Federation Commander?

[Lhorgrim]

I'm interested in getting the EN World community's opinion on the Federation Commander game system.

I never played Star Fleet Battles in my youth, because I didn't want to dedicate that much time to a single game session. I didn't have the attention span for a marathon combat sim back then.

I have heard a little about Federation Commander, and it seems like a faster playing and simplified way to simulate space combat in the Star Trek universe. I have looked at the free starter PDF from the FC website, and I feel like I could handle the rules without too much suffering.

So, to the questions.

How long does a one on one duel take to complete on average?

How hard is it for one player to handle multiple ships in combat? Does it bog the game down too much?

How does the four movement phases per impulse work/affect the flow of the game?

How is the value for the cost?

It'll cost me around $50.00 for the Klingon Border starter box. I'm not concerned about the cost of the metal miniatures, though I'll probably go that way if I get into the game. My concern is that it seems the only way to get the datasheets/cards for specific starship classes is to purchase expansion packs. If I have to buy a $30.00 expansion to get the datasheet for a battleship class unit, then there had better be some added value to the expansion or I'm going to feel a bit fleeced. I don't have a problem with the starter box cost, I'm just curious about the cost of additional ship types.

Any feedback on your experiences with this system is appreciated.

 

[Lhorgrim]

Is there anybody that has had some experience with this game?

 

[AJCarrington]

You might want to check out BoardGameGeek.com; should be able to locate lots of info on the game there.

Regards,

AJC

 

[Aaron2]

I've played both SFB and Fed Com. Here's the lowdown. Fedcom simplified the game by:

-All energy is treated as "reserve" energy. You pay as you go except for movement.

-There are four speeds (0, 8, 16, or 24). In each of the impulses you get 4 sub-impulses where you can change your speed by 1 up or down at the cost of 1 energy (more or less depending on the size of your ship). The sub-impulse thing works pretty much the same and the difference between that and the regular 32 impulse SFB turn sequence is minor.

-There are drones but they all go speed 24. All are regular drones with no special or wierd version

-No ECM

-No Fighters ('cept Hydran). Fighters don't launch drones and shuttles don't have phasers. No wild weasles or other shuttle nonsense.

-A simplifed DAC.

-Most of the special "terrain" rules are turned into special scenario rules.

-Most of the wierd weapon options (prox fuse and plasma shotgun forex) are gone.

-Odd things like ESGs and cloaking have been simplifed. Since there is no "lock-on", cloak rules just take the SFB rules for broken lock-on and apply them in all cases.

-All ships are assumed to have all refits. There are not YIS dates for ships.



All-in-all, I prefer SFB but only because I'm familiar enough with the rules to play it by-the-book. Also, since I own most of the SSDs anyway, its not cost effective to buy them again. The game is pretty expensive for what you get. You can, however, just buy the rulebook and use your SFB SSDs.

 

[Lhorgrim]

Thanks for the replies.

I think I'll give FedCom a shot and see if it's worth investing in the minis later.

I don't own any of the SFB stuff, so I'll be starting at zero with either system. I think I'll have better luck finding opponents with FedCom than SFB, as nobody in my area plays either system right now.

 

[Festivus]

Thanks for the replies.

I think I'll give FedCom a shot and see if it's worth investing in the minis later.

I don't own any of the SFB stuff, so I'll be starting at zero with either system. I think I'll have better luck finding opponents with FedCom than SFB, as nobody in my area plays either system right now.

Why not go get the free PDF with the short rules and some cut out tokens on the last page and give it a try. I found the game book difficult to understand just by reading it, but after about a 30 minute demo I totally get it.

http://www.starfleetgames.com/federation/FCFirstMissions.pdf

My big problem has been finding anyone who wants to play it with me.