tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7652921.post7883733753998764446..comments2024-03-27T22:32:17.055-05:00Comments on Jeffs Gameblog: Farsiders unite against Xorkaelian tyranny!Jeff Rientshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17493878980535235896noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7652921.post-83216562360724463252020-10-28T14:03:58.305-05:002020-10-28T14:03:58.305-05:00I've read both Gamescience systems. I think th...I've read both Gamescience systems. I think they look like a hoot to play. I've long considered that they might make good con games, especially if you used some minis.<br /><br />And thanks for the background info on Companion Games!Jeff Rientshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17493878980535235896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7652921.post-89099523566393194062020-10-28T10:41:31.250-05:002020-10-28T10:41:31.250-05:00"But I'm a sucker for weird little corner..."But I'm a sucker for weird little corners of fandom like this. In full SFB tradition, each spot on that map has its own unique navy with its own special weapons. How different ships with different weird subsystems that only one species possess interact is half the fun of Star Fleet Battles."<br /><br />I trust you've played Gamescience's Alien Space, which is pretty much the poster child for the "every race has a weird gimmick weapon" school of design theory. Also fully compatible with the Star Fleet Battle Manual rules they released shortly after Alien Space, which was (and is - there was a spiffy 2nd edition a few years back at long last) the first licensed Trek starship combat minis game. If you somehow missed them, you should definitely take a look at both on the net. Dick McGeehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14521293874696659063noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7652921.post-69990581985714453622020-10-28T10:36:44.712-05:002020-10-28T10:36:44.712-05:00The Kzintis in the SFU were lifted from the animat...The Kzintis in the SFU were lifted from the animated series episode The Slave Weapon, itself an adaptation of Larry Niven's Known Space (not Trek) short story of the same name. Steve turned what had been a defeated and treaty-bound Kzinti Hegemony that was only allowed to operated a few armed police vessels in the episode into a major second-tier military power in the SFU, mostly because he needed an enemy for the Klingons to have butted heads with - and then made up the Lyrans to be enemies for the Kzinti (and Hydrans) because the Klingons were outpowered after the Hydrans were introduced. Dick McGeehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14521293874696659063noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7652921.post-77886756521403159622020-10-28T10:30:59.830-05:002020-10-28T10:30:59.830-05:00I knew the guys who made up Companion Games, some ...I knew the guys who made up Companion Games, some of whom were local regulars at the game and comic shops I frequented. Their sales on the unlicensed SFB stuff were reportedly very good, although dwarfed by the first few sets of their later Galactic Empires CCG in the mid-90s. They were, however, really, really illegal due to massive IP infringement, and ADB drove them to cancel the entire line precipitously through threatened legal action. The Far Side name was dropped but the setting and its existing races were ported to GE wholesale, with many more fleets being added. They closed up shop about the time Galactic Empires stopped selling as the late 90s CCG bubble burst and had some financial issues, but some of them briefly resurfaced as Component Game Systems making a Babylon 5 boardgame, also with somewhat iffy licensing.<br /><br />I remain proud of having broken the GE CCG's game engine badly enough while playtesting that they wound up rewriting some cards in the later expansions. :)Dick McGeehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14521293874696659063noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7652921.post-38308869553106194882020-10-27T15:35:58.063-05:002020-10-27T15:35:58.063-05:00I didn't mention it above, but there are also ...I didn't mention it above, but there are also roleplaying games set in the Star Fleet Universe, at least one of which includes stats for spaceship combats if you want to use RPG-oriented space combat rules. There are versions for both <a href="http://www.starfleetgames.com/prime/pd-gurps.shtml" rel="nofollow"><i>GURPS</i></a>, which includes stats to use with <i>GURPS Spaceships</i>, and <a href="http://www.starfleetgames.com/prime/pd-d20m.shtml" rel="nofollow"><i>D20 Modern</i></a>, though I don't know much about that one since I'm not a big fan of <i>D20 Modern</i>.faoladhhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03691952430041394614noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7652921.post-12900084193185185192020-10-27T15:28:38.352-05:002020-10-27T15:28:38.352-05:00Agreed, and I would add that that is one of the th...Agreed, and I would add that that is one of the things that fans <i>like</i> about the game. There are so many dials and knobs to twist and buttons to press that it takes a lot of <i>player skill</i>, and there is always more to learn about the interaction of rules systems. It has an enormous amount of depth and the satisfaction that comes with learning more is always there.<br /><br />I don't know if all of that applies to <a href="http://www.starfleetgames.com/fc/" rel="nofollow"><i>Federation Commander</i></a>, the new and streamlined game that uses the setting (Jeff, there's also a <a href="http://www.starfleetgames.com/starmada.shtml" rel="nofollow"><i>Starmada</i></a> version for people who prefer that, as it happens), since I haven't played it, but that one is designed with modern gamer preferences in mind. It's important to follow the market, after all.faoladhhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03691952430041394614noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7652921.post-54228726946168611422020-10-27T12:19:30.801-05:002020-10-27T12:19:30.801-05:00Rod, that's beautiful in its own sick, twisted...Rod, that's beautiful in its own sick, twisted way.Jeff Rientshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17493878980535235896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7652921.post-57467881855709891332020-10-27T12:17:55.567-05:002020-10-27T12:17:55.567-05:00SFB added Kzinti to the Trek universe. Playing as...SFB added Kzinti to the Trek universe. Playing as the Klingons, I spent a resource point to have Kzinti skins on the bows of all my ships. Similar to, but decades before the Reavers in FireflyRod Thompsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12824146866756155345noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7652921.post-17008158935753579032020-10-27T12:15:43.551-05:002020-10-27T12:15:43.551-05:00>>Seriously, you may think modern D&D is...>>Seriously, you may think modern D&D is complicated, but full-blown all-the-bells-and-whistles SFB blows it out of the ding dang water. The only comparable non-computerized game I know is Advanced Squad Leader<<<br /><br />I will confirm this as absolute truth speaking as a long time SFB fan.Robert Conleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03863009007381185340noreply@blogger.com