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.