SFBF Questions

Kang · Post by **Kang** » Mon Aug 03, 2009 5:29 pm

Well, I got this game for Christmas and have just begun playing, now I'm on vacation and have the time. A great game it is too

I have a question regarding using plasma torps to defend against drones.

Rule C1 says that it takes two drones or a drone and scatterpack combo, in order to completely negate two drones or a drone and scatterpack combo.

What about plasma-based drone defences? In Rule C2, it says that a plasma will negate the effect of a drone card. Would it then take two plasmas to defend against two drones or a drone/scatterpack combo?

Also, if the ship has only one plasma launcher capable of defensive fire, can it use only one plasma card at a time (and therefore could not, perhaps, negate a drone/scatterpack combo together)? The same question applies to other defences; I know a ship is limited in its attacks by the number of buttons it has, but is that rule also applicable for defensive fire too?

pinecone · Post by **pinecone** » Mon Aug 03, 2009 6:31 pm

The Answer to your first Question is Yes. The Answer to your second is that a ship is limited in defensive fire to the number of buttons it has. For that reason i ususally keep the phasers as the last buttons a ship has before it dies.

Kang · Post by **Kang** » Mon Aug 03, 2009 11:35 pm

Thanks Piney. The only thing is that the rules are not as specific for plasma defences as they are for phaser or drone defences. It says for a drone that one takes out the SP, the other takes the drone, but it doesn't say that for the plasma defences.

However, it is common sense, and I thought it would be played that way.

Good idea on the phaser buttons. That's what I do, too

Kang · Post by **Kang** » Thu Aug 06, 2009 3:47 pm

Another question for this game system.

When discarding, either during a 'full' discard when discarding instead of an attack, or when discarding the one card allowed if an attack is made, can the player discard from the reserve action cards in the same manner as for the 'active' hand - i.e. one card but from either the reserve or the active?

Also, when doing the 'Organian Ceasefire', are cards in a player's reserve action cards 'safe' from the general discard, and/or can - or must - they be discarded too? The rule for the Ceasefire card seems to imply that the reserve action cards are immune from the effects of the Ceasefire card.

pinecone · Post by **pinecone** » Fri Aug 07, 2009 12:10 am

Resevred Cards are defended from the Organian Ceasfire. I don't think you can discard from reserve in the discard phase either.

Mike · Post by **Mike** » Fri Aug 07, 2009 2:29 am

No, cards cannot be discarded from the reserve action cards. Reserve action cards are not in play in any form unless they are selected at the beginning of a player's turn. And, yes, they are totally protected from the Organian Ceasefire.

Kang · Post by **Kang** » Wed Aug 26, 2009 11:51 am

Here's another one, then. If using the optional rule of being allowed to pick up the top card of the discard pile, and there are two players, we run into a problem with the Disengage card.

Because the card is discarded from the disengaged player's ship at the end of his turn, it ends up on top of the discard pile. Again. And can therefore be picked up.

This means that the game reaches a hiatus because each player can pick up the disengage card and use it to defend his ship from all attacks that turn.

Or at least the game slows down to half its pace, because of the disengage/discard sequence. Also, both players know the card is in play so they are less likely to try overwhelming attacks.

The only counter to this that I can see is that you could discard another card after you have taken the Disengage card from your disengaged ship, but is this correct in terms of sequence of play?

Has anyone else seen this problem? Or is it a storm in a teacup?

Kahuna · Post by **Kahuna** » Wed Aug 26, 2009 5:24 pm

I've only been playing this for about 2 weeks now. On two player games, I actually remove that card from the game.

Kang · Post by **Kang** » Thu Sep 17, 2009 11:20 am

Ok, for completeness' sake, I'd better declare that I now have the answer

A player can discard one card at the end of his turn, and this is discarded after the cards like Wild Weasel, Disengage etc. are taken off and discarded. So, the Disengage card can be covered by the player's normal discard action.

Problem sorted.