never take more than 3 business days.

WEDNESDAY-THURSDAY: Steve P will finish up the Gorn MSSB, needing a couple of hours from Jean and an hour from me. Jean will spend the rest of her time on GURPS revision and Shapeways. I will spend my time pulling together the Playtest PDF for MERCHANTS OF THE FEDERATION and moving some Shapeways ships forward for a release on 5 August. Once I get Merchants done I'll send it to Jay for final reflections and for him to find any missing pieces. I think this can release the first full week of August.

FRIDAY-SATURDAY: Steve P and I (Steve C) will resolve the "conflicts list" from the RYAN INDEX so he can add that data. Ryan is incorporating CL53 now. We think this can release around mid-August. Jean will work on Shapeways and GURPS.

SUNDAY: I am going to drive Jean and Leanna to Lubbock. They'll see a show. I'll devour a king crab.

MONDAY is the day I start on ACTA2. Jean will be wrapping up GURPS and Steve P will be working on the Tholian MSSB. Baring an Act of God we should have ACTA out before I go to Hawaii on 12 Sept, probably the second half of August. GURPS should go to Steve Jackson for review by mid-August and will release when they say so.

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Thursday, July 25, 2019 - 02:36 am: Edit

WEDNESDAY

1. GORN MSSB: Steve Petrick got some quality time with Jean and the Gorn book is done except for one page that doesn't want to PDF. We will beat that into submission tomorrow and get it uploaded for release next week. Then Steve Petrick will focus on Tholian MSSB. He did say he had pulled together all of the text and art for the R1 MSSB but woul need time to write through it to reach MSSB standards.

2. MERCHANTS: I got the counters done and the publisher info. I talked with Jay who is supposed to send the rules and map tonight. Knowing these projects I bet I will need some graphics from Jay that I won't get until Friday but that is ten minutes of work to install. Looking good to release this in ten days.

3. STAR FLEET INDEX: Ryan sent the official conflict list Wednesday for us to review Friday.

4. ACTASF TWO: Tony sent a test file that I will review tomorrow. I will officially start this Monday and expect to spend no more than 14 calendar days. That would mean a PDF upload in the second half of August, given Jean's proof reading and a few days for the PDF store to turn it around. We might want to add a few ships which might mean another week, but we cannot tell yet.

5. GURPS PD 2019: Jead did indexes for D E F today even with spending half of her time with Steve Petrick and the GORNS. Based on that Jean should hand me a final book for my read through before the 14 days of ACTASF2 are over. But remember that SJG will need 1d6 weeks to review it before it goes live.

By Garth L. Getgen (Sgt_G) on Thursday, July 25, 2019 - 04:25 pm: Edit

When will the Gorn MSSB go on sale as hard-copy? As I understand it, it'll be released as PDF-only first and hard-copy later, true?


Garth L. Getgen

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Thursday, July 25, 2019 - 08:52 pm: Edit

The PDF should drop Monday or Tuesday.

The hard copy will be released in 90 days.

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Thursday, July 25, 2019 - 08:57 pm: Edit

THURSDAY

1. GORN MSSB was finished and uploaded today. It will be a few days before it drops.

2. MERCHANTS, today I did the rulebook except for dropping in the art that I should get tomorrow.

3. STAR FLEET INDEX, I looked over the conflict list and didn't see anything that will take more than a day.

4. ACTA BOOK TWO, Leanna was able to get the files to open. Jean and I discussed formats and objectives.

5. GURPS PD 2019, Jean did index G and part of H.

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Friday, July 26, 2019 - 07:45 pm: Edit

FRIDAY

1. GORN MSSB has been released early on PDF stores.

2. MERCHANTS is waiting on four graphics from Jay.

3. STAR FLEET INDEX, the two Steves resolved 23 conflict items, clearing the way for Ryan to finish it.

4. ACTA BOOK TWO: Got more files from Tony.

5. GURPS PD 2019: Jean has reached "O" in the index.

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Sunday, July 28, 2019 - 08:38 pm: Edit

SATURDAY

1. GORN MSSB: Ryan reported the first typo.

2. MERCHANTS has gone to Jean for proofreading.

3. STAR FLEET INDEX needs two minor details fixed.

ACTA is set to start on Monday.

GURPS PD2019 is moving foward and she anticipates having the two Steves read it next week.

By Jean Sexton (Jsexton) on Tuesday, August 13, 2019 - 07:22 pm: Edit

Hailing Frequencies for August has been released: http://www.starfleetgames.com/federation/Newsletter/August-2019/index.html

Communique #164 is also avaiable: http://www.starfleetgames.com/federation/Documents/Communique/Communique-C164.pdf

By Jean Sexton (Jsexton) on Saturday, October 12, 2019 - 05:54 pm: Edit

Hailing Frequencies for October has been released: http://www.starfleetgames.com/federation/Newsletter/October-2019/index.html

Communique #166 is also available: http://www.starfleetgames.com/federation/Documents/Communique/Communique-C166.pdf