Subtopic	Posts		Updated
	Archive through May 11, 2020	25		07/24 06:23pm

I think he was going to use the counters from Module M,which would sort of work, maybe, to some extent, for some of the rules, but without the opportunity fire markers and target zone markers it won't work very well.

As for minis, if you find some 285 tanks and terrain you could probably wing it. A "conversion to hexless inches" wouldn't take much thought. (Just decide if a hex is two inches or one inch or five point three seven five centimeters or whatever.)

We will do 285 minis sometime. I actually do not know how those would compare to 6mm or 15mm. It has been way too long since I played with my 15mm tanks or my 25mm civil war stuff. Maybe when I retire, if I cannot get STEAM to work.

By Shawn Hantke (Shantke) on Monday, May 11, 2020 - 04:57 pm: Edit

6mm, 285, and 300 are the same.

By Andrew Schwenzer (Andrew_Cluetain) on Monday, May 11, 2020 - 11:13 pm: Edit

Ok, what I'm hearing is that I REALY do need all the stuff in Marines to make it work. That is fine I just wanted to ask.
PS: BattleTech is very much hex based; I was only thinking that I'd have "This tank represents this counter"
PSS: Was meant as a friendly FYI, I do not want to come across as insulting.

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Tuesday, May 12, 2020 - 12:23 am: Edit

I for one was not insulted. You are fine.

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Tuesday, July 28, 2020 - 01:46 am: Edit

I made Jean

https://www.heroforge.com/load_config=3447409/

By Jeff Anderson (Jga) on Wednesday, March 10, 2021 - 04:03 pm: Edit

(I think this might be the best place...)

Scenario idea; Special Forces have readied/trained/prepped/whateveryoucallit a group of indigenous people to conduct a raid. As a scenario, it would feature low-tech, less skilled, but more numerous troops on one side against a smaller, but more skilled and better equipped force that's on the defensive.

The specific scenario I was thinking of was as a possible preperation for the Klingon Swarm Attack that became the Pleiades Turkey Shoot. On one of their border colonies, they've set up a casual ground fighter base in the area where the Federation have inserted a Special Forces Team. While such an attack MIGHT tip of the Klingons that the Federation is expecting the swarm, someone sees it as an opportunity to do a little whittling of Klingon forces BEFORE the attack takes place.

The objective for the Federation side would be to do sufficient damage to as many of the shuttles as possible before they can get airborne to render them non-viable for the upcoming operation (or to gun down as many of their crews as possible?) and the Klingon objective is to get the crews to them and get them airborne as soon as possible.


To be honest, I don't know if this can even be made into a workable scenario; I didn't picture it on a map or with regards to the game at all. If anything, I pictured it almost as a sort of late `50's or early `60's Heroic War Movie with a John Wayne type playing the evil Federation Special Forces terrorist leader and someone like Peter Lorre playing the heroic ISS officer trying to defend his charges...

Anyway, it's a thought, nothing more. If you like it, have fun. If not, please feel free to ignore it.

By Jeff Anderson (Jga) on Wednesday, March 31, 2021 - 04:10 pm: Edit

Had (another) screwball thought...

New unit type?

Fast Attack Vehicle; these are the "Dune Buggies" used by Marines and Special Forces as scouting and light attack vehicles.

For SFM, I see it as a VERY fast vehicle; perhaps even a speed of 8. As I picture it, it probably uses "Hover" to determine speed on terrain.

In combat, instead of trying to come up with new stuff for the chart, I think that if it's treated as a GCV for purposes of its own fire and for fire directed at it, it might work.

To clarify, it is NOT an infantry carrier and, as such, does NOT carry infantry.

Compared with a GCV, it's very similar, but exchanges the infantry squad for greater speed.

Compared with a GAV, it's similar, but exchanges offensive capability for speed.

For SFB, I'm thinking that it has the same Offensive Potential and Casualty Points to Destroy rating as a GCV, but (obviously) doesn't carry the infantry that the Canon vehicle does.

(Here's where I'm probably going off into a deep enough part of "Screwball Land" to ruin the proposal... )

As I'm picturing it, it's something physically small enough that there's a significant difference in cargo holds between it and a Canon GCV. What's in my head (go ahead and make all the jokes about that that I expect ) is something perhaps only taking up 15 Cargo Space Points (instead of 20) and, maybe only needing TWO transporter actions to move it planetside.

Again, this is really just me being a screwball, but if y'all think it might be a not-too-unreasonable addition to the game, I'm glad to share it.

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Wednesday, March 31, 2021 - 06:40 pm: Edit

Not a new idea, more or less the same thing as the hovercycles I posted long ago.

By MarkSHoyle (Bolo) on Wednesday, March 31, 2021 - 07:25 pm: Edit

So now you are going to have to talk to Hollywood about using "Judge Dredd" as a scout....

By Jeff Anderson (Jga) on Thursday, April 01, 2021 - 03:06 am: Edit

Okee dokee. Proposed, considered, and decided against.

Did think a bit (as difficult as that might be for me?) about the hovercycles. Maybe it's just me, but when I think of "Hovercycles," I think of something pretty darned small, like the little one-man craft that slammed into trees in that other franchise. For what I was thinking of with the Fast Attack Vehicles, I was picturing something bigger (more a two or three person vehicle).

As a differentiation, I can imagine the Hovercycles having the same speed as the Fast Attack Vehicles, but exchange firepower and defense for easier portability.

As I suggested in the last post, a FAV would use the GCV listing on the combat chart for both shooting and as target. If this is done, then a hovercycle might be better represented by the Marine shooter and Infantry target line and column on the chart.

As an exchange for their great speed when compared to standard Infantry, a Hovercycle can't conduct a Close Assault (L5.3)?

Anyway, I know this is academic; I just wanted to talk about it `cause I'm enjoying SFM.

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Thursday, April 01, 2021 - 09:20 am: Edit

Functionally the same thing, either equipment produces the same game effect.

By Mike Grafton (Mike_Grafton) on Thursday, April 01, 2021 - 04:26 pm: Edit

How about a jeep euivalent? No armor, totes one 5 man team, easy to transport and get a "hull down" bonus?

my "cue" key died...

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Friday, April 02, 2021 - 01:55 am: Edit

Hovercycles, dune buggies, jeeps = all same.

By Patrick H. Dillman (Patrick) on Thursday, June 17, 2021 - 11:53 am: Edit

Is Star Fleet Marines available to play on the SFBOnline client?

By Nick Blank (Nickgb) on Wednesday, August 17, 2022 - 01:25 pm: Edit

Spotted in the field, Kzinti Power Armor:

https://twitter.com/DontShowYourCat/status/1558971927804379136

By Jeff Guthridge (Jeff_Guthridge) on Wednesday, August 17, 2022 - 01:51 pm: Edit

Probably can man... er.... cathandle type IV drones faster than the Weight Lifting Team too... With bonuses for Cute Factor.

By Joseph Jackson (Bonneville) on Friday, November 11, 2022 - 06:47 pm: Edit

Mostly I play Star Fleet Battles. In one of the Captain's Logs (I can't say which, I'm in the middle of moving and they are all boxed up) there is a great fleet v fleet scenario called Planetary Raid or some such. Great scenario. Playing it sparked an interest in marine combat, leading me ultimately to Star Fleet Marines. Also, I saw a You Tube vid and it looked interesting.
So, while I have not unpacked my CL's, I ordered SFM before closing and had it shipped to my new address to be waiting for me when I moved in.
Now I've got it, and read thru the rules a couple of times, and with house and home in great disarray, me and my crew are sitting down at the kitchen table tonight to play scenarios LS1 thru LS5. Or as much as we can.
I'm very excited. It looks like a very cool, very fun, and very clever system. It should be a night to remember.
I call dibs on the Klingons in LS1.