|
Post by scourge101 on Sept 13, 2010 14:06:30 GMT -5
This book by Amarillo Design Bureau seems to be a nitch filler between FE and SFB.(2009)
It does require an SFB book for basic info such as ship available dates. Has anyone else read this? I am about half way through and seems to be a system of how complicated do you want to run a campaign game.
It covers everything from convoys, economics, etc....
|
|
|
Post by finarvyn on Sept 18, 2010 6:44:03 GMT -5
Interesting, and I'll admit that I haven't even heard of it.
Can you give us a review, or more details than the first post? Roughly how many pages, is it well done, could I use Federation Space instead of Federation & Empire, that kind of thing.
|
|
|
Post by Falconer on Sept 18, 2010 19:04:34 GMT -5
Very intriguing, indeed. Strange I hadn’t even heard of it, either (and I have been hanging around the ADB site a lot this year).
|
|
|
Post by finarvyn on Sept 19, 2010 7:36:11 GMT -5
Very intriguing, indeed. Strange I hadn’t even heard of it, either (and I have been hanging around the ADB site a lot this year). I have, too, off-and-on. I know that sometimes a thread will pop up that talks about using SFB for a campaign game (sort of like F&E, I suppose) but I don't remember any chat about a published book that bridges the two.
|
|
|
Post by finarvyn on Sept 19, 2010 7:38:15 GMT -5
|
|
|
Post by scourge101 on Sept 19, 2010 18:59:10 GMT -5
Basic information : 106 pages, layout is like the commanders edition of SFB.
The overall feel seems allot like FE. It covers almost anything that could occur during a campain. The only issue is that it lacks some overall annexes, such as research and development is heavily used to gain access to better tech but there is no list of tech to research. You must read the given topic, say sensors, and dedicate research for advance sensors.
The economy can handle a complete empire from homeworld to border stations or easily lower it to a sector with limited resources. Trade routes and raiding are a big section of the book because it allows a player to handle not only his navy but a host of off map aux ships to defend planets and convoys. Many of the rules adjust with later years as basic tech grows. This represents better response times by escorts or better convoy formations.
The rules cover units that are better suited for strategic use such as Maulers, tugs, Ship construction, system limitations, and so forth. I will try to enter the table of contents to give a better idea at the bottom of this.
The big cookie in the book deals with the Andromedins galaxy gun. The idea is that they fired a neutron star at our galaxy and ripped whole sections of space apart, these become radiation zones on the strategic level and normally were they would set up their bases. I have seen these rules in play on some online boards. It does level the playing field on how they may invade nations at war for years.
The bottom line with the organization faults it is still a great tool for that campaign builder. They also included their own combat system to convert any ship into a attack/defense values from SFB though it is not FE at all.
A)General Rules 1 organization 2 scenario reports 3 combat intensity levels 4 status sheet 5 the map 6 squadrons 7 time scale 8 admiral voice 9 format of play 10 combat 11 victory conditions 12 legendary officers 13 fusion bombs 14 integrated aegis 200 unnavigable space 300 radiation zones
B economics 1 economic targets 2 trade routes 3 off map areas 4 commercial bases 5 moral and rebellion 6 aversion 7 system stability 8 Shipyards 9 scrapping / mothball 10 galactic bank 11 basic economics 12 eco exhaustion 13 restoration 14 surrender 15 orion pirates
C Strategic Operations 1 repair 2 strategic repair 3 defense forces 4 strategic minefields 5 sensors 6 cloaking 7 civilian targets 8 hidden units 9 special crew 10 foreign Tech 11 fronts 12 blockading 13 guerrilla warfare 14 espionage 15 sensor jamming 16 shock 17 research and developement 18 1st gen warp ships 19 1st gen x-ships 20 attrition units 21 2nd Gen x-ships 22 expedition fleets 23 crippled units 30 trade pacts 40 alert levels 50 troop ship 60 hospital ships
D Stategiv movement E merchant Marine Z Starting condition
|
|
|
Post by scourge101 on Sept 19, 2010 19:11:21 GMT -5
And yes there are no ship values or list all have to be generated.
I forget that some may not have many of the books for all ships/ races.
|
|
|
Post by Falconer on Sept 20, 2010 0:04:44 GMT -5
So it sounds like these are someone’s house rules that got published, basically?
|
|
|
Post by scourge101 on Sept 20, 2010 20:19:21 GMT -5
yea a gaming group with ADB from what I read.
|
|
|
Post by putraack on Sept 23, 2010 18:37:06 GMT -5
From what I understand, that's what it is: a campaign system for "make-your-own" empires. I skimmed it a few years back, and it didn't seem like my cup of tea. I have old Starfire for that kind of thing.
|
|
|
Post by hedgehobbit on Sept 28, 2010 15:17:23 GMT -5
I've got this thing called the SFB Campaign Designers Handbook which sounds similar. It has tech trees and a psuedo-historical map (which is just the F&E map where everyone only gets their starting planet). It is old, from the Task Force Games era. I got it cheap at a used book store but never really read it. I don't have much time for battles, let alone campaigns. boardgamegeek doesn't have much info. www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgameexpansion/20512/star-fleet-battles-campaign-designers-handbook
|
|
|
Post by aramis on Sept 28, 2010 19:07:46 GMT -5
I think (but since I have CDH, not GC) GC is F&E-hybridized with CDH... but I'm not certain.
|
|
|
Post by putraack on Oct 2, 2010 11:13:03 GMT -5
CDH is more-or-less a toolbox of things you may or may not want to include when you design your own campaign. GC pretty much *is* a campaign structure, made with some of those tools.
|
|