COMMUNIQUE #84 STARDATE 2012.12 NEW IN THIS ISSUE COMMANDER NEWS We have included several new items in this issue. Revised Ship Card: ISC Light Cruiser THE BBS & FORUM: KEYS TO COMMUNICATION Large Format Card: Klingon F5 Squadron The BBS (www.StarFleetGames.com/discus) can be con- New Ship Card: Vudar War Destroyer Leader fusing at first sight, as it has hundreds of topics, used daily by a New Escort Ship Card: Hydran Antelope Hunter thousand players. Registration is free, but we do require all par- Scenario: 8CM71 Santa Meets the Monster ticipants to use their real names. (This not only improves the overall tone of civility, but makes sure you get credit for any PLANs FOR 2013 & Beyond suggestions you make.) When you register, you will see topics for each of our product lines. Feel free to venture into the broader Coming in January will be Reinforcements Attack with new universe as you get more comfortable with the system. ships for every empire. (Counting its three Booster Packs, 39 There is also a forum (much easier for new players) on the new ships and one new monster will appear.) We have decided www.FederationCommander.com website. It allows screen (after consulting with you, the players) that this is a better ap- names and avatars but isn’t used for submissions of new items. proach than doing individual attack products for different areas Several versions of the updated Master Ship Chart for Fed- of the galaxy. (This was delayed by the die cut counters.) eration Commander are on the Commander’s Circle. Borders of Madness is being developed for release at a The CRUL (Consolidated Rules Update List), listing all rules future time, with scouts, carriers, escorts, battle tugs, maulers, changes, is now in the Commander’s Circle. and other ships that only a madman would want to see added In the Commander’s Circle is the Scenario Designer’s to Federation Commander. Federation Admiral, a campaign manual designed to work Guide: http://www.StarFleetGames.com/fc/designguide.shtml . with Federation Commander, will be released when finished. It You will find a link to the Commander’s Circle at: will also work with SFB, Starmada, and ACTASF and will pro- www.StarFleetGames.com/fccc/login.php vide players with everything they need to create their own cam- along with everything else for this game system. paigns at any level (strategic, regional, or local). This will be one of the largest books we have ever released. WEBSITE UPDATE Briefing #3 is in preparation. It contains commando ships, transports, survey ships, police ships, ground bases, special- ized freighters, and much more needed for Fed Admiral. We continue to update and improve our website: The Scenario Reference Book is steadily making progress www.StarFleetGames.com toward publication. The Starship Reference Book has recently come on the Our graphics director adds new things to the website radar as a plausible product worth doing. every week, and most of those come from either cus- A proper Tactics Manual is being developed. tomer requests or the FLAP (Finish Like A Pro) list done Lots of ship packs and other items in PDF format will be after the completion of each new product. loaded onto e23. We will make an effort to do some new six- Let us know (at [email protected]) if packs in 2013. We realize that some sell better than others, but we need to do them all and do them in a logical order. Each will you see any glitches in the website or think of ways to have a mix of existing and entirely new ships, and some ships improve the website for all of us. for future products will debut in this way. The website includes a wealth of information, down- PUBLISHER’S INFORMATION loads, and other items for players of all of our games. PUBLISHER’S INFORMATION Explore, look around, click on random entries in the Mas- FEDERATION COMMANDER: COMMUNIQUE #84 is pub- ter Index, and you may be surprised what you find. The lished and copyright © 2012 by Amarillo Design Bureau, Inc., Master Index can be found at: www.StarFleetGames.com, PO Box 8759, Amarillo TX 79114. Elements of the Star Fleet Universe are the property of www.starfleetgames.com/masterindex.shtml Paramount Pictures Corporation and are used with their per- You can always find out what has been added here: mission. www.starfleetgames.com/new.shtml Copyright © 2012 Amarillo Design Bureau, Inc. what ships do you want? Universe News Here is an updated list of player suggestions, delet- Federation Commander is only one of the games in ing ships published in Communique, Captain’s Log, or the Star Fleet Universe. All of our games use a common Reinforcements Attack. historical background and technological database. All Fleets: carriers, drone variants, heavy war This part of Communique will have news on our other destroyers, heavy command cruisers, maulers, games. Our opt-in email newsletter Hailing Frequencies sector base, X-ships, Early Years. goes to fans of all our games; each issue includes links New Empires: Carnivons, Paravians, Jindarians, to information for each game. Juggernauts, Omega, Peladine. Captain’s Log #45 was sent out last summer and Andromedan: Bull Snake cargo ship, heavy cobra, Captain’s Log #46 will follow in January. imposer. Starmada is a fast-paced game system playable on Federation: CD, Commando ship of some kind, hexes or without them. Books for this series include Klin- DNM, plasma variants. gon Armada, Romulan Armada, Alien Armada, and Dis- Frax: CV, DWE, DWS, Tug. tant Armada. Battleship Armada is in preparation. We General: Auxiliary combat units, operational auxilia- have started to release the new Nova series. ries, sector base, system station, tramp steamer. Federation & Empire has a 2010 edition. The latest Gorn: BFF, Carronade Cruiser, destroyer w/o refits. expansion, ISC War was released at Origins 2011. The ISC: DDL, Fast Light Cruiser next product is to be Civil Wars but the original plan for Klingon: B10V, B8, F5WC, F5WD, this product may have become too big, requiring some Kzinti: DWD elements to be moved to later products. Lyran: CAL, Lionness Star Fleet Battles has recently seen the release of Monster: Ancient space dragon Module E3 Borak and Module E4 Peladine. Steven Romulan: Demonhawk, KB10R, Killerhawk, Petrick has settled on Module C6 Lost Empires as the SabreHawk, SuperHawk new product for 2013. He has recently updated the Ba- Seltorian: Nest ship sic Set, R2, R3, R4, and T2012 SSD books and these Tholian: BB, BW are on e23. He has updated the rulebook for Advanced Vudar: none Missions and Master Rulebook Update D. He recently WYN: Fish DN, Fish DNL, Fish DNH, Fish DWD completed the “lost” SFB Playtest Module R107 Nicozians which is now on e23 and available in print. FED COMMANDER: TO DATE Mongoose continues shipping boxes of Starline 2500 miniatures. The first Gorn Squadron Boxes have been Core Products: Klingon Border, Romulan Border; shipped. ACTASF Book #2 will appear in 2013. cornerstone products of the game engine. Star Fleet Marines: Assault has been released and Alternate Products: Academy (lower cost entry prod- is in your store even now. Star Fleet Marines: Last Stand uct), Graduation (turns Academy into Klingon Border), will appear in February. Romulan Space (the parts of Romulan Border not dupli- Prime Directive is our roleplaying universe, available cated in Klingon Border), Klingon Space (the parts of in PD20M and GURPS versions. We are currently fo- Klingon Border not duplicated in Romulan Border; this cusing on conversions of the four Prime Directive books product is not packed for display in stores), Reference to Mongoose Traveller. We are releasing the original PD1 Rulebook. books on both e23 and DriveThru RPG. Expansions: Klingon Attack, Romulan Attack, Tholian Attack, Battleships Attack, Distant Kingdoms, Orion At- CAPTAIN’S LOG #45 tack, Hydran Attack, War & Peace, Line of Battle, Trans- Lots of fun for FC players: four scout cruisers, two ports Attacked. new scenarios, the first round of Battle Group Com- Briefings: #1 Scenarios, #2 Middle Years. mander articles (each player selects a force of ships and Booster Packs: Zero, #1-#33, #91, #92. (Each has describes his tactics for a particular mission and oppo- seven or eight Ship Cards including one or two new ships; nent), and the drone tactics of FC national champion some have up to eight new Ship Cards.) Patrick Doyle. Squadron Boxes: Zero, #1-#30, #91. (Each has five or six miniatures.) Border Boxes: #1-5, #7-10 (24 miniatures each). SFB PLATINUM HAT Border Box #6: nine battleships and a starbase. The second online SFB Platinum Hat tournament Captain’s Log (issues with Federation Commander has begun, with a larger turnout than last year. material): #32-#45. This event is down to the final four players, all of See e23 for many Ship Card Packs with new ships. whom are former Fleet Captains! Copyright © 2012 Amarillo Design Bureau, Inc. FEDERATION COMMANDER SCENARIO (8CM71) SANTA Time Limit: The scenario continues until either the mon- ster is turned “nice” or Santa’s Sleigh is destroyed. MEETS THE MONSTER Victory: Santa wins if the monster is turned completely “nice” (e.g., if the monster is destroyed). The monster wins if Santa’s Sleigh is destroyed. An empire player also wins if the Several different empires detected Santa’s Sleigh starting monster is turned “nice” and he/she has accumulated the most its yearly rounds and sent patrol ships to intercept the jolly old “credit” for helping Santa. elf, assuming him to be some kind of spy. As Rudolph helped Santa evade their attempts to chase (8CM71d) SPECIAL RULES him down, Santa suddenly found himself and his sleigh face- 1.