Federation Commander

[Terran Star Empire]

Greetings to all.
Hey what is the PP cost for the Light Command Cruisers from Captain's Log #36 ? The normal CC is 151 PP.
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Live Fast and Conquer!!!

[Commodore Mendez]

hello TSE commander:

it depends on which Race, each one is a little different.

and by the way thank you for the great write up on your campaign.
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"thats no moon...."

[Pinkfluffychicken]

Pallida Mors: Chuckle. The Old Country had summer for a week back in June and we're now heading back into winter, as far as I can tell.

Our campaign in many respects is the opposite of yours. Each ship remains exactly as it is on the ship card: no legendaries, no special weapons, no experience. Come to that, no role playing as such. This makes it sound very bland, however:

The map is 81 by 91 hexes containing 180 planets and about four times that number of asteroid hexes, nebulae, black holes and all the terrain there used to be in SFB (I know you know this, it's for the benefit of those who haven't read all 26 pages of this thread). All the players know where all the "terrain" is, but not how rich the planets or where other players' bases are. We have the seven basic races from SFB scattered around this map developing their economies using the Agricultural and Industrial bases from SFB on the planets and asteroids, and Science bases in the other terrain. Under normal circumstances players move each ship up to six hexes per turn on this map.

This money is used to build more bases, explore and (most expensively) increase the size of your shipyards within which you build SHIPS.

Shipbuilding costs the BPV written on the card in money and takes shipyard space. The space is calculated based on the movement cost of the ship: every 1/8 of a point takes 6 Space Points in your shipyard to build, thus yer bog standard CA with movement cost of one takes 48 SP to build. There's been a very little bit of tweaking by us on this: BCH class ships count as having a move cost of1 1/4, DNLs as 1 3/8 and DNHs as 1 5/8.

The other factor affecting people's build policy is that small ships (move cost of half or less) takes half a turn to build, big ships 1 full turn (turn = 6 phases). This is because in our last campaign there was no real reason to build small ships - after all, when the big battle happens, you want CAs and BCs, not DDs, especially when your max fleet size is 12 ships. In many respects, the most efficient way to convert economy into guns is to build as many FFs as possible (Armed Cutters are purely defensive units) though interestingly no-one has actually gone that route. We do have plenty of small ships in the campaign, I'm glad to say, so the rules are working( ).

The players have now all "met" on the map. Two sides have formed, after some initial skirmishing between them consisting of the Federation, Hydrans and Klingons on one side, who hold the top right of the map, against the Lyrans, Romulans and Gorn with the Kzinti (the poorest of the empires in cash terms) loosely attached, who hold 80% of the rest (20% still unexplored). Most of the action has occurred round planets 138, 140 and 141 which form a cluster a few hexes apart in the centre right of the map and are RICH and held by the Klingon, who made a dash for them at the start of the campaign and has held them ever since, despite (mostly) Romulan attempts to take them off him - the battle tonight is at planet 140 which has a BS in orbit.

At this point the campaign might be best described in gaming terms as "chess with added bulls**t": strategy, tactics and diplomacy. Last night was the regular weekly meeting of the our Games Club, and the Klingon, Fed and Hydrans were there, micromanaging their economies and plotting the demise of their foes, the lamentation of their womenfolk, the ravishing of their cattle and devising some cunning plans for tonight's battle. In contrast, the Romulan and Gorn have a habit of meeting for battle-lunches, purpose as above.

The diplomacy, smokescreens, propaganda, lies, deceit and sneakiness have to be seen to be believed. And that's just about who's round it is!

But when all's said and done, it comes down to the BATTLE, which is the whole point of the campaign. Most importantly, it has consequences: If the Klingon loses this battle he ends up with the enemy having a toehold close to important assets of his, takes a hit to his economy and will be scrambling like crazy to throw them out in the next few turns. It could even lead to the destruction of his empire. Now, given that he's spent over a year building this empire up to its current state, suddenly the battle has an emotional intensity (given that his opponent is in a similar position, though fighting on someone else's territory) which pick-up games simply can't match.

The reason we haven't gone your route of experience, legendaries, special abilities and random encounters with pirates and monsters is that we tried it in the last campaign but we found in the end they interfered with the real purpose of a campaign as we saw it, which was to beat the hell out of your mates. If you'd got him on the ropes, lined up for the knockout blow, and a planet killer began ravaging your home areas while an npc race invaded the other end of your empire, this was felt to spoil the fun, as it also was if, having pounded the living daylights out of your opponent he could then claim it was just because you had better legendaries or more experienced crews.

In consequence, there is no place to hide.


Bwahahahahahaha.
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Famous last words #11: "That's a very big fleet!"

[PallidaMors]

Costs of Light Command Cruisers:

Squadron scale:

Gorn Heavy Command Destroyer: 132
Lyran Jaguar war cruiser leader: 147
Kzinti Medium Command Cruiser: 138
Federation Light Command Cruiser: 146
Klingon D-5L: 136
Tholian CW Leader: 142
Wyn Cluster War Cruiser Leader: 134


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

[Commodore Mendez]

Has anyone in ADB considered publishing something like a campaign setting for Federation commander similiar to this? This is a great combination, and I would like to see something official. (not that your campaign is not very compelling Pallidamors, but something like this from ADB)

any thoughts???
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"thats no moon...."

[pinecone]

I think there was something on the other fourm about that...

[Sir Drake]

As the newest player in Pallida Mors campaign playing the Kzinti and now the Lyrans on the other side of the map. I have to say that I really enjoy the role-playing and randomness of the some of the game mechanics (ships stats, officers, and random encounters). I wasn’t sure at first if I was going to be ok with it at all, I thought that it would distract from the main goal of bashing ships about. Very glad to be have been wrong about that, because it works amazingly well in this group. I think that I am extremely lucky to have found a group of players that are kind enough, funny enough, and sure enough in them selves to play the game in the character of their Empire even if it might be slightly risky as a player to do so. I wasn’t sure I would be able to play that way myself but after the first night with the group I felt comfortable enough to take risks as a player to keep in character for the Kzinti. Win lose or draw the Kzinti will do it with their own style. This is not saying that we aren’t trying to smash other empires that opposes us actually I think there is even more at stake than a normal game. The Kzinti have become very dear to me, in their fanatical blood thirsty way, than any other game of Fed Comm I have played. It is a unique gaming situation where the whole is greater than the sum of it’s parts. All I can say is that I am damn lucky to be a part of it.

Sir Drake
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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

[Commodore Mendez]

[Pinkfluffychicken]

T14 now finished after last night's battle. Sides as follows: 2xGorn DNH, NHK, BH vs D5W, 3xD5, 2xE5, E4, 4xFed FF and BS. Setup on a fixed map with the BS 35 hexes from the right hand map edge on the centreline of the board. Klingons and Fed setup within three hexes of the BS, Gorns and Roms appeared on the right hand map edge. The game was played at Fleet Scale because the Gorn claimed it made the Fed FFs crunchier.

The Klings and Feds ran out from the BS since the Gorns made clear their determination to stay out at long range from it. After some inconclusive long range fire which did some shield damage on either side the turn ended with drones and plasma Fs on the board aimed at a DNH and FFs respectively. The range was 14.

T2 the Gorns and Roms kept the speed high to stay out of overload range, made a HET, and an alpha strike (including 2 bolted Rs and an S!) at a D5 and stepped off the map after a me-too range ten alpha strike from the Klingons, with a few phasers from the overloaded FFs added in and was most notable for the Klingon cruisers missing with all 16 of their disruptors at 1-3 (this led to a very smug E4 Captain, who hit with his disruptor and now claims to be more dangerous than WHOLE SQUADRONS of cruisers ). The result was an NHK about 4 points off being crippled, and, since both Rs and the S hit, an exploding D5 so overkilled the debris will glow for weeks.

Have to admit I was surprised at the result. I thought the Gorn/Roms were on a hiding to nothing (no cloaking pun intended ) but neither side really made any mistakes that I could see: the Gorns and Roms made their fire opportunity and rode their luck, the Klingons' disruptors were appalling, the bolts were brilliant, and that was that.

Pallida Mors: btw, please don't interpret my comments on the differences between our campaigns as negatively critical of your one - I hope by now my admiration for your achievement is obvious - but we have managed to create very different things out of the same basic game. I would love to come and watch one of your sessions! I suppose as much as anything else it is a compliment to the strength of Fed Commander as a whole.

Have very nearly completed v2 rules, which I will post and invite you to throw rocks at.
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Famous last words #11: "That's a very big fleet!"

[pinecone]

[Pinkfluffychicken]

[Pinkfluffychicken]

Well, here they are. Feel free to criticise.

[PallidaMors]

Hello to my freind across the Atlantic,

I like your rules, very well done.
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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]

[PallidaMors]

TSE listening outpost:
federation border

a garbled transmission is intercepted, Contents:

The federation president has stepped down, a new federation president is taking office. the new president is being elevated from the command ranks of Star FLeet.

Former FLeet Admiral Ramian Tarsk, is now President...

interceptions from Ramian's accpetance speech...only the last piece came through clearly "long live the United Federation of Planets"

The Federation Home FLeet is mobilizing, the Federation flagship the USS Victory, a new Mars class Battleship, has left terran orbit and is leading a powerful Federation attack fleet. With it the Veteran Commadn Cruiser USS Lexington is forming a second Federation fleet. and yet a third is being formed..........
_________________
Creator Empire campaign rules and Code of War (COW)Expansion.
review rules on the Federation Commander Campaign post, 123,000 views and growing