March 2008
|
||||||||
Download Transmissions
The latest Communique brings you more Ship Cards, scenarios, fiction, and more news from the Star Fleet Universe! It can be downloaded from the Commander's Circle. Don’t forget, you have to register before being able to download the latest full color Communique! Star Fleet Universe News Federation Commander: Briefing #1 as well as Squadron Boxes #16, #17, and #18 shipped on schedule on 18 February. Distant Kingdoms is in final editing, but will be delayed one week (maybe two) by the die cutter. The new RPG Editing-Layout team (Jean Sexton and Mike Sparks) continue to work on Prime Directive d20Modern but are unable to give us a firm release date. If it isn't ready when FCDK is back from the die cutter, we will release it in April along with SFB Module Omega Five.Our project to build a new corporate headquarters continues to move on. We now own the land and are working with an architect to finalize the designs. View regular updates on this project. Our combined and reorganized website, www.StarFleetGames.com, continues to grow and improve. You are welcome to send us your requests, comments, and suggestions. We are looking for a few good Star Fleet Ambassadors! Our marketing director can't be everywhere and that's where you come in! Do you go to gaming forums like Board Game Geek, RPG Net, or The Miniatures Page? Then WE NEED YOU! To get complete details of the Ambassador program, please see the Federation Commander Ambassadors category on the Federation Commander forum. Have you missed an earlier Newsletter? Click here to get caught up! FC Forum Hot Topics The Federation Commander Site and Forum continues to grow as more gamers find it. We have added a new section to the Forum called Web Requests. If you have any comments, questions, or requests for our Graphics Director, this is the place to let him know. This month’s Hot Topics include a thread titled “Need for Speed” and "federation commander campaign " which can be found in the General Discussion category. For new players, the Federation Commander Forum is a little easier to manage whereas the Legacy Discus BBS can be a bit overwhelming. Come see what the commotion is about and join the Federation Commander Forum now! Don't forget our original (discus-based) BBS where most product development takes place. The most active topics of late include: Silent Death SFU Conversion, Captain's Log #37 Battle Group, SFB: The Farthest Stars Campaign, ORIGINS 2008, Module X1R, Module Y2, and the always busy Questions on Ships.FC Tactic of the Month Everybody knows about the "bootlegger" turn. In this, you turn in one direction and then (if you have to move straight) sideslip in the same direction. This tightens the turn radius and gets you away from whatever you are trying to avoid even faster. Another way to make a tighter turn is to alternate a turn with a slip to the outside of the turn. That is, turn to the right, and on your next move slip to the left; this lets you complete the turn without moving as far from your initial hex. This is useful when you want to bring new weapons to bear but not get closer to the enemy (and his weapons). Café Press is an online marketplace that allows the Star Fleet Universe to produce unique products such as coffee mugs, t-shirts, tote bags, and more with the Star Fleet logos, cover art, and other artwork used for our products. We have added tons of new shirts, mugs, and other products. Want something you don’t see? Please contact Matt Cooper (Graphics Director) with your request. Visit our Star Fleet Café Press Store for a complete listing of the products available. SFB Tactic of the Month Ever have an entire drone stack wiped off the map by a single T-bomb, or perhaps miss a good launch opportunity because the enemy maneuvered behind some previously laid mines? Well, try picking up a Heavy Weapons Drogue with type-H drones and lead your drone wave with one type-H. The type-H can effectively sweep a T-bomb and remain a threat to the target or sweep two small mines (and die). Replacing one space of warhead with armor will not let it sweep a third mine but it will make it considerably harder to kill and will still remain a threat to the target (too much armor and it will not be a threat). (More...) F&E Strategy of the Month If pursuing a strategy of feeding fighters forward instead of placing the carriers on the line, there is absolutely no reason to spend the money to convert ships to escorts. It is unlikely that the enemy will bother CEDSing you at 3:1, and if he directs on the group, you are no worse off. In addition, the ComPot loss for being an ad hoc escort becomes moot. Using this strategy can save fifty to a hundred economic points over the course of the war. Never convert an E4 to E4A again! Those preferring to place carriers on the line (or who must, in the case of the Kzintis) can still benefit from this. Escort and other small carriers can still use this tactic to shave a few economic points here and there. Mini of the Month Every month we will feature one of our miniatures that has been painted by a fan. If you paint miniatures, submit your pictures and you may be our next Mini of the Month! Click here to view this month's winner.
|
||||||||
New Releases Communique #27 has posted to the Commander's Circle RECENTLY RELEASED TO BE RELEASED IN MARCH TO BE RELEASED IN APRIL TO BE RELEASED IN MAY SUMMER Star Fleet Fiction Bridge of the Orion CR+ Return Fire "Rotten luck," snarled Captain Arloh Santana, slamming a fist down hard on the scanner console. "How the hell did we manage to get caught up with that same damn ship again?" "He must have been on continuous patrol along the zone. This is bad, Captain. We cannot go back into the radiation zone without doing some serious repairs first, so we have to run for it out here. If they catch us in this weakened state ... with what we have in our holds ... we are dead. We are all dead!" said the First Officer Arareem Sudan. Captain Santana pulled Arareem close to him and spoke in a hushed voice. "We are not going to be dead, so shut up with that sort of talk in front of the crew, damn it!" They both looked down at the monitor again. Arareem dialed in the long-range controls to measure the Klingon's approach time, then turned to look Santana in the eye. "Well, they are going to catch up, that's for sure. We have got three minutes. Warp will be at full in six minutes. Can you buy us three whole minutes, Arloh?" Captain Santana straightened up proudly. "Pfft, of course I can. You don't think I can? Come on, you've gotta know me better than that?" He then walked away, rubbing his chin and entered into deep thought. "I know you are good, Arloh. I am only worried because the stakes are so high." "Ya, ya, now let me think," Santana said as he began to pace the bridge. A few seconds later he had an idea. "Helm, turn to port. Come to heading 113 and pour on the juice as it gets repaired." "Aye, sir," the green-skinned helmsman replied. "Coming to heading 1-1-3, course plotted and laid in." Arareem walked up to Santana's side. "Towards Lyran space? I think I would rather be captured by the Klingons." "Don't worry, I've got an angle." (More...) Ask Admiral Growler PLASMA TORPEDOES
ANSWER: Rule (H7.53) does, indeed, permit the beginning of plasma arming with reserve power. Rule (FP1.9) only specifies additional uses of reserve power by plasma torpedoes. (More...) Federation & Empire Q&A QUESTION: Gale Force (608.B2) lists a Lyran BATS in 1305 (presumably to support Lyran ships operating on the Federation border), but later scenarios put it in 1307. ANSWER: Historically, the BATS in 1305 was destroyed in Y177 by a famous Federation raid, and then rebuilt in 1307 (a more secure area). STAR FLEET ALERTS These are the press releases we send to the wholesalers, retailers, and media. You can get on the mailing list for them by asking Marketing@StarFleetGames.com to add you to the list. (Obviously, they are free.) They are uploaded to the Star Fleet Alert page. Alert 80303 Marines (Adobe Acrobat Required) NEW MINIATURES! The Green+Brass master of the new planetary defense monitor miniature. This ship will be in FC ORION ATTACK this summer and will be in one of the associated squadron boxes.
|
||||||||