Archive through March 03, 2005
Star Fleet Universe Discussion Board: Federation & Empire: F&E INPUT:
F&E Proposals Forum:
Ideas for New F&E Play Aides:
Archive through March 03, 2005
I am trying to put together a list of ideas for useful F&E play aides (but NOT to include new counters).
Some ideas I have:
1. Master Die Roll Chart -- various rolls on one handy chart (PT survival, Ground Combat, Small Ship Combat, etc.)
2. Reserve Fleet Charts
3. Unit Capabilities Cross Reference Chart (ie can a a FTL withdraw before combat; can a SAP use extended reaction; can an overloaded tug use strategic movement, etc.)
#1 is a great idea.
Not so thrilled with 2 and 3 though.
Spreadsheets to track fleets in so you aren't required to buy 1,000,000,000 counters. We haven't played with counters for anything but loose ships and cripples in a decade or more. It would be nice to have 'official' ones availabel.
Just have a row for each ship type, and a column for each fleet. If you like writing tiny you can even try to cram on a column with ship factors. It makes the splitting, and counting easy. And if you've tracked your economics and ship deaths well, you can even reconcile numbers with minimal effort.
I like the first idea.
How can you have reserve fleet charts without corresponding counters? I imagine you'd need a counter for Klingon Reserve Fleet #1, Reserve #2, etc. I think it would be a good idea to put the Klingons & Lyrans on the same chart, Hydrans & Kzinti on another, Feds & Gorns, and so on.
This would be a perfect spot to include new fleet charts but you did say "NO counters." 
How about some kind of chart displaying everyone's raid pool? Make it like a fleet-chart, one box for the Fed raid pool, one box for the Kzinti etc.
Sandro:
I did the Reserve Fleet Cards for Origins last summer; they included an area for the each reserve fleet, a box to place your shipyard new builds in, a "Capital Region" box (for unused pods, built but unplaced PDUs, Aux Units, etc.) and a raid pool box.
I created my own numbered reserve counters.
What about a spread sheet designed like the AO eco form for calculating all player expenses?
I have one I created for my own use. This one keeps track of all turns for the GW from turn one to turn 34. More turns could be added easily.
I realize anything like this would have to be approved by SVC. I would be happy to send it to him if the interest was there. If not, I will just keep using for my own use.
I don't think ADB is going to start selling anything computer relllated for F&E until an actual F&E online type of service is available for sale.
It's a board game, how about we keep it that way?
even with a F&E online service all F&E related software would need to be server based due to license restrictions with Paramount.
It's a board game, how about we keep it that way?
F&E is already computerised - I started F&E as a board game player, then played for a long time on Cyberboard. This summer we organised a face to face game again (A Very English War). The difference was huge. The board game was so slow that we ended up cutting corners and in so doing, made mistakes. I wouldn't be tempted to play with the pieces again. Even face-to-face would be easier done using Cyberboard.
I would strongly recommend that ADB rapidly develop the computer side of F&E, rather than new aspects of the game itself.
I had a play with the onine F&E system - think the automated SE count is fantastic. Would prefer it to be object based but beggars can't be choosers!. Would really like something that was real time (ie any object you move is also moved on your opponents screen), rather than move - update, move update.
Just a tuppenies worth from an avid fan of the game.
I love the idea of having the roll charts consolodated.
I remember the fleet charts from origins and found them very usefull. this can easily be done without additional couters simply by providing an empty box for the counter name it represents (much like SSD's).
The unit capabilites cross refrences might be useful as an appendix item in a future product (or on the back side of the roll chart)
James (and anyone else) I would love to have the real-time feedback that you describe as well, I just am not up to coding the user interface for it. I can do the server stuff and define the network communications, but don't have the expertise/time to do that sort of client-side stuff. I'm doing the web based stuff so that it will work from any OS, but there are hooks if someone wants to do a custom client as well.
what do you mean when you say you would prefer it to be object based?
Well let's look at putting together a die roll chart. I'll go ahead and start one as an example -- we can use line item format. I'll compile the line items after we get what we need. Please list the rule number the Die Roll Title followed by any modifiers.
(305.0) Capturing Ships
Basic Roll 2D: (2) (305.11)
Pursuit Roll 2D: (2-3) (305.12)
Modifiers:
-1 Prime Team Present (522.43)*
-1 Troop Ship "G" Used (521.5)*
-1 Web Caster Used (525.74D)
* Only one of these modifiers can be used
If a point is overlooked, then list the rule number and the oversight.
chuck make it
(305) Capturing Ships (2 on 2D6)
-1 Pursuit
-1 prime team/Troops ship "G" used
-1 Web Caster used
-1 Mauler used
just a little shorter with the same meaning
David,
Don't get me wrong - I like what I see and even better if it is an engine with hooks for a GUI (don't be fooled, I have very little idea of what I'm talking about here
).
By object base I mean each ship is a virtual tile which can be picked up and placed via click and drag. IIRC the current design is to have flags representing the presence of ships with a 'schedule' of what is in that hex. Using the 'split' activity as an example: if a fleet is to be split into two then a split 'function' is performed and ships selected from one and named as a second fleet. It has been some time since I played around with the package, so do feel free to put me right if I'm talking out of my orifice.
Might be useful here if I described how I use Cyberboard for email/chatroom games. Cyberboard is probably a good example of what I mean by object based. Each ship is a tile on the virtual map. Pieces are moved by click and drag (PS I never use the 'plot move' just the .SCN file as a virtual board). When you want to split a fleet a second pallet is opened and the ship tiles are phisically (virtually?) moved from one to the other and the fleet tile is moved from the tray that was empty, onto the map. Everything is coordinated by email - each person has a copy of the same .scn at the beginning of the turn. Moves are declared by email, each person moves the pieces on their board. Every so often whoever is the phasing player emails off an update to make sure they are not getting out of line. Clearly it could never be as easy with an online system without the real time feature, because there has to be some way of syncronizing.
Anyway - any of my ramblings make any sense at all?
Thanks Dave, but I would like more detail as I am putting this together and don't want to spend extra time trying to figure out what someone was attempting to say.
For example: while the result would be the same, the rule states that the capture die roll in pursuit is 2-3 and not a modifier of (-1). I want to use this type of format to allow for future rules that may say "no modifiers allowed"; subtle but important.
Chuck Strong:
I'm not 100% positive, but I believe the webcaster only provides a capture bonus during pursuit battles, not during regular combat. You might want to check that and if I'm correct that should probably be noted on your table.
chuck, no problem, just trying to simplify things like I did with the combat results table
James, ok I see what you are refering to, I did it the way I did with the thought that when you are moving large fleets you would really rather move a single counter rather then a few hundred ships one at a time.
basicly I'm just useing an fleet chart with essentially unlimited number of counters and boxes
How about individual deployment charts for the Empires?
The ONE game I managed to actually started to play was bogged down by the set-up. It turned into 'pass around the rulebook and hunt for your counters'. One chart for each empire with it's own part of the order of battle annex would be VERY handy IMO, and would cut down on the time for setup, since one player would be dedicated to setting up his own forces while everyone else is.
You could probably do the same thing with other aspects of the empires, one sheet for the statistics of the empire (like Economy) that can be used as a reference for the status of an empire at the begining of the scenario (in conjunction with notes perhaps) A 'build area' could also be put on the chart for units purchased (or that the player intends to purchase) but have yet to reach the board.
Mike, FO has setup charts for the various empires for various games.
Ah my bad.
I guess buying other F&E products helps
Although you would think it would come with the basic set of F&E. Maybe future editions can come with the setup charts?
In the area of Play aids for F&E, has anyone considered an "event deck of cards?"
It neednt be very large or complicated, just a deck of random events that each side could "play" during the initial phase of each players turn.
Star Fleet Battles History is "RIPE" with such events, so the material is already there, it just requires a method.
I realize there are already proposals that deal with some things (such as monsters) but just pause and consider the possibilities...
This would be a possible way to integrate some historical scenarios into F&E that, depending on the outcome, could have strategic repercussions.
How about a card that, based on the current year of the war (or turn) mandates a certain scenario takes place, such as the Lone grey wolf, (which give the kzintis a "cheap" chance to destroy a Klingon Dread nought? or the Vandal appearing from year (IIRC 205) back in the early General war...feds lose a NCL (but ***MIGHT*** succeed in capturing functional X ship technology....could result in early X ships) Klingons lose the XFrigate but ***MIGHT*** succeed in capturing functional X ship technology....could result in early X ships...
Or how about a random star ship is lost to "unknown" reasons (time warp and didnt make it back) or could result in a Darwin episode where the Darwin brings back the information of the RTN system only to an earlier year than year 195.
Other general examples, before the Federation enters the General war, the Klingons get a chance to destroy a FEDeration DN (as in the first of her kind scenario)
Or Kosnetts war...or stockers war campaign games...
Then there are all those Orion only scenarios...such as the red wyn express from Federation territory to the Wyn system...
or the Lyran/Klingon/ LDR Near war scenarios.
By themselves the scenarios shouldnt be able to win or lose the war for either side, but taken in context with the ongoing General war, might be able to provide an "edge" to one side or the other.
What about the peace negotiations, at Olsens Reach where Chairman buckner died or the one in Romulan space (IIRC that involved the USS Forrest BCH).
Just listing the possibilities would keep a number of people satisfied and competing for making successful entries.
anyway, just an idea for people to consider.
Jeff Wile
I'm not sure if this is the right topic, but I think a revised map would be fun. Maybe a slightly enlarged version of the current map that inculdes most, if not all of extras included on the Large LE map, perhaps one might include the future Vudar Enclave territory in a slightly different shade of color from the Klingons so folks wouldn't have to deal with an overlay. ADB could make it a mail order item, bundle it with something else, or include it in future printings of F&E. Just a thought.
Joshua, Have you seen the Large Strategic Map(LSM)? If not, you are really missing something. Not only is it really beautiful, it helps speed up game play with the larger hexes, planet displays, sector boundaries, setup areas, etc. It even has the Vudar Enclave and the turn of joining the Enclave on it.
I don't know of anything more I will want on a map!
An auto dial button to the local pizza place? No, wait, that's Everquest.
Joshua:
http://www.starfleetstore.com/MERCHANT2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=S&Product_Code=5010
"F&E Large Scale Map (Read Description!)
Quantity in Basket: none
Code: 5010
Price: $80.00
Shipping Weight: 0.00 pounds
This is the special 30x70" map done by Chuck Strong. It is full color, with very large 1.25" hexes and a bunch of really cool graphics, charts, and other advanced features such as raid pools (with the expansion), full color graphic racial logos, clear provincial boundaries, named planets and numbered bases, sector boundaries, and much more!
It is flat and offset printed in full color on heavy paper (but not on cardstock).
This map cannot be shipped with any other item so do not order it with other items please.
Shipping is actual cost plus the cost of the mail tube. We will email you the cost of shipping after you place your order.
If you want us to have your map laminated before we ship it, this will cost $30.00 extra. Tell us under Special Instructions to laminate the map for you."