Federation Commander

I am not so sure of the arrangement give here. There are three main empires and three bit players, and two of the main empires are given in the third group. I seriously doubt that is a good strategy.

You need to lead with the big guns. That means you need to lead with the Maestron and a valid opponent. If it is just absolutely imperative to include the FRA (it isn't, but let's go with it), then you need to change the module 3 list to:
Maestron: DN, CA, CL, DD, FF
Koligahr: DN, CA, DD, PB
FRA: CLA, CL, FF

I know you love the FRA. I get that. I also get that you feel they are a "bridge" into Omega. I get that, too. But they are really a distraction. If you are trying to lure someone into the Omega sector, you need to show the Omega sector and what is so cool about it. Focusing on the bit players, not matter how interesting to you, is not going to pull anyone into Omega. Focus on the main actors and what they do. There is a reason the FRA and Iridani don't show up until Omega 3; they are side notes, not the main action. Show the main action. Show what is different, not what is the same.

Also, you only get twelve slots. Wasting multiple slots on bases is not a good idea. Galactic bases have generic weapons slots. Just use them to start with. If you absolutely must have bases, pick a generic base everyone can use. Don't give everyone their own. It just slows you down and wastes slots.

I think you need to make the first module as strong as possible. Pick the three main powers and just go DN, CA, CL/DD, DD/FF with each. This gives everyone a taste of what Omega can offer, and gives as strong of a lineup as possible. In the list of empires you were working with, I assume those would be the Maestron, Koligahr, and Trobin. In fact, I would plan on using the second module to cover these guys, too. So, for example,
Module 1:
Maestron: DN, CA, DD, FF
Koligahr: DN, CA, DD, PB
Trobin: DN, CA, FFL, FF
Module 2:
Maestron: CL, 2 more ships
Koligahr: 3 ships
Trobin: CC, 2 more ships
Generic: base, large freighter, small freighter

Now, after two modules, you have a core of the Omega, with the three most important empires that easily show what Omega is all about. If you can't hook anyone with three main powers, then I doubt you are gonna hook them with three or four bit players. Go big and go strong.

This is perfect, Mike. It's why I had originaly asked - a few pages back - why the SFB releases for Omega weren't being shadowed a bit more closely for this FC attempt. I've got nothing against the FRA personally, but if someone wants to play Feds, well...the Alpha sector's all done. That and it's a tried and true developed product. It would be better to show folks some brand new crazy aliens and give them a fresh taste of something new!

Rick,

Don't forget that these are all suggestions at this point. Nothing is set in stone. Nothing is decided. There is no concrete being written into; only sand.

I understand, Mike. As a primer for the octant, though, it would really give interested parties a good feel for what's available for game play and would really set it apart from the Alpha factions.

It's good to brainstorm this at the very least. What do you think, Gary?

BTW, from my limited perspective, the Maestron appear to be the linchpin empire in Omega. (They are the central power around whom all the others operate.) Their power waxes and wanes, but they do appear to be the main empire.

Are the Trobin and Koligahr the right opponents? It would be ideal if the three empires are all enemies with each other, but I think it is important to make sure the three most important empires are used.

I think so, Mike. Think Roman Empire, and that's the Big M.

The two others are definitely big players in the grand scheme of things. The only other group that may be worth considering are the Vari, as they tend to capture mammals and, well, eat them. They're giant spiders after all and can't help themselves. This would cause a bit of consternation, as you could imagine. But the three you mentioned are movers and shakers. The Trobrin are silicon-based life forms and pretty much can't stand anyone that isn't - so they're a good choice of enemy as well.

Besides all this, the two you have chosen border on the Maesron Alliance and the Vari also share a border. From a geographical standpoint, all four make sense.

I strongly agree with Mike West, you need to create a buzz with the first one and the way to do it is lead with your strongest punch.

You could go the same route as the original Border boxes/Attack products: Two main powers and a smattering of ships from "minor players". For example, Klingon Border had the Klingons, the Federation, a Tholian, a Pirate, and I think it might have had freighters and a generic base. You have only twelve ships in the .pdf product, not sixteen, so the ones to be cut logically would be the minor players (as Mike West has suggested). I'm not very familiar with Omega, so I'm guessing you could start with Maesron and someone else as your main powers in the first one, and just let players use Alpha Octant generics like bases and freighters for the meantime. A page or so of rules for conversion and you're set as far as the generics are concerned: "On battle stations, weapon Y and Z are discombobulator cannons..." etc.

Maybe if you had an obvious difference between "good guys" and "bad guys" it would also help. For example, the Maesrons are (I believe) mostly mammals so it's easy for the new player to identify with them. Then you might have the Vari (spiders who eat people, and totally different to anything in the Alpha Octant) as the bad guys. Trobrin might also work, but Alpha already has a crystalline/silicon race (Tholians). If scenarios are to be included, pick scenarios from a Maesron/Vari conflict.

Very good points, Terry. I like it. And structuring it in that manner - as previous FC releases - will be familiar and fun to established players. Good ideas! -R

Hard not to feel like I've just been jumped on here... but I'll try to state my case before the tide sweeps it away for good.


I had asked SVC about the number of ships per file, he said that 12 was the limit; but that if the first 2-3 files were released on the first day, it would be tantamount to the array of ships I wanted to offer at the first time of asking.


I had re-organised my list to try and accommodate that, in terms of having 3 options to go. However, looking back on it, what I'd really rather do is go back to the two 24-ship lists I had wanted to see as the first and second releases, and ask if they could be done 2 at a time each (as in, 4 12-ship file, with each pair released together.)

That would still make the purchases somewhat palatable, while covering the angles I wanted to go with.



To re-iterate (or perhaps, to re-work) the angles in question were as follows:


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The first pair of files would together constitute the Omega equivalent of Klingon Border; the title I'd go for is New Beginnings.

In terms of the Omega timeline, it would primarily run from the arrival of the Aurorans in 2530 to the end of the Mæsron Collapse in 2561. (I also have an introduction to the Invasions era written up; since the Andros are fresh off the presses, and we don't have the option of introducing 11 Omega empires in the first go, it seemed apt to fill players in on what the visitors from M31 got up to in this part of the galaxy.)


The 24-ship list I came up with originally would be split into two 12-card chunks:

File 1: Battle for Aurora

*Federal Republic of Aurora (5):
Armored Cruiser (CLA)
Light Cruiser (CL)
Frigate (FF)
Pocket Battlestation (PBT)
Raider Cruiser (CR)

*Trobrin Empire (5):
Deep Space Dreadnought (DN)
Command Cruiser (CC)
Heavy Cruiser (CA)
Frigate Leader (FFL)
Frigate (FF)

*Bolosco Merchant Guilds (1):
Merchant Cruiser (MC)

*Miscellaneous (1):
Weapon Card

These are the ships which fought the key battles of 2549; the PBT and MC are both present in the First Battle of Aurora scenario for SFB in CL41.

Of the four emerging Superpowers, the Trobrin are arguably the most powerful and dangerous, in terms of what their star navy has to offer; they make for the best first choice as adversaries. Plus, the valiant efforts of the Auroran Navy (with a little Bolosco help) set the stage for the Republic's survival; an event which would have far-reaching consequences for the Omega Octant.

File 2: A House Divided

*Mæsron Alliance (5):
Dreadnought (DN)
Heavy Cruiser (CA)
Light Cruiser (CL)
Destroyer (DD)
Frigate (FF)

*Iridani Questors (6):
Brigantine (BG)
Galleon (GL)
Clipper (CP)
Barque (BQ)
Caravel (CR)
Yawl (YW)

*Bolosco Merchant Guilds (2):
Mercenary Dreadnought (MD)

The beginning of the end for the Pax Mæsra came at the dawn of the Civil War; when the tensions between the Vulpa and their fellow Alliance members reached breaking point.

The Mæsron ships in this file would have cause to fight the Trobrin as well as each other; plus, the Aurorans helped end the Civil War by taking the side of the Tazol and Wallimi over that of the more belligerent Vulpa.

In the midst of this turmoil, the Bolosco would continue to offer their services to the highest bidder; while the Iridani go anywhere (and fight alongside, or against, anyone) as part of their Quests... though have perhaps their highest calling when helping unite the Octant against the Andromedan Invaders!



Together, that pair of files introduces a 'face' faction (who, aside from the PBT, have a range of minis to represent their ships), the big M (who, as noted, are both friend and foe), as well as the most dangerous of the four Superpowers. Plus, the Iridani are good for giving players with a copy of War and Peace someone to give them trouble; while the Bolosco show how things like trade are done rather differently in Omega.


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The second pair of files, released together (or so I would hope) would expand upon the post-Collapse era; otherwise known as the Superpower Wars.

This is the time when the reformed Alliance tried to rebuild; when the Aurorans (who helped patrol Mæsron space from this Cycle onwards) expanded their navy thanks to a few choice events; when the Vulpa began their insurgent efforts to re-establish themselves as a separate power; and when the four Superpowers vied for dominance in the maelstrom of Omega politics.

File 3: New friends, New Foes

*Federal Republic of Aurora (4):
Dreadnought (DN)
Battlecruiser (BC)
Destroyer Leader (DDL)
Destroyer (DD)

*Mæsron Alliance (3):
Fire Support Cruiser (CAF)
Bombardment Cruiser (CBA)
Frignaught (FFN)

*Vulpa Insurgency (1):
Vulpa Insurgent Blockade Runner (VBR)

*Qixa Amalgamate (3):
Speeder (CT)
Runner (DDT)
Trading Post (TP)

*Generic (1):
Weapons Card

This would flesh out the rest of the Auroran Navy (similar to how the likes of the NCL and NCA show up in Romulan Border); give the Alliance (and the Vulpa) more ships to throw at each other; and show the new set of traders who started to make a name for themselves in this era.

(Between them, the Bolosco and Qixa took up much of the Octant-wide trade that in the Alpha Octant was covered by civilian hulls. Either group of ships would be viable targets for commerce raids; though the MD wasn't really used for trading so much as hitting things with.)

File 4: Superpowers Rising

*Koligahr Solidarity (4):
Dreadnought
Heavy Cruiser
Destroyer
Patrol Boat

*Probr Revolution (4):
Dreadnought
Heavy Cruiser
Destroyer
Frigate

*Vari Combine (4):
Battlewagon
Heavy Cruiser
Light Cruiser
Frigate

The Probr (don't forget the salamanders!), Koligahr and Vari together round out the Alliance's neck of the woods. The Probr are perhaps the friendliest towards the Aurorans, but do have their moments; the Koligahr alternate between foe and friend and back again; while the Vari make every mammalian species they encounter that little bit jittery.


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So, with that, the Mæsrons would get in nice and early; the four Superpowers would be covered over the course of these releases; the Bolosco and Qixa help keep the trade routes open; the Iridani are set to give the Andromedans trouble; and the Aurorans would be right there in the thick of it all.




So, am I getting closer?

I was under the impression that timelines don't matter in Federation Commander, as it just muddies the waters and adds more rules that don't need to be there. I would think the same would go for the Omega Sector equivalent, wouldn't you? Basing the "release" of ships of the sector via a timeline seems like a moot point. Also, if you were to follow the idea of a sequence or timeline, the Maesron and friends were there for a long time before the FRA ever show up.

I still strongly believe that if folks want to play "Federation" they can just play the original FC setting. Let's give them something new and exciting. New aliens to play with. Bring the Feds in later...

Even if (discounting the Middle Years from B2, and the Early Years from Captain's Log) there is a single setting for Alpha, there are still different stories.

Klingon Border looks at the run up to Day One, the onset of the invasion of 2571; Romulan Border talks of the Day of the Eagle as a seminal event; Tholian Attack notes the brutal Seltorian Revolt in the M81 Galaxy; War and Peace brings no less than three new series of events into the fold (the Vudar 'revolt', the ISC Pacification and the Andromedan Invasion).

The ships in the two pairs of files I offered above are not meant to be kept apart forever; just because the Fed NCA wasn't in service when the Klingons first invaded doesn't mean you can't use it against Klingon ships in FC.

And even the General War through the Andromedan Invasion is still a far shorter stretch of time than the Omega timeline covers, in terms of how long the 'modern' hulls offered were in service from.


In this case, the only real difference in terms of eras would be in terms of tachyon missile availability; akin to how one is only supposed to use certain speed drones at certain points of time. (I noted the YIS dates in my write-ups of the ship descriptions, so a player could infer things from that; but it would not be a hard and fast 'you must not use ship X in era Y' rule or anything like that.)

Rather than try to info-dump all seven published Cycles in the one go, I'd rather start with the immediate run-up to the Collapse and go as far as the Superpower Wars; with a nod to the Invasions in order to accommodate Andromedan players.

In that context, the FRA are important; plus, in terms of marketing the Octant, the 'lost colony' angle is not such a bad one to go with, no? (As a fleet, the Auroran Navy has its distinctions when compared with Star Fleet, even before you get as far as the hybrid-Klingon destroyers and the torp-and-tachyon-packing heavy ships.)


It's not up to me to decide the way forward; but for my part, this is how I would like to see it happen.

I wonder if there's any way to contact Bruce Graw. It would be interesting to get his input on this project. Omega is, after all, his baby.

If a non-Omega player might inject a humble $0.02 for consideration...

The Federal Republic of Aurora should probably be in the first offering as a touchstone for those of us that have never played an Omega race. Not many of their ships, and not the most 'advanced'- just a couple of 'starter' ships that would give the Alpha Octant players something familiar to start off with. Say, maybe the Armored Cruiser and the Frigate (since they are somewhat familiar). If the FRA Light Cruiser is really just the Federation (O)CL, then we'd already have that ship card... just use the one that already exists in Communique #18 to start out.

That's 3 ships for the FRA, and only two slots used up.


Next, do like Mr. West suggested and give us the meat of Omega- a taste of the two or three largest empires: 3 (if three empires) or 4 (if two empires) ship cards from each. Then maybe a single weapon card and a generic card of some sort.

This way, people on the Alpha side of the Void would have something familiar enough to get us started, and something different enough to hook us.

It is fairly obvious that Gary has at least an emotional investment in Omega and how the story is told in FC. Mike West's comments, however, hit the nail on the head from a marketing standpoint.

If a series of products about Omega were to interest me (and so far nothing I've read about it seems interesting to me), it would have to show the main big baddies first. Then bring in some of the smaller empires and introduce the Aurora connection.

What about this?

Mæsron Alliance (2):
Heavy Cruiser (CA) - 115
Destroyer (DD) - 85

Koligahr Solidarity (2):
Heavy Cruiser (CA) - 115
Destroyer (DD) - 88

Trobrin Empire (2):
Diamond Heavy Cruiser (CA) - 135
Frigate (FF) - 76

Vari Combine (2):
Heavy Cruiser (CA) - 112
Heavy Frigate (FH) - 91

Federal Republic of Aurora (1):
Armored Cruiser (CLA) - 125

Bolosco Merchant Guilds (1):
Guild Cruiser (GC) - 130/110

Probr Revolution (1):
Heavy Cruiser (CA) - 112

Miscellaneous (1):
Weapon Card

Twelve cards. Major forces are present - the majority of which border on the Mæsron's holdings. FRA has a presence with their CLA, thus bridging the gap between the two sectors. And the Bolosco and the Probr are included too! Not uptight about the ship choices for each faction. They can be swapped out for different vessels. But at least there's a good mix there for a first run.

This is, I suppose, more of a middle stance between Gary's idea and Mike's idea.