Federation Commander

[storeylf]

For those who have played using the tourney rules (in one of the stickies above). Whether in a real tournament or just casually amongst your usual group.

How many turns do you normally get through within the time limit?

[wedge_hammersteel]

3 to 4 turns in 2.5 to 3 hours.

If you know your fleet well enough, you can play pretty speedily.

I would think that starting the fourth turn by the end of the 3 hours is not that hard to accomplish then you are allowed to finish out that turn.

[storeylf]

That is about what we have been seeing, 3 or 4 turns is about average. I think we've been up to turn 6 once or no further than turn 2 another time, but 3-4 sounds a about average.

We were wondering whether we were just playing slow, though I don't really think we are. There has probably been a romulan in more games than any other race, and we have never understood the 6 turn limit on cloaking, given that we so seldom get near 6 turns. To a large extent it is the cloak limit that keeps making us wondering whether we are just really slow players. Surely, we keep thinking, it was set on the basis that games are lasting at least that long.

[Scoutdad]

Typically, in a tournament type setting, our group can get through at least 4, sometimes 5 turns (and maybe 6 turns once or twice) in the alloted time frame.

It's certainly seems quicker when flying Klingons v Feds than when flying Kzinti or Gorn v Romulans.

We have been known to take "liberties" to speedthe game howevr.. i.e, Turn one, Impulse 1... we'll proceed to do the entire impulse moves for each unit w/o calling out hte specific movement sub-pulses as no one is close enough to do anything anyway.
Seeking weapons targetted on other seeking weapons that'll impact before the original targets could possibly impact the ship are removed to reduce board clutter..
etc... etc...
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Commander, Battlegroup Murfreesboro
Department Head, ACTASF

[wedge_hammersteel]

I would like to expound on one of scoutdad's comments. Good communication during the game helps speed things along a lot.

If a player is paying attention to the game, it is common courtesy during a phase for the player to say: yes Im moving or firing, no Im not moving or firing, or wait Im thinking.

During our games, one player controls the phase tracking and basically helps move the game along.

[Scoutdad]

Good communication is key.

We have several sets ofthe impulse cards and always have one set for each game going on. One person "calls" the steps, but all involved players tend to concentrate on the game and rapidly provide the necessary comments: I move, I fire... I'm not firing... no impulse activity... etc.

We do try to keep the random digressions til after the game.
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Commander, Battlegroup Murfreesboro
Department Head, ACTASF

[storeylf]

We also tend to start the game moving the full number of hexes per impulse in one go, until one person says otherwise, then we drop to the proper turn sequence - about the time range 15 looks likely at the end of the an impulse.

We also use the impulse cards etc.

Certainlty some race mean slower play than others - seekers, webs stingers etc.

[malleman]

One of the things we use to speed up play is the peg board that wedge made. It keeps track of the speed/movement of everyting in play so that we don't forget. It also keeps track of which impule and subpulse we are in.

I have been meaning to ask him to make me one as well.

[Scoutdad]

The peg board is nice (Burt emailed me the pdf, so I could make my own...) but we still prefer the impulse Cards... both for proprrietary purposes (it is the Murfreesboro Impulse Tracking System, after all) and for easy of transportability.
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Commander, Battlegroup Murfreesboro
Department Head, ACTASF

[atomic]

Could you describe the peg board a little better? I'm having trouble visualizing it. Or maybe post a photo?

[wedge_hammersteel]

I will post a photo this evening when I get home. Its basically a way of tracking activities during a game. Its made of wood and you have pegs which you stick into holes in order to track turns, impulses, sub-pulses and such.

Often during a game my group gets caught up in a discussion we lose track of exactly what phase we are in or what impulse. So we made this peg board to help keep track.

Other groups have their own methods of doing this and some might say that a peg board is not needed as tracking the game is easy but we like using the peg board.

[yockbo]