Star Fleet Battles - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

baudot · 07-22-2003, 12:00 PM

I've been exploring games for most of my life now, that being a little over 20 years of exploration. I've tried all kinds and I have many favorites, but one that I've found continually rewarding is Star Fleet Battles.

It's a tabletop/board game, usually for 2 players. It's a tactical simulation of original series Star Trek ship to ship combat. One game of it takes on average 2 hours to complete, and you spend most of that time thinking - mostly trying to figure out what it is that your opponent has in mind. I'm a recent arrival to the game, having just started playing it a few years back. One of the neat things about it is that makes me quite the young'un. There are people who have been playing this game since the mid-sixties and who still haven't plumbed the depths of it.

On the downside, most people don't like the game. The rules are complex and written legalistically. Almost everyone learns the game by oral tradition, because the manuals are more than a little intimidating.

So, any other StarFleet players in the TFP community? If you've played the PC game StarFleet Command, you're played a realtime conversion of the boardgame. The overall effect is nothing alike, however.

Drider_it · 07-22-2003, 02:15 PM

we have a nifty program we wrote in c-basic..
you can use one puter for each faction.. usually we just use two puters..

they dont have to be networked or on the net..

basically we loaded the rules for FASA star trek and a few quarks of our own...

We roll randomly for captiancy.. determins how well a captian you are. after that ships are chosen .. we use a very lag black hex map with planets and such we can throw in.. we use the old FASA star trek ships.. and it begins..

basically its orders, move, fire.. results.. communications.. begin again.. all turns are in that order..

we even have core breeches hehe.. factored in when you hit shield 6.

baudot · 07-22-2003, 02:18 PM

Interesting.

There's an IRC version of StarFleet Battles as well, but you lose something when the game isn't face to face. At least it feels that way to me.

Never played the FASA version. I'm going to guess that it's simpler than SFB. Because, well, really everything except for ASL is simpler than SFB.

Drider_it · 07-22-2003, 02:22 PM

well actually you cant get FASA star trek anymore .. outdated but its still a good game.. we just dont play the rules they give.. cuz its a rpg also.. we only use tactical battle simms to play..

one person is the GM and they monitor others.. say a Klingon cloaks.. we see his last position.. and thats it.. when its his turn we turn away.. or get munchies while he takes his turn.. we then scan a random area in the hopes of getting a ping.. but any way you play them.. its fun..

we also play armor wars (wwII) tach sim game with mirco armor sets.. its fun..

Locobot · 07-22-2003, 03:18 PM

I have pretty good memories of Starfleet Battles games. The rules are complex and at times oppressive but there was so much freedom to be creative with your tactics. Battles typically degenerated into suicide shuttle launches and ramming. I remember we had to amend the rules slightly to suit the above. With five or six players games could easily last through the night. It's probably been eight years since I've played. I tried SF Command, not really an equivalent at all, but a decent rts in its day.

baudot · 07-22-2003, 05:28 PM

I was about to say - you must have added the rules for ramming, since the core books flatly forbid it.

Suicide shuttles... now that's a tricky one to pull off. Nice extra punch if you can manage it, tho.

fartre · 07-22-2003, 07:20 PM

My brother and I played the FASA game for hours in the eighties, and I thought we were the only ones in the world who had played it! When SFC came out, we tried to find the old FASA star trek game in our basement, but it was likely thrown away long ago. Thanks to Ebay we found a mint condition "Deluxe Edition".

Anyone wanna play?

07-22-2003, 12:00 PM	#1 (permalink)
baudot Tilted Location: Today: St. Louis.	Star Fleet Battles I've been exploring games for most of my life now, that being a little over 20 years of exploration. I've tried all kinds and I have many favorites, but one that I've found continually rewarding is Star Fleet Battles. It's a tabletop/board game, usually for 2 players. It's a tactical simulation of original series Star Trek ship to ship combat. One game of it takes on average 2 hours to complete, and you spend most of that time thinking - mostly trying to figure out what it is that your opponent has in mind. I'm a recent arrival to the game, having just started playing it a few years back. One of the neat things about it is that makes me quite the young'un. There are people who have been playing this game since the mid-sixties and who still haven't plumbed the depths of it. On the downside, most people don't like the game. The rules are complex and written legalistically. Almost everyone learns the game by oral tradition, because the manuals are more than a little intimidating. So, any other StarFleet players in the TFP community? If you've played the PC game StarFleet Command, you're played a realtime conversion of the boardgame. The overall effect is nothing alike, however.

07-22-2003, 02:15 PM	#2 (permalink)
Drider_it Junkie Location: Louisiana	we have a nifty program we wrote in c-basic.. you can use one puter for each faction.. usually we just use two puters.. they dont have to be networked or on the net.. basically we loaded the rules for FASA star trek and a few quarks of our own... We roll randomly for captiancy.. determins how well a captian you are. after that ships are chosen .. we use a very lag black hex map with planets and such we can throw in.. we use the old FASA star trek ships.. and it begins.. basically its orders, move, fire.. results.. communications.. begin again.. all turns are in that order.. we even have core breeches hehe.. factored in when you hit shield 6. __________________ It means only one thing, and everything: Cut. Once committed to fight, Cut. Everything else is secondary. Cut. That is your duty, your purpose, your hunger. There is no rule more important, no commitment that overrides that one. Cut. The lines are a portrayal of the dance. Cut from the void, not from bewilderment. Cut the enemy as quickly and directly as possible. Cut with certainty. Cut decisively, resoultely. Cut into his strength. Flow through the gaps in his guard. Cut him. Cut him down utterly. Don't allow him a breath. Crush him. Cut him without mercy to the depth of his spirit. It is the balance to life: death. It is the dance with death. It is the law a war wizard lives by, or he dies.

07-22-2003, 02:22 PM	#4 (permalink)
Drider_it Junkie Location: Louisiana	well actually you cant get FASA star trek anymore .. outdated but its still a good game.. we just dont play the rules they give.. cuz its a rpg also.. we only use tactical battle simms to play.. one person is the GM and they monitor others.. say a Klingon cloaks.. we see his last position.. and thats it.. when its his turn we turn away.. or get munchies while he takes his turn.. we then scan a random area in the hopes of getting a ping.. but any way you play them.. its fun.. we also play armor wars (wwII) tach sim game with mirco armor sets.. its fun.. __________________ It means only one thing, and everything: Cut. Once committed to fight, Cut. Everything else is secondary. Cut. That is your duty, your purpose, your hunger. There is no rule more important, no commitment that overrides that one. Cut. The lines are a portrayal of the dance. Cut from the void, not from bewilderment. Cut the enemy as quickly and directly as possible. Cut with certainty. Cut decisively, resoultely. Cut into his strength. Flow through the gaps in his guard. Cut him. Cut him down utterly. Don't allow him a breath. Crush him. Cut him without mercy to the depth of his spirit. It is the balance to life: death. It is the dance with death. It is the law a war wizard lives by, or he dies.

07-22-2003, 02:18 PM	#3 (permalink)
baudot Tilted Location: Today: St. Louis.	Interesting. There's an IRC version of StarFleet Battles as well, but you lose something when the game isn't face to face. At least it feels that way to me. Never played the FASA version. I'm going to guess that it's simpler than SFB. Because, well, really everything except for ASL is simpler than SFB.

07-22-2003, 03:18 PM	#5 (permalink)
Locobot is awesome!	I have pretty good memories of Starfleet Battles games. The rules are complex and at times oppressive but there was so much freedom to be creative with your tactics. Battles typically degenerated into suicide shuttle launches and ramming. I remember we had to amend the rules slightly to suit the above. With five or six players games could easily last through the night. It's probably been eight years since I've played. I tried SF Command, not really an equivalent at all, but a decent rts in its day.

07-22-2003, 05:28 PM	#6 (permalink)
baudot Tilted Location: Today: St. Louis.	I was about to say - you must have added the rules for ramming, since the core books flatly forbid it. Suicide shuttles... now that's a tricky one to pull off. Nice extra punch if you can manage it, tho.

07-22-2003, 07:20 PM	#7 (permalink)
fartre Tilted	My brother and I played the FASA game for hours in the eighties, and I thought we were the only ones in the world who had played it! When SFC came out, we tried to find the old FASA star trek game in our basement, but it was likely thrown away long ago. Thanks to Ebay we found a mint condition "Deluxe Edition". Anyone wanna play?