Archive through November 24, 2010
Star Fleet Universe Discussion Board: Star Fleet Battle Force: Battle Force Proposals: New Cards:
Archive through November 24, 2010
I'd suspect that any valuable cargo is destroyed with the cargo box. Repairing the cargo box won't repair the contents. Repairing the cargo box may prolong the life of the freighter but its worth shouldn't go back up.
Troy,
No. You use a CL or smaller. If a CA is your smallest ship then you use the CA. If you have a FF and a CL you can use either, but not a CA.
My wording was still incomplete. But this is what I meant.
For this game, destroying the cargo box could mean you captured the contents during the battle, or disabled the ship, or destroying the ship is a capture (indeed, once destroyed, you get the ship). I wouldn't worry about cargo box content for this game.
Like the idea of one small and one large freighter card, still like to have them initially in the Action Card deck. Restrict escorts? Maybe, could restrict escorting ships to the one with the lowest VP score. Destruction of the freighter counts as capture, yes, messing around with cargo boxes and variable scores seems too fiddly. Destroying the escort first could leave the freighter unattached if it's not wiped out on that attacker's turn, it could be immediately attached to another ship at the end of the turn I suppose. Would still like a Q-ship card, played at the moment the freighter takes damage. Q-ship and Freighter cards are then discarded but the attacking ship receives damage equal to that inflicted on the freighter. If the attacker is destroyed then the freighter player gets their ship for his VP pile. We've got 6 months to work on it anyway.
A quick question. Can an existing carrier be modified with a Carrier Conversion card? My assumption is no, but I thought I should ask.
No, it cannot.
Well, maybe.
Somebody remind me to look at that after Origins.
For now, no.
How about freighters which can't be destroyed, but which can be captured. So when it would normally be destroyed, it is restored to full capacity and is turned over to the player who destroyed it (it's been captured). The player who controls it gets some benefit, but it goes around the table like the parcel in Pass the Parcel as players fight to grab the valuable freighter.
An...interesting...game tonight led my group to propose two new cards. I'm describing one, here - the other needs more details worked out. But this one seems ready to go.
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The Flying Death's Hand
A ship card: a spectral Klingon D2-class Battlecruiser that still haunts the space lanes centuries after a disastrous battle with an Old Kings obelisk.
Rules: Used as a ship card, kept separate from the deck, given to the first player to lose his entire fleet. The only attack it can perform is 1d6 (IE., effect of one fighter box). While acting as a fighter attack, this is NOT a fighter attack, and cannot be 'intercepted' (IE., fired on). The ship cannot, itself, be damaged or destroyed.
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The idea behind this is to give a player in a multi-player match, who is knocked out very early in the game, something to do other than just exchanging their hand every combat phase. They may still want to - this ship is no battlewagon. But at least they have decisions to make, now (Do I attack? Or keep exchanging cards?), which is a significant improvement over their current lot. ("Oh, it's my turn again. I'll draw a card...okay, nothing, exchange all five cards in my hand...okay, discard one, next player!")
I've actually got a rather cool graphic for this one, too - posting tomorrow.
And here is the second one. Art for both of these I've sent to SVC. If he's interested in posting either or both officially somewhere, you'll see it in that channel. Otherwise, if he approves posting the cards, here, I'll link them. Both came out quite well, IMHO. 
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Gigneous
A ship card: the largest Igneous-type battle machine ever seen. Grimly termed 'Gigneous' by the first ship to encounter it, it does not have more weapons than a typical Igneous, but no attacks have any effect on it.
Rules: Used as a ship card, kept separate from the deck, given to the second player to lose his entire fleet. The option mounts work as Orion options, with the exception that two can be used together to fire a type-R plasma torpedo, as well as the type-S. In an exception to the normal combat phase, the player using Gigneous can attack as many ships as he wants in his turn, although no more than one ship per player. Gigneous cannot, itself, be damaged or destroyed. Kills by Gigneous are discarded, and do not count as scoring for the player using the monster.
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If, somehow, a match has not met its "ending" criteria after two players are knocked out, this card introduces an element that very quickly starts bringing the match to a close. As with the Flying Dutchman, it also gives the second player who was knocked out something to do other than just exchanging their hand every combat phase. Again, a significant improvement over their current lot. ("Oh, it's my turn again. I'll draw a card...okay, nothing, exchange all five cards in my hand...okay, discard one, next player!"). Kills via this unit do NOT contribute to his score, so the point of Gigneous is really just to force the match to wrap up quickly...an appropriate thing to do if two of the original players are now just sitting around waiting for it to end.
It goes without saying, if the player flying this manages to get another ship (Klingon mutiny, reinforcements card, etc), then he returns this card to the box.
A reminder regarding the Carrier Conversion card. Can an existing carrier be modified with this card? Also, I am asuming that playing this card is your attack for the turn? That is, you cannot play this card (or any of the other cards from CL41) and then attack. The exception being if you are playing a two player game and get two attacks per turn.
Another Carrier Conversion question. Would Plasma-F icons be changed as well, or only Plasma-S and Plasma-R icons.
One of the players in our group (Neil - this is totally his idea, don't blame me!) has proposed a new card:
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Orion Slave Girls (aka Pirate Infiltration Team)
Rules: Played as an attack card, roll 1d6. On a result of 1-4, there is no effect (card is discarded). On a roll of 5-6, the defending ship changes owners to the attacker's fleet.
The effect is similar to the Klingon Mutiny, however this card can only be played against Federation ships (nobody else would be stupid enough to let them have the run of the ship!)
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Obviously, the card is in somewhat an homage to the 'Enterprise' episode. Mudd's Androids would be a better fit for the TOS timeframe, but would obviously require 'story elements' from TOS, which are (AFAIK) outside the SFU license - the idea of Orion slave girls being used as an infiltration team seems pretty straightforward, though, so even though it was also a concept used in 'Enterprise'...should be okay? I mean, it's not like Orions in the SFU *don't* go around capturing ships or anything...
Second request regarding the Carrier Conversion card questions in my previous posts.
Can this card be played on existing carriers?
Does playing this card count as your attack for the turn?
When playing on a Plasma armed ship, are Plasma-F icons converted or Plasma-S and Plasma-R only?
Can this card be played on existing carriers? NO, well, MAYBE, Ok, sure.
Does playing this card count as your attack for the turn? DUNNO. HADN'T THOUGHT ABOUT IT. DID NOT CL41 SAY?
When playing on a Plasma armed ship, are Plasma-F icons converted or Plasma-S and Plasma-R only? S, R AND G (IF THERE ARE ANY Gs).
Proposed Card Fireship/Suicide Freighter
Can be played if target player has a Base or Planet. If not destroyed before the end of the target player's next turn, does some amount of damage to the base/planet (not sure how much would be right).
Well I have played a few games with the new cards from CL41.
Playing the Carrier Conversion card on the Hydran DN gives you a serious shipkiller. Six fighter bays with an average of 21 ponts of damage!!! Ouch.
Proposed Card, Transporter Bomb
May be played as part of an attack to negate the effect of cloak for that attack. Played defensively against fighters, drones, or PFs, does 5 damage. Any ship may use the Transporter Bomb.
Proposed Card, Andromedan Displacement Device
Played during Formation Change phase. Moves one ship of any player from the Screen to the Main Body or vice versa. If a player plays this on himself, may be used in addition to normal Formation Change. Displacement Device may be countered by ECM or Wild Weasel. Bases and planets cannot be affected by Displacement Device.
Proposed Card, ISC Cordon
Played instead of an attack. Place this card in front of any player. That player may not attack or be attacked until the end of his next turn. Discard this card at the end of the affected player's next turn.
pinecone from the FC board wanted to post some new card ideas over here for SVC's consideration. His parents are strict about him using his real name on any board so I helped him with these and said that I would post them for him.
If SVC thinks that any of these are worth using, I will see if pinecone can work out with his parents about using his real name. If you frequent the FC board, you should know of pinecone. Anyway...here are the ideas.
Legendary Helmsman: Allows for one extra formation move.
Legendary Captain: +2 to your attack damage or -2 to opponents attack damage
Legendary Fleet Captain: Player can attack with two ships.
Mine: Ship cannot move for one turn or takes 5 damage
Expanding Sphere Generator:
Offensive Damage: 3, 4, or 5; a tractor beam card used by opponent reduces damage by 50%,
Short Range: only ships in screen can be attacked
Shoots: D, F, PF
Special: When used defensively, drone and hellbore damage is reduced by twice the amount of the ESG card.
Fusion Beam:
Damage: use disruptor cards
Short Range: only ships in screen can be attacked
Shoots: PF
Small Freighter
PH-3 x1
HULL x4
Points: 2
Large Freighter
PH-2 x1
HULL x8
Points: 4
Heavy Freighter:
Ph-2 x1
HULL x 16
Points: 8
Burt, the issue with Pinecone's real name has been resolved.
Jean
WebMom
OK, cool. The above new card ideas are his.
Another card proposal:
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Aegis Fire Control
Rules: Can be played with any ship-based attack, which then proceeds as normal. After the attack is complete, the player initiating the attack may then make a second attack on the same turn with any remaining cards (which does not have to be against the same target or same player as the first).
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This should be restricted to phasers, IMO.
The use of it obviously differs a bit...well, a lot...from SFB. Not simply defensive, not (mostly) limited to carrier escorts, only 2 phases instead of 4, etc.
But it was really a game mechanic I was looking for based on experience in our games - the ability to make an attack, see what happens, and continue attacking (or change target) based on the results. And that, when picking an SFB rule to match, seemed like a good fit to call 'Aegis'.
It's really the mechanic I'm interested in seeing, though - in that it opens up some slight variety to really break up an occasionally rote sequence of play in the attack/defense sequence.
Jean, spam here.
Cards in CL42: Aegis, Tribbles, Expert Helmsman, Expert Operations Officer, Black Fleet.
carrier ok, only plasma-S/R.