Using a Standard Star Fleet Battles 4230 maysheet:

Starting hexes:

Asteroid is in hex 2215.

Force #1 (first listed force in each grouping): Within two hexes of hex 2201, Heading C, D, or E, Speed Max, WS-III
.
Force #2 (second listed force in each grouping): Within two hexes of hex 0822, Heading A, B, or C, Speed Max, WS-III.

Force #3 (third listed force in each grouping): Within two hexes of hex 2229, Heading A, E, or F, Speed Max, WS-III.

GROUP MATCHES #1
Federation, Commander Tony L. Thomas
Gorn, Commander Mark Lurz
Lyran, Commander Art Trotman

GROUP MATCHES #2
Andro, Commander Fred Kreller
Vudar, Commander Terry O, Carroll
Hydran, Commander Mike West

By Steve Petrick (Petrick) on Monday, December 09, 2019 - 05:30 pm: Edit

1,) In a differentiation from the published scenario, no alliances are allowed. All players are on their own, and everyone’s hand is against everyone else. Only the player with the most dilithium on his ships (SHIPS, not Shuttles in flight) at the end of the scenario wins. All others lose.

2.) The scenario, for this battle force, ends on Turn #15 (unless all units belonging to three of the players are destroyed or otherwise exited the map before then).

3.) Shuttles and fighters cannot begin the the game on the map, but must start in the bays of the ship carrying them.

4,) The map is fixed and does not float, any unit leaving the map has disengaged. Shuttles and fighters which exit the map not on a ship are destroyed. Other than shuttles and fighters, any ship can exit the map in any direction, but cannot return once it has left the map.

5.) The point of the scenario is to obtain crystals from the asteroid. This can be done by transporter or shuttle. Each transporter can recover one point of crystals pe use; each shuttle can recover two points of crystals if it lands on the asteroid and returns to a ship of its empire. There are 150 crystals on the asteroid.

6.) Ships cannot land on or dock to the asteroid.

7.) Boarding parties cannot land on the asteroid, there is no ground combat on the asteroid.

8.) Crystals on board destroyed ships or shuttles remain in the hex where the ship or shuttle was destroyed and can be recovered (by transporters only) as if they were on the assteroid.

9.) Crystals already recovered by another player can be "stolen" by hit-and-run raids (each successful raid grabbing one crystal), or by capturing the enemy ship. You can also capture an enemy shuttle and fly it into your own shuttle bay, or drag an enemy shuttles into your bay by tractor and then capturing it with your marines.

10.) The player with the most crystals wins. In the event of a tie, the player who has the most crystals and the highest BPV of surviving units wins.

11.) Questions?

By Art Trotman (Drneuro) on Friday, December 13, 2019 - 11:05 pm: Edit

I do have a question. Why are my Lyrans so close to his Gorns on the map and the Fed player is so far from both of us? We placed the ships on the map and we two players are 12 hexes apart but the Fed player is further from the two of us and it looks like it’s forcing us to battle.(Gorn vs Lyrans) why are we not all equidistant?

By Steve Petrick (Petrick) on Monday, December 16, 2019 - 12:04 pm: Edit

To all:

In response to Art Trotman's query, my best guess is that I got interrupted in the middle of creating it and came back to it thinking I had already adjusted it for a three player set up.

The set up should have read:


Using a Standard Star Fleet Battles 4230 maysheet:

Starting hexes:

Asteroid is in hex 2215.

Force #1 (first listed force in each grouping): Within two hexes of hex 2201, Heading C, D, or E, Speed Max, WS-III
.
Force #2 (second listed force in each grouping): Within two hexes of hex 0822, Heading A, B, or C, Speed Max, WS-III.

Force #3 (third listed force in each grouping): Within two hexes of hex 3622, Heading A, E, or F, Speed Max, WS-III.

Please adjust accordingly. Everyone starts 14 hexes (plus or minus two hexes) from the asteroid in hex 2215.

By Steve Petrick (Petrick) on Saturday, December 21, 2019 - 01:14 pm: Edit

To all intents and purposes, a single asteroid is pretty much not a terrain feature. You can land on it, yes (normally, prohibited for ships to land on it in this scenario), and beam down troops to engage in ground combat (again, normally, but prohibited in this scenario). But compared to a 10,000 kilometer hex it is barely a "Mote in God's eye." It is a single rock, not a "hex of asteroids," so seeking weapons (or direct fire weapons) are not impacted by entering the hex (and direct fire weapons are not blocked nor do they incur any EW penalty).

There is a "variant" of the basic scenario where all of the action takes place in an asteroid field, but that is not what is happening here. There is just the one rock, and other than that you can pick up dilithium from it, it may as well not even be there for all game purposes.

By Steve Petrick (Petrick) on Monday, December 23, 2019 - 04:32 pm: Edit

The asteroid can be destroyed by weapons fire, but all that means is that the dislithium crystals can then only be recovered by transporter, and any crystals remaining in the hex are still destroyed on Turn #15 when the asteroidal debris immolates.

For scenario purposes, 400 points to destroy the asteroid, but it is just "broken up," it is otherwise still there and when its debris immolates on Turn #15, it takes any dilithium in the hex with it.

And, again, the scenario only allows shuttles to recover dilithium by landing on the asteroid, it does not allow shuttles to pick up dislithium floating in space, only transporters can do that.

By Gregory S Flusche (Vandor) on Tuesday, December 24, 2019 - 09:07 am: Edit

Could the Jindarian Prospecting shuttles pick them up in space? As they do that any way I think?

By Steve Petrick (Petrick) on Tuesday, December 24, 2019 - 11:17 am: Edit

Gregory S. Flusche:

No.

To all:

So far no battle group tactics have been submitted.

By Steve Petrick (Petrick) on Monday, December 30, 2019 - 03:14 pm: Edit

To all:

So far no battle group tactics have been submitted.

By Fredrick Kreller (Kreller1) on Tuesday, December 31, 2019 - 11:56 am: Edit

Andromedan tactics submitted.

By Steve Petrick (Petrick) on Tuesday, December 31, 2019 - 02:28 pm: Edit

So far only Terry O'Carroll's Vudar and Fredrick Kreller's Andromedan tactics have arrived.

By Steve Petrick (Petrick) on Thursday, January 02, 2020 - 03:17 pm: Edit

So far only Terry O'Carroll's Vuda, Fredrick Kreller's Andromedan, and Mike West's Hydran tactics have arrived.

I need the following tactics still:
Federation, Commander Tony L. Thomas
Gorn, Commander Mark Lurz
Lyran, Commander Art Trotman

By Steve Petrick (Petrick) on Tuesday, January 07, 2020 - 02:37 pm: Edit

I have sent each commander who has so far submitted a battle group tactics article a copy of their submitted battlegroup article edited and formatted for review, correction (if I messed something) or addition (if seeing the document in format triggers a thought of something they wanted to say but forgot at the time).

A reminder that sending the article back to me noting "I have made some edits/changes" means I go through the work of re-editing the whole document to make sure the change did not create an issue. So only send me a list of changes and where to make them. Otherwise I would appreciate a "I have reviewed this and see no issues" or something similar so that I know you are good with things and not remaining silent because you think it will upset me to point out that I messed up something.

By Steve Petrick (Petrick) on Wednesday, October 19, 2022 - 02:51 pm: Edit

FEDERATION COMMANDER BATTLE GROUP 500 "BATTLE GROUP"

READ THIS FIRST: Only one battle group may be submitted for each empire. The first player to submit a valid battle group for an empire is the only player who may use that empire.

* The scenario this Battle Group is tied to will be revealed at a later date. The year of this battle group is 2575.

* Submissions can be made using any ships available in Federation Commander, subject only to the rules herein.

* NOTE: No more than ONE Federation Commander Battle Group may be submitted by any given author without the permission of ADB, Inc. Submission of more than one Federation Commander Battle Group without the permission of ADB, Inc. will result in automatic rejection of all Federation Commander Battle Groups submitted by that author for this Battle Group article.

* Author A cannot submit a Klingon Battle Group after Author B has done so, and no Author A (or Author B) can submit two Battle Groups, whether both are for the same empire, e.g., two Klingon Battle Groups, or separate empires, e.g., a Klingon and a Romulan Battle Group. If all empires do not have a submitted Battle Group when the publication date draws near, this restriction may be lifted.

* Submitters must post their force selection into this topic for review by their peers.

* Note that we are NOT going to provide the opposing force at first. The players will have to create their Battle Group "blind." The scenario and opposition will not be defined until some time after 30 November 2022. If you do not submit a force prior to 30 November 2022, you will not be allowed to submit a force.

* Tactics articles (written after the opposing force is revealed) must be submitted by the end of 15 December 2022 by email to Steven Petrick at: Rules@StarFleetGames.com (which must include a copy of the force selection and the submitter’s NAME AND STATE/PROVINCE IN THE BODY OF THE SUBMISSION SO THAT THE NAME GETS DOWNLOADED WITH THE BATTLE GROUP AND NOT LOST IN THE EMAIL HEADER).

* The general idea for tactics is that they should be at least three paragraphs, but not more than a column (half a page) in Captain’s Log. We are continuing the format used by Star Fleet Battles Battle Groups for Captain’s Log, as some readers like the tactics articles associated with the Battle Groups, and some simply like the Battle Groups created to the points value.

* If a submitter needs to revise his Battle Group (before the enemy is revealed) and resubmit it, he may do so, but must note that it is a revision and include the revision date and the date of the post revised. No revisions will be accepted after 30 November 2022.

1. The points that can be spent to construct the force are limited to 500 points in Squadron Scale, including the points of all ships and fighters. The Battle Group must adhere to the strictures set by these Battle Group instructions. No ship can have a movement cost greater than 0.50.

2. Other than the restriction that no ship can have a movement cost greater than 0.50, you may select your force entirely from ships of any movement cost of 0.50 or less.

3. For purposes of this scenario, no ship may have a web caster.

4. Ship cards that have appeared in any edition of Captain’s Log, Captain’s Log Supplemental File, or Communique can be used, except for Borders of Madness and Omega Octant ships.

5. Mercenaries: No Orion ships can be included as mercenary units within an empire’s Battle Group, e.g., a Gorn group cannot use a mercenary Orion DW. An all-Orion group may be used. (Obviously a mercenary group hired to support the Empire’s operations.) Orion option mounts must be selected and specifically noted as part of the force and cannot be changed.

6. A WYN Battle Group may be submitted, but such a WYN force must consist of ships that are able to exit the WYN Radiation Zone as manned combat units, and in the year of this Battle Group this limits them to WYN-Orion ships and fish ships. WYN option mounts must be selected as part of the battle grop submission and cannot be changed. Andromedans can participate in this Battle Force. No more than one Andromedan ship may have a displacement device, e.g., a Python.

7. Auxiliary warships, to include WYN auxiliary warships, cannot be included in any Battle Group. Tugs, light tactical transports, and freighters of any type (to include free traders and armed priority transports) cannot be used in this battle group.

8. All Federation Commander staff officers are requested to submit a group for their assigned empire(s). Others may also submit groups. Selected entries will be published in Captain’s Log #50 and possibly its supplemental file.

9. Detailed cost breakdown must be included. List each ship and its cost. See the Federation Commander Battle Group articles that have appeared since Captain’s Log #45 for the correct format.

10. All of the above limits are cumulative. ALL of the limits apply. No item provides an exception to any other item unless specifically noted as doing so.

11. Tactics that rely on evading combat will result in automatic rejection. You are required to fight, not simply show the flag.

12. All Battle Groups need to be submitted by 2400 hrs CST, on the evening of 15 December, 2014. The opposing force has been selected and will be revealed early in November 2022. Tactics articles must be completed and submitted by 15 November, 2022.

By Mike West (Mjwest) on Wednesday, October 19, 2022 - 04:20 pm: Edit

Since you chose to purely use MC to limit ship availability, I strongly recommend that you additionally ban the Orion CR from this particular battle group. It is the unicorn 0.5 MC ship that is also SC 3.

Unless you meant to allow it. But, based on the SFB Battle Force, I assume you mean to not permit any SC 3 or 2 ships.

Just a thought.

By Steve Petrick (Petrick) on Thursday, October 20, 2022 - 05:28 pm: Edit

No one has a battle group for Fed Commander they want to submit?

By Dal Downing (Rambler) on Thursday, October 20, 2022 - 07:14 pm: Edit

Just busy I am mulling over forces now.

By Mike West (Mjwest) on Friday, October 21, 2022 - 09:02 am: Edit

If the CR isn't banned, I'm thinking about an Orion force ...

By Mike West (Mjwest) on Friday, October 21, 2022 - 09:32 am: Edit

In general, I like to wait until later so I can pick a force using an empire no one else wants. But, this is just too perfect to pass up on ...

Orion Rule-Breakers
Orion Raider Cruiser (A: Hellbore +2, Y: ADD -2, Z: Drone 0) (100)
Orion Raider Cruiser (A: Ion Cannon 0, Y: Ion Cannon 0, Z: Ion Cannon 0) (100)
Orion Raider Cruiser (A: Ion Cannon 0, Y: Ion Cannon 0, Z: Ion Cannon 0) (100)
Orion Raider Cruiser (A: Ion Cannon 0, Y: Ion Cannon 0, Z: Ion Cannon 0) (100)
Orion Raider Cruiser (A: Hellbore +2, Y: ADD -2, Z: Drone 0) (100)

Total: 500

The weapons arrangements are really tight because the ships use up all the points, so to get any special weapons requires the use of an ADD. However, the ADD and drone add synergy with the hellbore by providing damage padding and zero-power usage. I might change up that fifth slot to a DW to get some points back, but no point until I make sure this force doesn't get banned and I have to start over. If it does get nixed, I'll probably go with six DWs instead.

By Gary Carney (Nerroth) on Tuesday, October 25, 2022 - 01:58 pm: Edit

Hopefully, the FC Omega and LMC projects might progress to the point where those empires would one day be permitted to take part in these battle groups.

In the meantime, however:

-----

Carnivon Home Fleet Tervak Patrol Squadron
Gary Carney
HMCS Ontario

DW Tervak = 92 points

DW Woltor = 92 points

DW Zanduz = 92 points

DW Fortak = 92 points

DWE Melchag = 98 points

Total: 466 points.

Detached from the Home Fleet and kept close to the Carnivon capital zone, this force is evenly poised to deploy in support of either the Wolf Fleet (on the Kzinti border), the Jackal Fleet (on the Lyran border), or the Coyote Fleet (in the ‘off-map’ Remote Ranges). Meanwhile, the ongoing presence of Orion pirates, Andromedan raiders, and numerous "deep space life forms" ensures that these ships have a lively patrol circuit. However, while the squadron would typically include the war destroyer leader Raznik and the war destroyer scout Farsky, the Admiralty has assigned these ships to other duties at this point in time. Thus, it falls upon the Tervak to serve as the de facto “squadron leader” for this force, despite it being a standard war destroyer hull type.

-----

I already submitted a Paravian force in a prior round, so I decided to go with the other "lost empire" this time. (The ship names are from SFB Module C6, whereas the fleet designations are from the F&E preview in Captain's Log #51.)

Alas, the relative shortage of Carnivon hull types currently on offer is such that I'm left with quite a shortfall points-wise. Although, over in SFB, part of that shortfall would be made up by the need to pay the surcharge for medium-speed death bolts, which (at the time of writing) is not factored in to the FC version of the rules.

Or to put it another way: whereas drone-armed Main Era Ship Cards tend to have their point values adjusted in order to account for the assumed presence of medium-speed drones, the Carnivons do not (yet?) have equivalent adjustments "baked in" to their Main Era Ship Card point values.

To be clear, I wouldn't mind paying said surcharge if it were to be implemented here. But either way, I can only hope that the scenario's victory conditions account for how many points under 500 a given starting force is obliged to be...

By Dal Downing (Rambler) on Sunday, October 30, 2022 - 12:21 am: Edit

klingon Frigate Task Force
Dal Downing USS Wisconsin

F5WC (110)
F5WV (110+80)
F5E (108)
F5S (63)

By Gary Carney (Nerroth) on Monday, October 31, 2022 - 11:13 am: Edit

To clarify, do the preview Fighters Attack carrier Ship Cards count as "Borders of Madness" material, for the purposes of this battle group round?

Also, if they are permitted, is it possible to take fewer than the standard number of fighters a given carrier has as standard, so as to bring the overall Point Value of a given battle group down to 500 or lower?

By Mike West (Mjwest) on Monday, October 31, 2022 - 04:19 pm: Edit

Fair question on the carriers. And I am still waiting for the CR to be (justifiably) banned. We'll just have to wait for Petrick to check back in at some point.

By Paul Franz (Andromedan) on Saturday, November 05, 2022 - 03:43 pm: Edit

Andromedan Lost Squadron
Paul Franz USS Pennsylvania

Recon Cobra (77)
Viper (60)
Viper (60)
Viper (60)
Viper (60)
Viper (60)
Viper (60)
Viper (60)

1 DisDev
8 TRLs
32 Phaser-2s

Total: 497

By Nick Blank (Nickgb) on Saturday, November 05, 2022 - 04:15 pm: Edit

Deleted.