Tell me about Star Fleet Battles

[Dannyalcatraz]

Range 0 can be your friend...if you're properly prepared.

I tend to play Hydrans or Tholians, but I get forced to play Gorns on occasion. In a battle of Hvy cruisers using the plotted movement rules, I drove my Gorn down the throat of the Fed ship I was facing, and released my plasma torps at the last second. The Fed player was a vet- he had MASSIVELY reinforced his front shields and took the damage with just a smidgen of internal damage while pretty much doing the same to me as well. I then did a High Energy Turn (made the roll) and ran...and of course he followed.

What he didn't know was that at the same time as we were ripping up subspace in front of us, I had dropped my rear shield and left behind some Nuclear Space Mines.

On the next turn- my rear shield up and reinforced (he didn't have enough FA phasers & photon torpedoes left to drop it)- I left my hex, he entered...BOOM!

Essentially, that was it. His barely-there shields were shredded by the mines and the next turn, he ran as fast as he could while I did a nice, broad turn to bring my remaining torpedoes to bear on him. He escaped, though quite embarrassed.

Good times, good times.

And as luck would have it, we're going to be playing SFB next week- probably a fleet action of some kind. I wonder if he'll remember that...and all the other nasty stuff I've done to him in SFB?

 

[Jack7]

I tend to play Hydrans or Tholians, but I get forced to play Gorns on occasion. In a battle of Hvy cruisers using the plotted movement rules, I drove my Gorn down the throat of the Fed ship I was facing, and released my plasma torps at the last second. The Fed player was a vet- he had MASSIVELY reinforced his front shields and took the damage with just a smidgen of internal damage while pretty much doing the same to me as well. I then did a High Energy Turn (made the roll) and ran...and of course he followed.

What he didn't know was that at the same time as we were ripping up subspace in front of us, I had dropped my rear shield and left behind some Nuclear Space Mines.

On the next turn- my rear shield up and reinforced (he didn't have enough FA phasers & photon torpedoes left to drop it)- I left my hex, he entered...BOOM!

Essentially, that was it. His barely-there shields were shredded by the mines and the next turn, he ran as fast as he could while I did a nice, broad turn to bring my remaining torpedoes to bear on him. He escaped, though quite embarrassed.

See now, I like that kind of play.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Thanks!

I may just have to dig my SFB books out so I can re-sharpen my horns before next Tuesday...its been, what, a decade since last I played?

Barring that, I could use some hints to boost my game a bit- any nifty tricks for the basic races out there? Nasty ECM/ECCM tricks up your sleeves? That NSM trick is nice, but its not too practical for fleet engagements (unless they stay tightly grouped so that a ship explosion could start a nice ripple effect...).

For the record, if my side is playing Tholians, I will rule them! I like to use Black Widow carriers and web-equipped fighters to make networks of hexagonal webs to fight out of, skirmish style. Think of it like having an "instant fortress" from which my Tholians will launch sorties... Its simply rude.

 

[JohnRTroy]

Out of curiosity, does anybody know how SFB was able to keep their license for so long? It's not official "Star Trek", but it certainly uses concepts like Klingon, Orion, Tholian, etc, from the show which are not "public domain" by any means. I can't seem to find information about this from Wikipedia.

I heard it was some license loophole from some other product that had a perpetual license, something from the original technical manual or something? This is an odd situation and I'm just curious how this happened.

 

[Jack7]

Barring that, I could use some hints to boost my game a bit- any nifty tricks for the basic races out there? Nasty ECM/ECCM tricks up your sleeves? That NSM trick is nice, but its not too practical for fleet engagements (unless they stay tightly grouped so that a ship explosion could start a nice ripple effect...).

Well Dan, a lot of the tricks I use are based on the things I detailed above. I use probes a lot to give me detailed information on enemy dispositions and weapon systems, and so forth, especially with multiple ship engagements.

I believe strongly in information advantage and information warfare, rather than just guessing at what my opponent may be up to or may be able to do.

One thing I really suggest is this: Commander's Option Sheet

It will keep you straight on your options.
Make up a sheet detailing every thing your ship can do, and every trick you know, and put it on one sheet and keep it with you during combat. You won't have to hold in mind everything you're trying to do by memory and you can glance at it as a checklist to assure yourself that you're not forgetting some important thing or ploy when you can least afford to.

A Commander's Option Sheet or Combat Option Sheet will give you a real advantage when fighting others and they are trying to remember everything in their head.

Also I'm big on maneuver, HETs, trick acceleration and deceleration, trying out new weapon systems, experimenting around. I also like using shuttle warfare, transporter bombs, mines (like you), misdirection's, and boarding and raiding actions. Boarding and raiding actions are hard work, but you can really cripple an opponent fast that way, if you do it right. Occasionally I'll use fighters, but me personally, I hold them off a fight til an enemy is weakened and distracted with me and my ships, then I employ. I never send fighters out til my enemy is exhausted, weakened, or distracted. Cause in the panic of being swarmed he makes mistakes I can exploit.

Well, getting close to time for Lost.
Good luck with your fight.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Out of curiosity, does anybody know how SFB was able to keep their license for so long? It's not official "Star Trek", but it certainly uses concepts like Klingon, Orion, Tholian, etc, from the show which are not "public domain" by any means. I can't seem to find information about this from Wikipedia.

I heard it was some license loophole from some other product that had a perpetual license, something from the original technical manual or something? This is an odd situation and I'm just curious how this happened.

Don't quote me, but from what I understand, the game's creators were actually on good terms with the people who licensed "Star Trek" stuff. Good enough that some of them actually played the game once or twice. That pretty much sealed the deal- some of the stuff in the game got declared "canon" and renewing the license became easy as pie.

That could all be urban legend, though.

 

[barbaraloqw]

Hahaha When I saw your thread I start thinking about some story related to "star fleet battle". Prepared to told my story I clicked link. And what I have ? I feel a bit stupid

 

[Fate Lawson]

You may want to go here:

Star Fleet Battles


and download the Cadet Training Manual to get started.

Take it one step at a time. This is the MOTHER of all tactical simulation games.* But with the right players is a blast.


* yes, I'm aware that some of the old SPI games were even more detailed, but legend has it even the designers of those beasts never completed a game.

 

[Plane Sailing]

I've moved it to the board wargames forum as although it is more properly a tabletop wargame, it is certainly more in this category than in the RPG category.

In other news, I used to love playing this game when it first came out. There was something about the rules which really captured the spirit of the Trek universe.

Happy fun days!

 

[rgard]

Don't quote me, but from what I understand, the game's creators were actually on good terms with the people who licensed "Star Trek" stuff. Good enough that some of them actually played the game once or twice. That pretty much sealed the deal- some of the stuff in the game got declared "canon" and renewing the license became easy as pie.

That could all be urban legend, though.

Hi Danny, I think it's mostly urban legend if we are talking about the original license. Maybe some stuff was picked up by script writers and made it's way to canon, but that would only have been in the last 13 years or so.

ADB actually may have had to modify some of their products post production when they strayed beyond what paramount interpeted as the extent of the license. The orignal first expansion for the game had klingon x (x = upgraded technology) ships with photon torpedos and the x rules were an attempt to replicate in game terms the klingon and federation ships we saw in the first Star Trek motion picture. Some time after the first expansion came out Paramount decided that ADB's license was limited to the original series, the cartoons and the Star Fleet Technical Manual. Klingon x ships with photon torpedos went away after that. I don't know if that was pressure from Paramount or a design decision by ADB, but I suspect the former.

Thanks,
Rich