Star Fleet Rangers perform in-store demos for ADB products. If you want to be a Ranger, Send an Email to Steve Cole at Design@starfleetgames.com and we’ll help you sign up. There is a Ranger page on this web site which has all of the current info on how to become (and serve as) a Ranger.
If you want to do a demo (which is a good way to find new players) then talk to the manager of your local store. Set a time a couple of weeks or a month in the future. Put up posters at the store and get the current STARLIST for your area (on the web site) so you can contact established players. Start slow with simple ships, Feds vs Klingons, no seeking weapons, and add rules gradually. The Cadet Training Handbook has a good approach. Have an assistant who can handle questions and "catch" those who just drop by for a few minutes and get their names and phone numbers. Remember that half of all wargames have played SFB and those are good potential recruits for your group as they’re easy to get back into the game.
In the Ranger download area:
Ranger application
Ranger event registration
The Art of the Demo
Module TR is part of the solution; you also need Module T, Basic Set, and Advanced Missions.
=====
Devlyn Davis suggested that we get Megahex back in print as it makes a very visual demo.
=====
Andy Palmer has Cadet SSDs on his web site: http://www.geocities.com/andypalmer/cadet.html
=====

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Wednesday, March 06, 2002 - 05:50 pm: Edit

THE ART OF THE DEMO
This document was revised on 5 June 2001.
This date is important because we are still compiling a lot of the good ideas out there, and writing down the hundred
or so good tips which veteran players who have taught many how to play SFB, F&E, or other games have used for
years. It is a good bet that this document will be revised and reposted several times over the next few weeks, and
then further revised a few more times.

WHY DEMO?
The top reason for doing a demonstration of our products is to find yourself new opponents. You can, of course:
o earn the coveted title of Star Fleet Ranger,
o get some discount coupons and free products,
o earn the thanks and respect of the publisher,
o get your name listed in Captain’s Log,
o improve your chances of getting selected for the staff.
o for a couple of hours during the demo be the center of rapt attention for a group of gamers.
But the #1 reason remains to find new opponents. Remember that. You want these people to be your friends. You
want them riding in your car to a convention. You want them to hang around with you at Origins while waiting for
your next round of the Fleet Captain's Tournament. Treat potential recruits with respect, kindness, politeness, and
friendship. You can never tell which one of them is going to become your best buddy. At least one player we know
actually met the lady he married while conducting a demo.
To register as a Star Fleet Ranger, you simply fill out of the Application to become a Ranger and wait to be
approved. Once you are registered, you are expected to find your own places to run demos, but you may also be
invited (through ADB Inc.) to hold demos in nearby stores or other venues.
Note: Some people who do demos for Star Fleet Universe products also run demos for the products of other
companies. There is nothing wrong with this, but you cannot claim credit for Ranger Rewards if you ran demos for
our products and the products of another company at the same time (as you could not give either product your full
attention). Note that Rangers are absolutely prohibited from running demos for unauthorized "for use with SFB"
products and that doing so will automatically remove you from "good standing" and will cancel all of your past,
present, and future rewards and may involve other penalties as well.

WHERE TO DEMO?
You have to look for places to run demos. To earn points and rewards, you need to get the demo approved in advance
and we aren't likely to approve a site which isn’t going to have any gamers show up. (Hint: You can run a demo in
your own kitchen for your dog and your kids, but we won’t give you points for it. Similarly, there is no point in, or
reward for, running a demo for a group of people who already play the game you are demonstrating, although you
might do this for practice. Similarly, you could demo Star Fleet Battle Force, F&E, or Prime Directive 2nd Edition
to a group of SFB players.) We do want you to run demos, however, and we expect to approve most of the requests
for authorization.
The most obvious place is in a store which either has a regular gaming area or will set up a table for you in an
out-of-the-way corner. If a store doesn’t have a gaming area, explain the advantages of hosting a demo to the
manager and suggest a place you could set up a table. The obvious target is the store where you buy your SFB
materials, but you may want to offer a demo to a store that doesn’t stock our products. (If enough people try to
special order it, the store will stock it.)
Game conventions are a good place as well. Most have a designated open gaming or demo area; some will even
announce demos in the program. You might talk to the convention officials and if they don’t have a formal demo
schedule, encourage them to create one for the next convention.
Game clubs are fairly rare things in 2001 (and most of them meet in stores). In the old days, there were game
clubs with two or three dozen people in most towns and they met at various meeting rooms (we held sessions in the
meeting rooms of the local utility companies) where many different games were played. If you know of such a club
and get permission from their leadership, we will authorize a demo there.
It’s not worth running a demo at some location that has never had gamers. However, some people in the past have
made it work, although it takes a long time. You go into an area where people are (a lounge of a college union
building) with a friend and start playing the game. You do this several times, and if people start stopping by and
looking a the stuff and asking questions, you invite them to sit down and play a few minutes. If they don't have time,
tell them a couple of specific times you plan to be back in the same place and perhaps they will stop by. If you do
this in a non-gaming area three or four times and actually get potential recruits, you could apply to ADB Inc. to
formally schedule a demo.

SUCCESS IN DEMOS
You can do a lot of things that will enhance the demo, and a few things that can make it a disaster.
Read the Ranger Rewards document and be sure you do what you need to do to collect your rewards.
To make it better, be sure you have a current Basic Set rulebook. If you have or can borrow some nicely painted
miniatures, see if the store will put them into a display case for a week before the demo. Get one or two of your
buddies who already play the game to show up. That way, if no one is there at the starting time, you can run through
the demo with your friends; this will keep the game in public view and attract anyone else who comes by (whether
or not that person planned to attend the demo or just happened to see it).
To make it a disaster, use an out-of-date rulebook and shuffle through pages of downloaded errata, rulings, and try
to explain the concept of "case law" and "competing judge rulings" to the recruits. Other options for Disastrous
Demos include such favorites as poor personal hygiene, sloppy clothing, arguing with the manager, insulting the
recruits, trying to eat while doing the demo (bonus points if eating something really messy like a burrito or a
cheeseburger), forgetting to bring (or prepare) your materials, arriving late, leaving early, browbeating
recruits into playing the game the way YOU want it played, and picking the same day as the regional Pokemon
tournament for your demo.
Selecting a date is not just a matter of "three weeks from Saturday". You need to ask the store (or other venue)
manager what else is going on. Avoid dates that clash with major national events (Superbowl Sunday is a really
awful time to pick for a demo, the day the next big blockbuster movie premiers isn't a good choice either) or even
significant local events (the homecoming game for the local high school, right in the middle of final exams, the day
of the prom).
If doing the demo at a store, ask the manager to be sure he has a couple of copies of whichever game you are
demonstrating available for sale. You do not want to bewilder recruits with too much stuff at once. Tell them what
game you are going to demo, and mention that it is part of the Star Fleet Universe which includes several other
games based on the same background. If anyone asks, quickly describe these other games and if someone shows an
interest schedule another demo later or ask them to stay after the formal session. In the case of SFB with its huge
array of expansions, avoid mentioning these right away but once you see their eyes light up mention that there will
always be another expansion they can buy if they get tired of the same ships, opponents, and scenarios. The
expansions should be presented as an opportunity they can consider later, not an obligation they must commit to on
their first exposure to the game.
It is better to do a demo with a buddy, not just because you can pretend to be demoing to him if no one else shows up.
Find a working partner and take turns. One demo you are the teacher (and get the points) and the next time he can
teach while you assist. Your buddy can do many useful things:
1. If someone comes in late, your buddy can get them up to speed.
2. If someone needs extra help or instruction, your buddy can take them aside.
3. If someone has a question that isn't of interest to everyone, your buddy can help them privately.
Be absolutely sure to get the name of everyone who shows up for the demo, and if possible their phone numbers so
you can call them later and invite them to come play a game with you in the future.

PROMOTING YOUR DEMO
To host a successful demo, you need people to show up, and the best (if not only) way to do this is to promote your
demo. There are numerous ways you can do this, and you should do ALL of them as soon as it is approved.
1. Post a sign at the demo location at least two weeks in advance listing what game(s) you will demo, the date, and
time. That way, gamers who are there for some other reason will make a note to come back for the demo. It is not
good enough to give the sign to the manager and leave; you actually need to see the thing posted someplace visible.
(Suitable signs that you can download are on the web site.) Don't hassle the manager too much, but he is a busy guy
and you need the sign posted now.
2. Post a notice in the Ranger area on the official SFB web site of your demo, and on other SFB-related sites.
3. Call people you know who play other games and invite them. Get your Star Fleet buddies to do the same. If you are
doing a demo for one of our games other than SFB, by all means invite all of your SFB friends to come see the new
game. We all know plenty of people who used to play SFB (one recent poll showed 50% of all wargamers have
played SFB) so you can use them as a recruiting pool for Battle Force or PD2, and can even invite them back to see
the new SFB products. Get the Starlist for your area and contact those people as well.
4. Contact local Star Trek, science-fiction, and gaming clubs.
5. If you run your event on a college campus, get the student newspaper to write up an article before the demo and
another one after it. You might even get them to do this if you are doing the demo at a store which is reasonably near
the campus. You can even try to get the city newspaper to write up such an article. They are always printing
announcements and then reports on the meetings of the Kiwanas, garden club, Boy Scouts, and so forth. Find out
what format they want the information in.

HOW TO RUN A DEMO
There are numerous ways to run a demo for SFB, F&E, PD2, or Battle Force, but whichever way you pick, find a
quiet hour and a willing friend and PRACTICE your demo. Go over your spiel so that you aren’t fumbling for things
to say.
You need to keep it short since visitors may not have allocated time to sit through a three-hour battle, but have a
full battle available if they want to stay. One good compromise is to set up a "canned" two-turn scenario with
minimal decision making by the players, then (if they want to stay) set them up at the next table to play a complete
game (with the limited rules) while you start the short-course over again with new victims. (This is one
advantage of bringing a buddy or two with you; they can take over the "graduates" while you start new players.)
Running a Demo of SFB is hard simply because a veteran player will have to remember what to leave out. Generally
speaking, limit their first exposure to the game to a couple of ships and a couple of direct-fire weapons. You can add
seeking weapons and overloads in the second game, tractors and transporters in the third, T-bombs and wild
weasels a few games later, and can start to work in electronic warfare in the second session. It’s almost a running
joke to say "never let them see the rulebook". At least, not your personal four-inch binder with all 29 expansion
modules. Stick with the Cadet Training Handbook or a Basic Set rulebook. When they ask "wow, what else can I do
with this starship?" THEN you can show them the rulebook! You cannot expect to bring a recruit up to tournament
level in three quick games over a four-hour period. The demo should be focused on getting them interested and to
agree to buy the game and return on another date for an advanced training session.
Those who have been running unofficial SFB demos for 20 years have various methods. Some use cadet ships, some
use Klingon E4s vs. Fed FFs, some use Federation CAs against Klingon D7s. You will find downloadable SSDs for
these ships on the web site in the Demo Ranger section. On the web site is a file called LET'S PLAY SFB which is a
handy one-page summary of the basic game mechanics. Some use this as a teaching script. Others simply use the
Cadet Training Handbook as a script for their demos. One of our friends has placed handy cadet SSDs on his web site
at http://www.geocities.com/andypalmer/cadet.html for your use.
To demo Battle Force, you need a copy of the game and can get a canned short-course on the web site. (This
short-course will be available after the game actually ships in early July.)
For F&E, you will find a special short-course scenario on the web site. (This won't be available for a couple of
weeks.)
We hope to be shipping Prime Directive 2nd Edition this fall and will have a demo script for it then.
Whatever game you are demoing, and whatever type of demo you decide to run, be prepared. Work up a hand-out for
each player (some of these are on the web site) with the minimum he will need to play a couple of turns of the
game. (The classic example is a Cadet SSD with an Energy Form, weapons tables, sequence of play summary, and
damage chart.
It is almost a cliche to say "Let the new guy win so he will come back" but this is more complex than that. The new
guy (or gal) must feel that a good time was had, something was learned, a challenge was met, and some degree of
success was achieved. If you blow up his ship with great glee and do a victory dance around the gaming table, you
are likely to never see this recruit again. On the other hand, if you blatantly throw the game to let him win, the
recruit is likely to resent being patronized. There are a couple of ways around this. One is to have two recruits play
each other, although the problem here is that one of them will probably lose. Another way to do it is to have two or
three recruits, each flying his own starship, work together to destroy a monster. (We are preparing a special
training scenario for this purpose.) If your recruits show a true warrior spirit, have them command the three
Klingon ships while you fly the Mighty Hood (SHxxx). In that scenario, be sure to spread your fire around so you
don't blow up any one of their ships.
=====

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Wednesday, March 06, 2002 - 05:50 pm: Edit

By Ken Burnside (Ken_Burnside) Tuesday, March 27, 2001 - 12:55 am:
Here's how I teach people the game.
I schedule three sessions, and it's me and an assistant. My assistant is there to do two things; Answer rules
questions when I'm busy, and to be a "catcher" -- if someone shows up and says "Oh, yeah, I played 6 years ago...I
barely remember how.", it's not fair to the newbies to put them against the "experienced guy". Plus, I've also had
"experienced guys" pull really strange rules out of their asses (Oh, yeah, you put power into phasers and they can
fire every impulse...). If someone says they've played before, have your assistant play him a standard tourney duel.
Whenever a rules question is asked, make a show out of looking the answer up in the rulebook and showing the
answer to the questioner, rather than answering off the top of your head. The SFB rulebook is big and intimidating,
yes...but the sooner you show someone that it's very easy to navigate, it stops being a terrifying tome, and your
questioners will start looking things up for themselves, looking for that nasty trick to win with.
- - - - -
Session 1:
Take a Klingon TC and a Fed TC. Explain how to allocate power for movement, explain how to allocate power to
phasers. Explain how to power housekeeping.
Explain shield and firing arcs. Explain damage allocation. Do NOT explain shield reinforcement.
Have both players fly at each other and fire phasers until they've scored internals on the other guy.
Sometime after this has occured, say "Surprise! Your engineer has figured out how to arm heavy weapons!" Explain
arming and holding photons and explain overloads and UIM.
Balance the scenario by varying the Fed's starting overload energy. Let them blow each other up reaaaal goooood.
Both sides should have fun with this -- it's pretty simple and straightforward. The Fed will likely have the edge in
this, due to better phasers and photon shock. Hence, set the Fed's overload energy to balance.
- - - - -
Session 2:
Explain drones (Type I, Type IV), tractors, labs, and shuttles (admin, suicide, wild weasel, not SP). All drones are
speed 32; other than that, tourney standards. Teach how to downfire phasers at this point. Also explain HETs at this
point, and TACs, including the HET max of 26 and the admin shuttle launch restrictions after an HET. Explain
reserve power for overloading weapons and tractors and refilling phasers.
Have the players play the match again. The Fed should have a slight edge -- put your better player in the Klingon
for this matchup. This is a good point to let players repeat the game a few times -- if they're getting it, they'll
want to play a few more times to try different things out. This is a good thing.
- - - - -
Session 3:
Explain mid turn speed changes, reserve warp, scatter packs, and shield reinforcement. Explain any system on the
ship not covered to date.
After session 3, your players should be able to handle learning any new TC in one or two training runs.
I find that the natural outcome of playing with Cadet Training Manual, which teaches shield reinforcement before
overloads, is that players learn a game that isn't SFB -- they learn how to fly at speed 8 or speed 10 with 16-20
points of general reinforcement to avoid standard load disruptor plinking.
I teach MTSC and shield reinforcement at the same time, along with By the time someone understands overloads and
mid turn speed changes, the appeal of playing turtle is minimized.
=====
Use tournament cruisers or cadet cruisers. Teach them overloads but not EW. Forget the Tholians until much later. Don’t use cloaks unless the players have learned the Klingons and Feds and just demand cloaks. Avoid tractor beam interactions and pseudo speeds and stuff. Don’t even mention X-rules; they can find out about those when they buy the game. Avoid using T-bombs at least at first. Avoid terrain for a while, then slowly bring in a planet and perhaps asteroids.
=====
More from Ken Burnside:
- - - - -
PROMOTING YOUR DEMO:
1) Signs. Print them in color -- I have used Ted Geibel's artwork to bring people into demos. The extra 75 cents is
worth it.
1A) Your sign should have your email address and your telephone number on it, as well as the contact person at the
store, the date and time of the demo.
2) Promptness. If your demo starts at noon, be there at 11:30 and get everything setup. Make sure your partner is
there as well.
3) Food at demos: Bring munchies like chips, and bring two 12 packs of sodas to share (one diet, one regular).
People will sit and listen to you talk if you're providing the food. Do not bring anything sloppy or messy to the
demo.
4) Be kind to your hosts. The gaming store wants your demo to succeed. Show your appreciation for the time and
table by cleaning up your mess. Try to leave the gaming room in better shape than you found it in.
- - - - -
Rehearsing your demo:
Before actually taking on running your demo, rehearse it with a buddy who "used to play" SFB at your home. This
will help you set up a syllabus of what you need to cover, and help you budget your time.
SFB is a large enough subject that it's easy to off onto tangents -- and you spend 4 hours discussing various rules
that have changed from the last time someone played Commander's edition rather than actually playing the game.
Selling points to get people back into SFB:
Most wargames out there require house rules to be made playable. SFB generally doesn't -- you don't need to give
units of a particular race a bonus to hit to make them competitive. The vast majority of those changes came about in
the Captain's edition, ending the Addenda Factory days of SFB.
SFB has higher quality assurance than any other wargame on the market, manual or computer. This is why
Interplay licensed SFB for Star Fleet Command.
Most CCGs approach SFB in terms of overall complexity and things to keep track of -- the difference is that SFB
has all the material cross indexed.
- - - - -

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Wednesday, March 06, 2002 - 05:51 pm: Edit

PEOPLE TO EXPECT AT YOUR DEMOS: by Ken Burnside
The people who show up at your demos can be categorized in a number of ways. Here are some approaches on how to
pitch to specific people based on what their preconceptions are:
Important notes: When I say that there are things to ask, I mean ask. Do not browbeat people; this is your way of
telling if it's worth your time to try to pitch to that person -- the answer may be "no", and you want that person to
go away without thinking of you as some sort of pushy jerk.
The Trek Fan: This is the guy who wants to know why the Klingons and Feds aren't allied against the Cardassians and
where the Dominion are. Anyone showing up in Klingon armor or in a TNG uniform probably fits this bill.
Things to ask: "Did you like Star Trek the Original Series?" "How important is internal consistency to you?"
If the person in question hated TOS, let them leave when they realize the game is about TOS and focus your attention
elsewhere. If they find that internal continuity is a hindrance, likewise, let them leave.
Otherwise, strike up a conversation about some of the good battle scenes in a TNG or TOS episode (Balance of Terror
in TOS is a good one) and point out that SFB can handle them pretty well.
Point out early on that SFB and "canon Trek" diverged somewhere around the first movie and that SFB has
progressed in its own way since then -- and that a lot of the TNG material appears to be SFB with the serial
numbers filed off (Borg as Andromedans, the B10 appearing in DS9, and the Hydrans appearing as Hydrians in
Voyager, complete with fighters...)
The Golden Age SFBer: This is the person who says "Yeah, I played SFB back in 1978, when it was one 64 page
booklet. ".
There are a few things you need to determine: Is this person serious about playing today, or is he here to reminisce
about a wargame that no longer exists? If he's here to reminisce, and you have no other players, let him -- but do
try to get him to play the game rather than tell war stories. If you have other players, have your partner talk to
him in the corner.
Do not get defensive, and don't try to "prove him wrong", particularly if you have other students waiting to be
taught.
Things to emphasise: The rules got fixed about 10 years ago, and there havn't been any major sweeping changes
since then. In many ways, it's an entirely different game.
The Silver Age SFBer: Characterized by one of three responses: "Yeah, I used to play SFB, until they added fighters
(or PFs) and it stopped being a game about ships and became a game about accounting for attrition units" or "I used
to play SFB, until they added (Usually the Andromedans) which broke everything, or showed they were
only in it for the money, not for love of the game." or "I used to play SFB, until you needed every issue of Nexus and
Captain's Log to keep track of the Addenda, and it became the first Collectable Rulebook Game."
Questions to ask: "Would you like to play a tournament match, with just the basic races against my partner?"
This is, in many ways, the easiest person to sell, although they initially appear to be the most difficult. They
already played the game, and they loved it -- they loved it enough to care when it evolved in ways they didn't want
to follow. The trick here is to hearken back to a simpler form of the game (tournament cruisers) and to let them
get the thrill of blowing things up.
Don't be pushy; most cases they'll just want to watch. If they come back to the next meeting, invite them to play
again. Let them know their experience is appreciated. Then, after they've played and have gotten that warm glow of
reminiscence after seeing the disruptors turn something into scrap, mention that they've cleaned up the addenda,
and that you can ignore fighters and PFs if you want, and that the Andros have been fixed...
Let them know that ADB has addressed many of their concerns.
The Bitter ExSFBer: "I used to play SFB, but I kept getting beaten by the damned rules lawyers. "
Things to ask: Ask if he'd like to play a friendly game with your partner. Advise your partner to play what I refer to
as an "okizeme game", wherin they deliberately make a few tactical errors (or even fudge) in their opponent's
favor -- those type IV drones that are about to smack a down shield become Type Is. Or even if they have the battery
power to HET out of the way of that torp, they scratch their head and go "oooo..." and plow into it. If the person
makes a sequence of play gaffe, roll back to the beginning of the impulse and let them do it over in the right order.
This person has been soured by overly competitive play by people with more rules knowledge than they had.
This is a risky one -- this is the player who can, more than anything else, kill your demo dead. It only takes one
person griping about case law and rules lawyers to make everyone else leave.
The trick is to get him to play, or to find something else to distract him, and fast.
The Warhammer Player/The CCG Player: Every 7 years or so, some miniatures wargame becomes the New Hot
Thing. It used to be BattleTech, it's currently Warhammer, and it may be Mage Knight in a few years. These are
people who come into the game wanting something fast and simple, where they don't have to think as much during
the game as before it when setting up their unit mix.
Questions to ask: "Are you tired of new rules sets coming in every 2 years which render all your stuff mostly
obsolete? Most of the ships in SFB havn't changed in 20 years now."
This player can be hooked. You just need to start very simply -- if you're planning on this sort of attendee, start
with the Frigates or the Cadet Ships. I recommend the frigates. Use the demo script in my example above, and play a
couple of games through without any seeking weapons or maneuver constrainers.
When they start talking about how dull the game is without terrain, use seeking weapons...
I've found that this type of player breaks down into three subcategories:
The accountant: This is the person who has no real tactical ability, but can assemble a deck or army or unit that's
optimized for one or two paths to victory. The accountant subtype almost never understands maneuver, even when
it's shown to them.
The abstractionist: Primarily a CCG trait, this is the person who sees everything as a mathematical model. While
similar to the accountant, this sort of player understands the concepts of optimizing during the game with the
assets at hand rather than before the game.
The skirmisher: A lot of Warhammer players are skirmish players stuck with a poor set of rules but a lot of
opponents. They wish they had more control over maneuver than they do in Warhammer, and are probably the
people who mutter about the tanks having maximum ranges that are half the length of the barrel.
In all three cases, you'll need to emphasise the benefits of a phased (impulse) movement system. Point out to the
CCGers that it avoids the sequencing problems of CCGs, where, depending on turn order, a player can just be hosed
for the entire game. For the Warhammer player, hearken back to horror stories about blowing initiative rolls and
being obliterated before you got to do anything.
The Other Space Game Wargamer: If someone comes in with experience in other space games (Full Thrust, Silent
Death, Starmada...) you need to find out of they're there to play your game, or to find recruits for their game.
If the latter, strike a deal. You play my game, I'll play yours, and we share this group of people. Do not knock
someone else's space genre game in front of your students. The truth of the matter is that space combat wargames
are a small niche market, and because of how they're marketed, they're sold almost as religions. One of the
legitimate beefs about SFB is that it's a lifestyle choice, not a game; you need to step outside of the SFB perspective
for this person. This person is often a Silver Age or Golden Age SFBer.
After playing both SFB and whatever game this person is trying to pitch, your students will likely go with
whomever was the better teacher. If that wasn't you, watch and learn. The other truth is that once a student learns
SFB, most other space combat games come up seriously lacking, since they aren't as detailed, and you can't do as
much.
Offer to build a bridge to a fellow space gamer rather than start a holy war. You may lure SFBers out of his gaming
group, and both clubs will be stronger for the cross fusion.
The Star Fleet Command Player: (I don't have a system that runs SFC, I'll need some help on this one.)
=====

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Wednesday, March 06, 2002 - 05:51 pm: Edit

Recruiting SFC players:
=============
By Alex Chobot (Alendrel) Wednesday, June 06, 2001 - 11:59 am:
A few thoughts on the SFC player. He already knows the base concepts behind the game, he just needs to learn how to
execute them himself, rather than having a computer handy. The big draw here is that while SFC is real-time, oft
forcing hasty decisions, point defense to be handled by the computer, and broad actions, SFB isn't. Emphazize that
he now has complete control over his ship, can take the time to carefully consider options, and efficientlly allocate
resources like point-defense.
Also, depending on whether or not he was playing double shields/internals, he'll find the damage dynamic a bit
different. This will help compenaste for the slow down caused by the switch of media. Be sure to point out that
instead of just severally damaging a cruiser's #1, a full-strength plasma-R will penetrate for 20 internals.
Just a couple of ideas
=====
By Christopher E. Fant (Cfant) Wednesday, June 06, 2001 - 12:08 pm:
The Star Fleet Command Players are a few different types, really most are what you mentioned already. Many of the
people I have had the pleasure of playing SFC and SFCII with have been old SFB players who like doing a
compare/contrast between the two. SOme like SFC more, others SFB. A lot of them like the computer more now
because of a lack of time to play, no room, or lack of opponents nearby.
These guys can all be persuaded to play again if they know a place where they can get a game or two in, I think.
=====
By Nick Blank (Nickb) Wednesday, June 06, 2001 - 12:09 pm:
Also point out that SFB has many more races to offer than SFC such as the minor races like the WYN, Tholian, and
the Omega sector, which as 17 more races and counting. Also there are already something like 300+ scenarios
already published, along with campaing setups and ideas. Starfleet Command may have one or two more expansions,
but SFB will certainly be going strong for many years to come.
Also note that SFC I and II came with the cadet handbook (and it should already be installed on their computer)which
they can look at if they are interested in playing around with SFB at home after seeing the demo. They might not
know about this (especially in SFC I the SFB stuff was difficult to find). At least with SFC II it should have added a
shortcut to the SFB material on the start menu during the install.
=====

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Wednesday, March 06, 2002 - 05:52 pm: Edit

RANGER ROSTER: LIST OF REGISTERED STAR FLEET RANGER DEMONSTRATION OFFICERS
==============================================================================
ARIZONA
85746: Richard Sherman; Battle Force, SFB
=======================================
CALIFORNIA
95117 (San Jose): Mike Calhoon; SFB, Battle Force; Certified Judge; Staff
=======================================
COLORADO
80011 (Aurora): Gary Plana; SFB, Battle Force, Gurps: Prime Directive; Staff
80620 (Evans): Scott Moellmer, Scott.Moellmer@UNCO.EDU; SFB, Battle Force; Staff
80919 (Colorado Springs): Chuck Strong; SFB, Battle Force, Gurps: Prime Directive, F&E; Staff
=======================================
ILLINOIS
60435 (Chicago): John Berg; SFB, BattleForce, Prime Directive-1; Certified Judge; Staff
61701 (Normal): Paul W. Brotcke, chevelier@aol.com; SFB
=======================================
INDIANA
46237 (Indianapolis): Joe Butler; SFB, Battle Force; Senior Certified Judge; Staff
46526 (Goshen): Nick Blank; SFB, Battle Force; Certified Judge; Staff
=======================================
KANSAS
66043 (Lansing): Jon Cleaves; SFB, Battle Force, Gurps: Prime Directive; Staff
=======================================
MINNESOTA
55331 (Tonka Bay): Jeff Laikind; SFB, F&E, Battle Force; Senior Certified Judge; Staff
=======================================
NEW YORK
10314 (Staten Island): Peter Dimitri; SFB, F&E, Battle Force ; Staff
=======================================
NORTH CAROLINA
27513 (Cary): Jim Hart; SFB, Battle Force; Certified Judge; Staff
28630 (Granite Falls): Fred Manning, fredbud@charter.net; SFB, Battle Force
=======================================
OHIO
44119 (Euclid): Stewart Frazier; SFB, F&E, Battle Force; Staff
45069 (West Chester): Michael Novean, insomniac@cinci.rr.com; SFB, Battle Force
45150 (Milford): Michael Filsinger; SFB, F&E, Battle Force; Senior Certified Judge; Staff
=======================================
PENNSYLVANIA
19382 (West Chester): Paul Franz, paulfranz@email.msn.com: SFB, Battle Force; Certified Judge; Staff
=======================================
TEXAS
75034 (Frisco): Mike West; SFB, Battle Force; Staff
77474 (Sealy): Trent Telenko: SFB, Battle Force, F&E; Staff
79109 (Amarillo): Steve Petrick: SFB, F&E, Battle Force; Senior Certified Judge; Staff
79109 (Amarillo): Steve Cole: SFB, F&E, Battle Force, Star Fleet Missions; Staff
=======================================
VIRGINIA
20147 (Ashburn): Don Lavanty; SFB, F&E
=======================================
WISCONSIN
53703 (Madison): Ken Burnside; SFB, Battle Force, Gurps:Prime Directive; Certified Judge; Staff
=======================================
AUSTRALIA
3132 (Victoria): Andrew Harding; SFB, Battle Force; Staff
=======================================
We need a Ranger in Florida. Contact me if you want this assignment.

By Ryan Peck (Trex) on Monday, May 06, 2002 - 04:06 pm: Edit

SVC,

What if anything is being done at Origins to recruit new players?

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Monday, May 06, 2002 - 04:11 pm: Edit

Ryan: What we always do. Run a tournament or two, have a booth, put up a few posters, Paul Franz runs demos.

By Ken Humpherys (Pmthecat) on Friday, July 19, 2002 - 12:38 pm: Edit

I am planing on running the following demo.
WHO:
Ken Humpherys

WHAT:
Star Fleet Battle Force card game.

WHERE:
Hastur Games & Hobbies
6831 South State Street
Midvale, UT 84047

WHEN:
July 30, 2002
6:00 pm to 9:00 pm

If you are in the Salt Lake City Area, please join us.

If you have advice on a good way to demo this product, I would love to learn.

By Andy Palmer (Andypalmer) on Friday, July 19, 2002 - 03:44 pm: Edit

Ken. As an FYI, Dragonskeep in Provo has a few SFB players from the "pre-Interegnum" days still around. They have three different game rooms inside the store so are very "Demo capable."

By Mike Novean (Blackdice) on Monday, December 01, 2003 - 01:18 pm: Edit

SVC,

Could you please update my email address in the ranger list. The one currently listed will bounce as it is from my old ISP.

For the new email, please send it to BlackDice @ sfbonline.com (case specific). And thanks to Paul Franz for allowing the automatic email forwarding.

Mike Novean

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Monday, December 01, 2003 - 01:55 pm: Edit

Mike: done.

By Charles E. Leiserson, Jr. (Bester) on Wednesday, January 14, 2004 - 04:17 pm: Edit

I think this is the right place to post this:

I am planing on running the following event.

WHO:
Charles E. Leiserson, Jr.

WHAT:
Star Fleet Battles
Scenario SL111.0 Ceasefire Collapse

WHERE:
Arisia 2004
Boston Park Plaza Hotel
64 Arlington Street
Boston, MA 02116-3912

WHEN:
Saturday, 17 January, 2004
3pm - 7pm (or however long it goes)

There will be two auxilliary tables for pick-up games if enough people show up, and I will be there by 1.30pm to answer questions and assist new players.

By Robert Sheets (Rangerrob) on Monday, February 09, 2004 - 08:22 pm: Edit

I am planning on running a demonstration of Star Fleet Battle Force at Just a Game Con.

JaGC is February 21st - 22nd in Corvallis Or.

By Robert Sheets (Rangerrob) on Wednesday, February 11, 2004 - 10:27 pm: Edit

More info...

Name of location:
Just a Game Con

Address of location:
Benton County Fairgrounds
53rd St
Corvallis OR

Date of Demo:
Feb 21st, 2004

Time Demo will run:
10am to 1pm

Describe any promotion will you do to ensure a good turn out:
Posted demo to the Convention schedule, announcements to gaming email lists and discusion groups, flyers in local stores, word of mouth.


------------------------------------------------

Name of person running demo (same as person submitting form):
Robert Sheets

Name of any persons who will be there to help you:
Melissa Garlinghouse

Product or products you will be running Demo for:
Star Fleet Battle Force card game


------------------------------------------------

Location is a:
Gaming Convention

If a convention, provide the name of the convention, the name and phone number of the convention manager or the division coordinator who has supervision over the event, and note if the convention other events for the product being demonstrated or for other ADB Inc. products.

Just a Game Con
Matt Ashland matt@ilovespidey.com
No other ADB events planned as yet.

By Robert Sheets (Rangerrob) on Saturday, February 28, 2004 - 03:20 pm: Edit

JaGC Report, in case my email report doesn't make it through:

Name of location:
Just a Game Con

Address of location:
Benton County Fairgrounds

City, State, Zip code of demo location:
Corvallis OR

Date of Demo:
February 21st, 2004

Hours of the day which Demo ran:
10am to 1 pm, and 8pm to 11pm.

Was the Demo approved in advance by ADB Inc?
Yes


-----------------------------------

Name of person running demo:
Robert Sheets

Name of any persons who were there to help you:
Melissa Garlinghouse

Product or products you ran a Demo for:
Star Fleet Battle Force card game


-------------------------------------------------

List of people who attended and played in the demo:
Melissa (to help draw in other players)
T. Sean Prescott
A large number of people who declined to leave their name.

Did anyone buy any of the products while at the store (if it was at a store):
There was a dealer area, but no ADB products were available.


List any comments, questions, suggestions, or things that came up which you feel ADB Inc. should be aware of:
Everyone liked the game, I mentioned the next deck may be released soon, several people said they would by the game, and the next deck when available.

Name of manager on duty during Demo. Was he satisfied with the demo?
Matt Ashland, Con Organizer. He seemed very happy.


Did you give him the instructions to report his comments to ADB Inc?
Yes, he filled out his report form, and said he would mail it in.

By Robert Sheets (Rangerrob) on Tuesday, April 20, 2004 - 08:43 pm: Edit

Hello,

I am planning on running Star Fleet Battle Force at Gamex, the University of Oregon Gaming Club's annual convention. It will be held on May 8th, in the River rooms in the Memorial Union building on campus.

They haven't announced time slots yet, but I will take one or two, I am planning on demoing most of the afternoon. I'll send more info when I have it.

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Wednesday, April 21, 2004 - 10:04 am: Edit

Good work. Carry on.

By Robert Sheets (Rangerrob) on Saturday, May 22, 2004 - 10:04 pm: Edit

My Gamex report, in case email fails me.

Name of location: Gamex 7, UO Gaming group convention
Address of location: Erb Memorial Union building, UO Campus.
City, State, Zip code of demo location:Eugene Oregon
Date of Demo: May 8, 2004
Hours of the day which Demo ran: 12:00 to 3:30, then 6:00 to 9:00
Was the Demo approved in advance by ADB Inc?
Yes.


-------------------------------------------------------

Name of person running demo (same as person submitting form): Robert Sheets
Name of any persons who were there to help you: Robert & Melissa Garlinghouse
Product or products you ran a Demo for:
Star Fleet Battle Force card game


-------------------------------------------------------

List of people who attended and played in the demo:
RObert & Melisa Garlinghouse (to help show it in play, and draw new players)
Ivan Edgerly
Three others I do not have names for.


List any comments, questions, suggestions, or things that came up which you feel ADB Inc. should be aware of:
The three players who did not leave their names, liked the game alot. They live in the same dorm, and talked about buying the game to play together. They wrote down the game name, SKU number, and the star fleet games website address. If they can't get a local store to order it for them, they plan on buying it from you online.


Name of manager on duty during Demo. Was he satisfied with the demo?
Mike Peterson is UO gaming group president. He was pleased, he wanted to play but didn't have time. His email address - mpeters1@gladstone.uoregon.edu


Did you give him the instructions to report his comments to ADB Inc? Yes, but he was busy at the time at the time I was talking with him... I hope he sent it in.

By Robert Sheets (Rangerrob) on Saturday, May 22, 2004 - 10:31 pm: Edit

Merlyn's Games report

Name of location:
Merlyn's Games
Address of location:
425 SW Madison Ave Suite D
City, State, Zip code of demo location:
Corvallis OR 97330
Date of Demo: May 21, 2004
Hours of the day which Demo ran: 10am to 6 pm
(4 games, adding new rules each game)
Was the Demo approved in advance by ADB Inc?
I sent an email to register the demo, but never received a reply. I followed procedures and it is a new venue.. I assume yes.


-------------------------------------------------------

Name of person running demo (same as person submitting form): Robert Sheets
Name of any persons who were there to help you:
Robert & Melissa Garlinghouse
Product or products you ran a Demo for:
Star Fleet Battle Force card game


-------------------------------------------------------

List of people who attended and played in the demo:
Robert & Melisa Garlinghouse (to help show it in play, and draw new players)
Calvin Draper draperc@comcast.net
Michael Bende


List any comments, questions, suggestions, or things that came up which you feel ADB Inc. should be aware of:
Calvin plans to buy it for his roommate's birthday, fulfulling social obligations, and having access to a neat game at the same time. :-)

Name of manager on duty during Demo. Was he satisfied with the demo?
Jenny, Merlyn's wife. She thought the game might sell well, they have several avowed Trek fans as regulars, and she thought the game simple enough, though she didn't play.

Did you give him the instructions to report his comments to ADB Inc?
Yes, and she said she would fax it in.

By Les LeBlanc (Lessss) on Sunday, June 27, 2004 - 08:30 pm: Edit

Suggestion:

Target groups and societies to increasse the number of SFB players.

1) Various wheel chair societies.
2) Missing limbs societies.
3) Mensa societies.
4) Any other society you can think of

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Monday, November 08, 2004 - 11:11 am: Edit

Ranger Event: Pennsylvania

Name of location: Mansfield University `Hut'
Address of location:
Mansfield University of Pennsylvania
Mansfield PA 16933
(570) 662-4000
City, State, Zip code of demo location: same
Date of Demo: 3 DEC 04
Time Demo will run (block of three or more hours): 1200 - 2200
Describe any promotion will you do to ensure a good turn out:
The MU Computer Science Club is running a gaming event consisting of LAN PC games, console games, and card games. Warhammer was originally suggested for the wargamming portion, but instead I was contacted with a request to demonstrate SFB. General turn-out is expected to be quite good based on previous events.
MU CSC events typically receive broad advertisement from posters, hand-bills, and the campus radio station. If this demonstration is approved, additional efforts will be directed towards the wargamming and role-playing elements on the campus by word-of-mouth, and SFB hand-bills.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Name of person running demo (same as person submitting form): Timothy J. Bruce
Name of any persons who will be there to help you: Ben Stevens
Product or products you will be running Demo for: SFB
(Star Fleet Battles, Federation & Empire, Prime Directive 2nd Edition, Star Fleet Battle Force card game)

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Tuesday, November 23, 2004 - 03:07 pm: Edit

Valdosta Georgia: Who did the Ranger demo there?

By Craig Tenhoff (Cktenhoff) on Friday, December 03, 2004 - 10:50 pm: Edit

Looking for Ranger or Rangers to support Demos at Conquest LA 2005, LAX Marriot Feb 18-21 2005.

I think SFB and SFBF would be an excellent games to do open demos on. SFB for us old gamers and SFBF to catch the casual gamer. GURPS PD would probably be better run as an adventure under the RPG section, but that can be arranged.

Please contact me to arrange support from the convention (i.e. space, program announcement, etc).

By Jeff Johnson (Jeffro) on Monday, March 07, 2005 - 01:00 pm: Edit

Rangers in NC area--

"It is better to do a demo with a buddy, not just because you can pretend to be demoing to him if no one else shows up...."

Need a helper for your next SFB demo? If you can do one within a couple hours drive of Greensboro, I'd love to help out. (I'll have some free Saturdays the next few months, but expect "real life" to hit back hard again this fall.) I can make it to Winston, Raleigh, or even Charlotte if I have to.