CL22B Fiction

STAR FLEET UNIVERSE SUPPLEMENTAL FILE CAPTAIN’S LOG #54: SUPPLEMENTAL FILE

AN EXCITING YEAR HISTORY The history (fiction) section of an issue always sets the mood Captain’s Log #54 was intended to appear in spring 2020, of the company. This issue was blessed with a dynamite story. but here we are in the fall. There wasn’t really any problem de- Return of the Darwin: Gary Carney went looking for a sce- laying the issue; we were just busy doing a lot of other products nario he could turn into a story. After a search, he happened that we said (in CL#53) that we would do. upon SH166 Return of the Darwin. We found the outstanding “Return of the Darwin” in the file; Tanks: At heart, Steve Cole has always been a tank game it had been there since 2018 but had been lost during Steve Cole’s designer, having done Prochorovka and hundreds of variants for years of bad health. Found by accident, it proved to be one of the Panzerblitz. For months he has talked about using the GURPS best stories we ever published. stats that Jean and her new husband Al Beddow did for Prime We then set out to wrap up the other products so we could Directive. During a recent product development conference, Steve start on this issue with a clean slate and a clear plan for the Cole noted that there was nothing else to be done for Star Fleet future of the Star Fleet Universe. Marines, but Jean proved him wrong. Part of that was the project to create new PDF counters for SFM and part of that was creat- PUBLISHER’S NOTES ing new graphics for every empire’s tanks (which resulted in a page of this issue). Jean had suggested that the Gorn tank could This was the 10th issue in the 144-page format. There was “look like an egg, like the flat saucer disk thing their cruisers are a staff discussion about going to a larger number of pages but made of.” The Skipping Stone was born, and Steve Cole grew we decided to hold where we are for one more issue because fascinated with it (making it the SFU version of the Swedish S- finding more quality pages without a plan was not going to pro- tank that is near and dear to his soul). duce the kind of issue we wanted to do. Snapshots: Besides the two tank pages, we have one page The “final phase” of a Captain’s Log usually begins a week about Klingon deception operations that came out of a BBS dis- or two after the story is in hand. In this case we had the story cussion and a “written on command” article explaining how the months ago but had a flurry of other products to finish first. Andromedan Rapid Transit Network actually functions. Steve Cole gave Jean a page of Fralli jokes but it disappeared and the origi- CL#54 AND THE LONG GAME nal file on his computer somehow became corrupted. Control the Chaos! The final phase of a Captain’s Log was traditionally two weeks COMMUNICATIONS of 16-hour days. The last issue was done over three weeks of News: The reorganized format that we created several is- 12-hour days. This time, we debated going to four weeks of 10- sues ago has been continually updated and adapted by Jean hour days. We asked Wolf for his opinion, and he barked five Sexton Beddow, the Marketing Director. She continues to reor- times. Jean said this meant we should schedule it for five weeks ganize the content of this section. of 8-hour days, and we did. Sapphire Star Tournaments: These fast-paced events are Doing it for five weeks had many effects, besides lower blood running very smoothly, and are much more popular with the play- pressure, normal work days, and fewer fresh graves in the back ers than the previous tournaments that dragged on for many parking lot. It meant that we could work on other projects an hour months due to players who would not finish their games (or played a day, release the Shapeways ships on schedule, and plan the at a glacial pace) and judges who would not crack the whip. The newsletter to support the new product. new system involves 16-player events, Steven P. Petrick as the Beyond that, it meant (for the first time) that if we thought of permanent judge, two-week deadlines, a $10 entry fee, $160 in something that should be done along with (or in) the issue, there prizes to encourage players to keep playing, and other changes. was time to create it. (Normally, we would just sigh and move on An Ace Card is awarded to the winner. The prizes are all cash as there was not time to do what we knew we needed to do.) For instead of merchandise credit, although you can triple your prize example, there was time to let the sculptors prepare Shapeways if you want merchandise. Next year we’ll take four winners from ships to match the new ships in the issue. For another, there was several Sapphire Star Tournments to compete in the Sapphire time to coordinate with the outside designers so that the two Crown Fleet Captain Tournament. Klingon Frankenships were developed for Starmada and ACTASF. After-Action: We got a lot done! Go see for yourself! (One of them was also done for Federation Commander, but the Command the Future: Jean and I fought over this, as I other had been done for that game in the newsletter.) We had wanted to make “reasonable promises” for future products and time to write a special snapshot article about the Andromedan Jean wanted to be vague. I felt you deserved a firm plan. Rapid Transit Network, which was the key to the fiction story. A Galaxy of Song: This once-regular feature disappeared ADB (and Task Force Games) had been founded on the because we had so much else to do for you this issue. DavidSample Crump Integrated Marketing Theory under which every Ten Questions: We used thisfile feature to respond to various product needed to include material to support and promote many questions that developed in the BBS topic for this issue. other products. You’ll see that all through this issue. Why: This regular feature returns this issue with serious So, let’s walk through the issue and let me share some back- questions from you, the players, that need serious answers. ground and other thoughts.—Stephen V. Cole Star Fleet Awards: This is always one of the last things we CAPTAIN’S LOG #54 — © 2020 ADB, Inc. Page 1 SUPPLEMENTAL FILE STAR FLEET UNIVERSE do. It includes the year-end awards for 2019, the department in this issue! No, really!” Steve Petrick struggled to convert her head battle stars for 2019, the Spambot Defense Bars for 2019, brilliantly capitalized and punctuated notes (written on the paper the Shapeways Commentary Ribbons for 2018 and 2019, and a bags she used to bring her lunch to work) into a tactics article year of other awards. and scenario — and a card for Star Fleet Battle Force. Rumor Input Guide: This is normally Jean’s page to do, but during has it that one of the sculptors is already crafting an “organic” the BBS clean up of 2019 (when the BBS exceeded capacity miniature for Jean’s creature. and we had to delete 100,000 messages in one month) we came Ask Admiral Vanaxilth: This is the ultimate “salami” sec- upon a multi-year discussion of advice to fiction writers. We de- tion in that we just slice off as much as we need. This time we cided that the good thoughts there had to be made a permanent had about 10 pages of formatted and edited questions, but only part of the universe, and that some things needed to be better had room for six. explained by Steve Cole and Jean Sexton Beddow. Background Questions: This was one of the regular fea- tures that returned this issue after being left out of CL#53. I gave FEDERATION COMMANDER Jean four pages of these and allowed her to pick which ones got published in this issue. The others remain in reserve. Communique: This page is fairly obvious and easy, but in Proposals Board: What I always do is go to the bulletin this case it had to be adapted to the change in newsletters. The board area for proposals and just keep processing topics until old Communique which focused only on Federation Commander the space is filled. Players write new proposals faster than we was merged into Hailing Frequencies. can process and publish them. This time was different. Shortly Battle Group Commander: This is the 10th in the series of after CL#53 went to press, the bulletin board hit a previously battle group articles for Federation Commander and done in par- unknown maximum number of messages. We had to delete allel to the article for SFB. The notes there apply to this article as 100,000 messages in 30 days or lose the entire BBS forever. well, and we decided to transform the old SFB scenario into a While it might have made more sense to just delete mass blocks new scenario for Federation Commander. unread, I insisted that the proposals board was a debt of honor. New Rules: Mike West and ADB discussed at some length We had told people to post proposals and they had to be read what to do next, and out of the various choices decided on the and processed. I took over a week to produce 18 pages of pub- gunboat rules along with four examples. More gunboats will be lishable material. We had never published more than a page per in the next two newsletters. issue, and could not accomodate more than two pages, but I FC Online: I am blessed to have Paul Franz running our insisted that to pay the “debt of honor” required that they had to online gaming system. He does a superb job, year round. go into the Supplemental File. Scenarios: I had to create new FC scenarios from old SFB Update: Steven Petrick selects this feature each issue and scenarios for Battle Groups and the story. The story was tricky in did his usual thorough job. This time, he assigned the simulator that the ships needed haven’t been published, but I converted it empires to attack the Andromedans and destroy their bases. into a scenario where you just bought so many points of what- Brothers of the Anarchist: I went to the chart and picked ever X-ships (or non-X-ships) you had available. I had to create combinations that had not been done previously. a new scenario to showcase the gunboats. And finally, Art Trotman delivered another of his great scenarios. Command Notes: We need more of these! SFB TACTICS Primer: Gary Carney is the hero of the issue, as he wrote SFB SCENARIOS the fiction story, created the Omega-Paravians, and wrote the Zosman primer, all for Captain’s Log #54. Normally we allocate 10 pages to this section and then end Term Papers: We need more of these! up stealing a page or two when something else runs too long or Sapphire Victory: Bill Schoeller and Peter Bakija wrote ex- adding a page or two when something else disappears or turns cellent articles about their tactics in the Sapphire Star Tourna- out to be shorter than expected. During the progress on this is- ments. Those tournaments have proven very popular due to their sue the scenario section was 14 pages long at one point and fast (and rigidly enforced) deadlines. You can start and finish a seven pages long at another point. It ended up at 10 pages and Sapphire Star tournament in two months. six scenarios. Battle Group: This has become one of the most popular Or maybe eight scenarios if you consider that the fiction story articles, now that it has evolved into a primarily tactics venue. As scenario and the battlegroup article scenario had already been we need to re-invent the feature now and then, this time we did published and only required a reference. groups of four players (none of them allied to any others) trying Steve Petrick has a file of dozens of unpublished scenarios. to collect the crystals from the asteroid. When Steve Cole told him he needed 10 pages of scenarios, Steve Petrick handed over about 30 pages. “Marketing Jean” Sexton Beddow, Steve Petrick, and Steve Cole then decided STAR FLEET VENUES which combination of them would fill the pages and cover as Star Fleet Marines: We included a new scenario designed many subjects as possible. In the end, the six scenarios only to use the new PDF countersheet packs. took nine pages but nobody had reminded Steve Cole that allow- PBEM and SFB Online: Paul Franz has long done this for ing Jean Sexton Beddow to create a new monster would require Star Fleet Battles, and he continues to do it professionally. a monster scenario, which was two pages long and we only had Galactic Conquest: Howard Bampton continued his duties one page. Fortunately, an extra page became available to to provide an article for this campaign system. accomodate Jean’s monster when Jean “accidentally” deleted Star Fleet Warlord: Paul Franz runs this system. One of Steve Cole’s page of Fralli jokes. the oldest of SFU campaign games, it was created by Bruce Graw. Prime Directive: John Sickels sent in two articles for CL#53, SFB DATABASE and we used one of them there and the other one here. Starmada: Daniel Kast responded quickly when I asked for Monsters:Sample Steven P. Petrick had planned to continue his file previews of the upcoming Rumors of Wars. He had a second march through the monsters we have published. Then Jean in- ships page to fill and responded with glee when I suggested he vented a new monster (Tarantula) and Steve Cole (on pain medi- do the same two Frankenships that were done for ACTASF. cation from overdoing things at the gym) said “Great, let’s print it Star Fleet Battle Force: We needed a new card for the game

Page 2 © 2020 ADB, Inc. — CAPTAIN’S LOG #54 STAR FLEET UNIVERSE SUPPLEMENTAL FILE and Jean said “Do all of the monsters you haven’t done yet.” Paravians that had been downgraded in engine power to match There were a lot of monsters but we picked the best six. As part the Omega sector ships, along with a refit to bring them back up of the better coordination allowed by the longer gestation period to full power once the Omega Sector invented new warp tech- for this issue, we were able to include Jean’s new monster on nologies. Steve Petrick rejected this as it would make no sense this page. Now we just need to talk to Card-on-Demand printers for the Alpha-Paravians to arrive in Omega, study the new neigh- about getting some of the cards published in Captain’s Log into bors, and then downgrade their own engines to produce a fair the actual game. fight. Steve Cole separately rejected the idea as “not being what the players wanted.” Marketing Director Jean Sexton Beddow A CALL TO ARMS rejected these designs as “the opposite of zing.” Back at his draw- ing board, Gary Carney delivered Omega-Paravians modified to A Look Ahead: Tony L. Thomas provided a roadmap to Book use weapons technology they got from a neighboring empire that Three, Reinforcements One, and other future products. had been wiped out. Jean pronounced this Zing-worthy and both New Ships: Tony was in a fun mood and did two unique Steves agreed that these were the ships the players wanted. Klingon ships: the B10T and B8. New Federation Commander Ships: The four gunboats only took two pages as they have no fleet scale sides. That left FEDERATION & EMPIRE room for the Orion Strike Cruiser and the Klingon B8. Scenario: The F&E staff is always creating new scenarios New ACTASF Ships: Tony L. Thomas decided to show us and when I asked them for one this time, they selected a short two special ships: the Klingon B10T and B8. one to leave room for extra Tactical Notes. New Starmada Ships: Daniel Kast wanted to showcase the Tactical Notes: We had lots of these for this issue, but we new ships from Rumors of Wars and decided to do the two Klingon really need players to write more. Frankenships that were being done for ACTASF and FC. F&E Why: I cleaned out the topic on the BBS for this and created enough to fill the space available. SUPPLEMENTAL FILE F&E Proposals Board: This time we were able to take one Work on this issue of the Supplemental File actually started of the best proposals and include it in the issue. before we finished the issue. (Steve Cole was waiting for Jean to New F&E Ships: The F&E staff takes the SSDs, master proofread the pages he did while she was doing Shapeways.) ship chart, and background data that Steven Petrick creates for The BBS crisis of 2019 (when we had to delete 100,000 SFB and turns this into ships for F&E. In this case, there was no messages) produced page after page of Proposals Board items need to convert the Paravian ships, the Romulan shadow ships, which were far too many for this issue of Captain’s Log. While or the Kzinti destroyer minesweeper. However, we did include everyone was against the idea, Steve Cole insisted on including the Romulan KF5RG (KF5G) commando ship, which appeared all of the leftover proposals pages in the Supplemental File so for SFB in a recent newsletter. that players would learn what kind of proposals fly and what kind Q&A: Mike Curtis did his usual spectacular job, and he did it crash and burn. As Steve has said many times, “It is better to all while recovering from a broken back. propose ideas than remain silent and let the good ideas disap- pear without getting a chance to be heard.” SHIPYARD New SFB Ships: The “design” for a Captain’s Log includes ART IN CAPTAIN’S LOG #54 16 SSDs, which include a “package” of (usually four) related de- The cover was done by Matt Lawson and Will McCammon, signs, ships from nominations, ships we think need to be in the two of our Shapeways sculptors. Matt has done most of our cov- game, ships that the F&E guys need, and non-Alpha ships. (This ers recently and did parts of this one. Will McCammon did the 3d varies a little from issue to issue.) Steven Petrick always goes to model of the Galactic Survey Cruiser for Shapeways and did a Stephen Cole months ahead of time (days after the previous is- special version of it for the Darwin on our cover. sue is released) wanting to “pick the package” and some of the Dale McKee and Loren Knight contributed interior art, and other SSDs so he can get them done before the “final drive.” all of the Shapeways sculptors chipped in renders of their latest This time we had a four-ship package from the Kzintis. These miniatures for use as clipart. were “missing but obvious variants” that fell out of the Kzinti Master Starship Book. When almost 20 ships fell out of the Tholian Mas- ter Starship Book, Marketing Director Jean Sexton Beddow or- WOLF’S COMMENTS dered them rolled into the new SFB Module R4T which will be They tell me that I had an impact on this issue, but I’m not released this fall. Jean then ordered two of them included here really sure how. Daddy Steve asked me a question in what he as a marketing exercise. Mike West had recently created Shadow thinks is auldbarq, the ancient language understood by all dogs, of the Eagle, a Romulan alternative history module which is now wolves, coyotes, and some of the brighter foxes. I am not sure waiting for counters to be printed. Jean ordered two of those what he thought he was asking, but it sounded like: “How many ships to be included as another marketing exercise. Milk-bones do you want?” So I answered, in auldbarq, with five Then it was time to pick four ships from nominations. Steve barks, a play-bow, two tail wags, and a foot shuffle, saying that I Cole had recently done the Orion Strike Cruiser for Federation wanted the whole box. I’m still waiting for delivery. Commander for inclusion in this issue. Obviously, it needed to be officially published for the “senior” game system at the same time as the FC version. Going Steve Cole one better, Steve Petrick created a carrier variant of it. Steve Cole had dusted off the un- published Federation corvette in response to various requests and proposals and released it in the newsletter for Federation Commander. It also appeared on Shapeways and was published in ACTASF,Sample so it needed to go into the issue so it would be an file official SFB ship. The final nomination ship was an often-requested scout variant of the Lyran frigate. Gary Carney provided four Omega-Paravians, but there is a story behind those. At first, he provided unchanged Alpha- Matt Lawson’s tarantula miniature is available on Shapeways. CAPTAIN’S LOG #54 — © 2020 ADB, Inc. Page 3 SUPPLEMENTAL FILE STAR FLEET UNIVERSE we must all accept, may not survive contact with the game board. JEAN BEDDOW’S COMMENTS So I tend to spend more time editing and rewriting them than you would think. I also try to adjust the editing to accommodate Captain’s Log #54 is perhaps our strongest issue ever. The the individuals who are writing the Battle Group tactics. Some tone was set by the opening story, “The Return of the Darwin.” just write a dry outline of what they intend, some are creative in When I started working for ADB, I was always discouraged by that they attempt to take on the persona of a superior addressing the stories, especially since in so many of them “everyone dies.” his subordinate captains. I generally go along with it (as long as Since I care about these characters, it always upsets me. In this it is not too long) because I feel it makes the tactics a more inter- story, we get the stories of the people who valiantly fought against esting read. the odds, trying to keep their homes and loved ones safe. They Then there were the term papers and tactical notes. I have did their duty, to the last person. But Gary Carney managed to collected those as they came in, and sent them to the staff to be keep the hope alive throughout the story. graded, and so those were ready in good time. The files for the And then there are my contributions to this issue, some of term papers are, however, woefully depleted and I am not sure them less than obvious. For the last years, I have been the Gorn we will have enough for the next Captain’s Log, so please, stop admiral in SFB Galactic Conquest’s Universe 7. So when Steve hoarding your secret plans to win and send in some new term started talking about the Gorn tank, I had thoughts about what it papers! I also collected the Assault Notes, Conquest Notes, and would look like. To my surprise, Steve liked them! And then my Command Notes, but sadly there were neither any submitted, husband contributed the stats for them that you see in this issue. nor were there existing “bulk” files of approved papers (except Also, when Steve was mulling over the names of the tanks, he for the Command Notes which were literally all written by one accepted the “Peacemaker” for the ISC tank and “Casowary” for author). the Romulan tank. I was the happiest one! Admiral Vanaxilth (Andy Vancil) has stepped down from his People who knew me back in North Carolina knew I could post as the answer man for Star Fleet Battles, so I have under- be a wicked gamemaster. I would think of the worst places for taken that job once more. The collected work that he had done their characters to land. And I really don’t like spiders. As long as still resulted in a good amount of discussion for his “last class.” spiders aren’t seen, they are fine on their lease; when they show Good luck Andy! themselves, they have broken the lease and are evicted with There have not been many scenarios submitted of late, but extreme prejudice. The worst of them are the jumping spiders as there are almost 100 pages of submitted scenarios in the file. they cheat by leaping from the spot where you have aimed. This Some authors send in complete scenarios, some literally just send combination of RPG and spider detestation came out when I in the scenario outline and expect me to create the resulting sce- started thinking about the creature that became the space taran- nario. For example, “a battle between Space Dragons and an- tula. What if this spidery thing could jump on a ship? What if it other monster” gave me nothing to indicate how many or the age could use web to fix itself? What if it had even more legs and of the dragons and nothing to indicate how many other monsters fangs and eyes? What if it ate asteroids, moonlets, or other me- are opposing them. tallic bodies? Or ships? And babies!!! The horror!!!! These will Ah well. I have already started preparing items for the next probably be turned into RPG monsters (at least the horrible ba- Captain’s Log. See you then! bies that are born on planets will be) at some point. So now it is time to start thinking of Captain’s Log #55. So much of that depends on you – your tactics and strategy papers, GARY CARNEY’S COMMENTS your “Victory” articles, your stories, your proposals, and yes, even your questions. So get busy and help us make another great My story is based on the (SH166.0) Return of the Darwin issue. scenario, written by Christopher J. Cafiero in Star Fleet Battles Module X1. It also draws upon data published for the “dark fu- ture” timeline in SFB Module C3A, on a number of Federation STEVEN P. PETRICK’S member worlds in GURPS Federation, on the Andromedan back- ground material in Federation Commander: War and Peace, and COMMENTS on Nick Samaras’s class history article in Captain’s Log #41. This alternate timeline may have passed largely unnoticed Captain’s Log #54 started, at least for me, as an easy task. by the Federation at large in the “standard” Star Fleet Universe Over the preceding period, I had dabbled with my various ar- timeline; not least due to it being heavily classified by Star Fleet ticles so that when the time came they would be finished, and I Command. Yet it was terrifyingly real to those aboard the Darwin would be available to do other things as needed. So, for example, who encountered it (or, perhaps, who inadvertently created it) – the Campaign Update was already written, and gone over sev- to say nothing of those in Star Fleet, and across the Alpha Oc- eral times, before SVC asked for it. Battle Groups, both for Fed- tant, who labored through those 12 long, grim years of rising eration Commander and Star Fleet Battles had been edited and Andromedan success. sent to the “commanders” for review and correction and were in I have attempted to capture a glimpse of the stark nature of the can just waiting to be placed into the issue. (Until, regretfully, this dark turn of events, to highlight the sacrifices made to undo Jean Sexton Beddow disapproved of my editing and demanded them, and the renewed hope which the return of the Darwin pro- they be reedited with her corrections, but such is life.) vided to those in the “standard” SFU timeline. The various “Victory at Sapphire Star” articles were solic- It is also my hope that one day, the required rules, ship cards, ited, and the successful captains who were willing to share the and other items may be in place so as to allow this critical sce- insights into their victories had written them. nario to be fought in Federation Commander, Star Fleet Starmada, At this point, a comment on the differences between for- and A Call to Arms: Star Fleet — as well as perhaps being re- mats. flected one day in, or in the wake of, an Andromedan War mod- VictorySample articles should be written in “past tense.” They are a ule for Federation and Empire . In thefile FC case, some of the items report on the past, on the success (and perhaps failure) of what featured in the battle (such as the presence of a Federation CVL happened, a known event. and its fighters on the one side, or of an Andromedan Terminator Battle Group articles on the other hand, should be written in mauler on the other) may require a scenario variant set some- future tense. They are plans for the conduct of operations which, where along the “Borders of Madness.”

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