Federation Commander

[PallidaMors]

Tecnical updates and added enhancements.

I don't usually place game technical material on the campaign thread, but I had a couple of inquireies about how we manage so manay large games.

here are a couple of quick thougths and observations.

Best Practices:

1. have one player if possible run the turns as a GM

2. our Kzinti Player (Sir Drake) intorduced a drone chart that is similiar to the Hydran Fighter template, on this one page chart are rows of drones, all set up on blocks of 4 drones each, each with 4 hits, each black can be assigned to specific ships. this will work great with large Kzinti Fleets. Watching the Kzinti player and another player who was working in support, they needed to hire a Administrative assistant to figure out each drone stack...LOL

3. The GM , gets a 4 sided wooden block 2 of them actually. and on one black the GM writes the 4 sub pulses with all movement, so as the block is turned each player can see what movement is up, it is also easier this way at least for myself, rather than marking off each step in each impulse block on the laminate. the second block has each of the 4 steps after the last sub-pulse, once again they are turned over as each stage is announced.

4. use a 8 sided die on the table to indicate which impulse you are in.

5. we have had about 20 large fleet engagements in the campaign with pretty much every empire so far. we really adhere to the "this is a freindly game" and try to keep strict rules lawyering out of it. hence why it is nice to have a GM, to arbitrate when the rules are not clear on certain topics as they are in this game at times.

7. PM
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Creator Empire campaign rules and Code of War (COW)Expansion.
review rules on the Federation Commander Campaign post, 123,000 views and growing

[pinecone]

Why did the TSE attack their Kzinti Allies?

[Commodore Mendez]

how do you see that that TSE and the Kzinti are fighting??
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"thats no moon...."

[Sir Drake]

The Kzinti and the TSE are not fighting each other in fact they have ships fighting with each other to boost the fleet size a little. right now the Kzinti are at war with the Hydrans and also fighting the Feds. The TSE is at war I should think with the Feds and have fight going with the Klingons.
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Colour Sergeant Bourne: It's a miracle.
Lieutenant John Chard: If it's a miracle, Colour Sergeant, it's a short chamber Boxer Henry point 45 caliber miracle.
Colour Sergeant Bourne: And a bayonet, sir, with some guts behind.
From the Movie ZULU

[pinecone]

The TSE took a Kzinti Level 2 Sector last turn though.

[PallidaMors]

Hey pinecone how are you?

wow you actually read the thread! thanks.

The level 2 system is on the kzinti border, but it is a federation system that the TSE took, sorry I was not very clear.

PM
_________________
Creator Empire campaign rules and Code of War (COW)Expansion.
review rules on the Federation Commander Campaign post, 123,000 views and growing

[pinecone]

I'm fine, thanks. And you?

Ahh, that makes sense. I hope the Federation pays them back double!

[PallidaMors]

I think that area of the galaxy is about to get very ugly, the losses that the Federation has sustained may not actually indicate thier willingness to fight to the last ship as of yet. but they do have a new BB and thier staunch allies the Hydrans will make things interesting. the Federation has been alone up until now, so we shall see.

PM
_________________
Creator Empire campaign rules and Code of War (COW)Expansion.
review rules on the Federation Commander Campaign post, 123,000 views and growing

[Commodore Mendez]

I was going to ask the players on your campaign, assuming that they review and read this thread.
what are your political views of your empire you control and in relationship to the other empires? it seems like a very involved game. the name of your campaign rules fit very well. "empire" my game is up to turn 9 as well we have not been posting anything to the thread but we may soon. the one element that we have lacked is good role playing, and some finer levles of intrigue.

can any one of the "war college" or anyone for that matter give me some thoughts or your thoughts, that i may be able to share with my players.

thank you.
Chris
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"thats no moon...."

[Terran Star Empire]

Greetings to all
For this type of game the role playing at the diplomacy pert of the game is a must. Most of my strategics and plaining have lots of impact for what my empire is doing for the turn. This helps in the over all grand scale part of the game, then of course it then goes to the battle board for ship combat. It is a must to start thinking of your Empire as a whole not just what u can do for each battle, like we do when we normally play Fed Com.
Plaining your strategics in the grand scale, see what out of the box thinking u can do. Rember most of us play Fed Com. This makes us just look at each battle and the points we have to build a ship, for that battle only. Not what happens after, where your ships are. If they took frame damage, or if u lost a ship. These things happen in a game like this. Play like this is a game of chess, try to plain two or three turns ahead. Know what your opponents ships can do, and your ships too. This is not only for the normal ships stats, but for the Ship characteristics stats we use in this game. Hull, Weapons, Power, Command, General. This makes each ship indavial and some times placement of the ship with the strongest stats can turn the battle your way. This also give u the advancement for your ships to improve them.
Setting a goal for your Empire, when the game helps. Or a least some ideal as to what you want to do with it. Yes this game is based on the Star Trek races and ships. But you need to think how you want to play your race. For me when we started I set the goal for the TSE to take over or destroy the Federation. But the main thing was the TSE hated the Earth and the humans that live their.
My view of the TSE is that they are very militarist and a race sort of like the killgons. They want to fight, they live to fight, But it is aways to the goal of the Terran Star Empire. The Federation is in chaos, the TSE wants to bring Order to that Chaos.
When u set up your empire like a character , it goals and likes and dislikes it helps on how u are going to play. The TSE left all the other races alone, that where on their boarders. When someone did attack they hit back with every thing they could. When the intrusion had with drawn,Then they went back to their goal with the Federation. For the role playing u can see how the TSE thinks. This adds a lot of fun to the table.
When the Orion sent in a ship to set up some trade arraignments with the TSE. We role played this. The TSE sent a cadet to deal with the Orion . He was beamed over to the orion ship. He chatted with the Capt of the ship. Well most of the talk was the Orion. The cadet was way out of his element and kept waiting for the Orion to kill him, in some way. There was food and drinks offered, and of course the entertain was the Orion female slave dancer. When the capt of the ship was done talking to the TSE cadet. The young cadet then turned to the female Orion dancer, and started talking to the real power behind the Orion . He knew that the Orisons the TSE have where they are from that the females rule the Orion Clans. The cadet then got the offer form the female in written form, and was beamed to a shuttle the was off the main ship he came from. After reporting every thing that happen and all the info that was need to go to the government of the TSE. The shuttle and cadet was destroyed by the Capt of the TSE ship. All contamination from the Orion was removed from this incounter.
This type of role playing makes the level of the game so much more. It give depth to your empire.
Not just the ship movements and battles u do.
Have fun gaming,

William

(Tactical Strategist Commander for the Terran Star Empire)
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Live Fast and Conquer!!!

[Mike]

Guess that cadet never had a chance to learn from his mistakes!

[Pinkfluffychicken]

Blimey, you have been busy! I'm very impressed with all the "colour" you are adding to your campaign - I'd never keep track of it.

Just coming to the end of t14. Battle tomorrow night 2xGorn DNH, NHK and BH vs D5W, 2xD5 and loads of small stuff (some Fed FFs among them) plus BS. No-one is quite sure what the Gorns and Romulans are going to do, but the players have decided to put it on the map and drink Blood Wine until somebody cracks.

Am in the process of reissuing rules - mostly to make my life easier. Rather smug that the system works well and only needs tweaking.
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Famous last words #11: "That's a very big fleet!"

[pinecone]

I have a question:

How have the Light Command Cruisers from Captain's Log #36 affected your campaign? Do they use the same rules as DNL's?

[PallidaMors]

Tip O' the hat to the TSE (William)...a very well written and excellent response!!
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Creator Empire campaign rules and Code of War (COW)Expansion.
review rules on the Federation Commander Campaign post, 123,000 views and growing

[PallidaMors]

Hi Pink Fluffy!! and welcome back, how is everything back in the the old country? and your campaign?

also Pinecone, the LCC will not have any special rules beyond command capabilites on a lighter, more vulnerbale hull.

PM
_________________
Creator Empire campaign rules and Code of War (COW)Expansion.
review rules on the Federation Commander Campaign post, 123,000 views and growing