GAMES PROGRESS REPORT - February 24, 2015

BATTLEFORCE SATURN , the 2-player fast paced starship combat card game is completed and for sale at https://www.thegamecrafter.com/games/battleforce-saturn.

The game is queued to be reviewed by Gamer's Remorse within the next month.

BATTLE FOR GALLION'S REACH : FLEETS! is in final production and will be released by the end of March! Then it will be sent out for some reviews.

BATTLE FOR GALLION'S REACH: FLEETS SPACE EXPANSION is in play testing and will be released sometime in the 2nd quarter 2015. The set includes 37 additional space hex cards and some extra playing pieces. The set can double the playing area of the game and adds new space anomalies. planets, nebulae etc!

THE ATTACK WING CAMPAIGN is under development. It is an add-on to the Whiz Kids game Star Trek Attack Wing that enables players to conduct campaigns based upon historical Star Trek canon. The module consists of a campaign board, Task Force markers, planetary system markers, nebula and space terrain and a campaign book with individual ship type set-up, campaign objectives and victory conditions.

The module will be offered as either a free print-&-play file for the playing pieces and campaign map as well as the campaign book (PDF), or a pre-printed hardboard campaign board with some plastic pieces, downloadable PDF campaign book file and cardboard chits for a modest price at The Game Crafter website.
The campaigns will be introduced a few at a time. We are hoping to have the set and the first campaigns out by he end of the second quarter 2015.

STAR FLEET ADMIRALS is a 2-player wargame of interstellar conflict spanning many star systems. It is is current in early prototype development and the release schedule is hopefully the end of 2nd or 3rd quarter 2015. Fast progress is being made on this product and we are excited to be producing it!

STAR FLEET ADMIRALS Progress Update

We have some updates on the Star Fleet Admirals game in early development. Here are the newest prototypes of the battle map sections.

JUMP ROUTES
There are different types of Jump Routes. The heavy white Jump Routes allow fleets of 2 or more ships to move simultaneously. the thin white Jump Routes only allow one or two ships at a time to use them. White Jump Routes are normal routes where ships can use one movement point to make a jump. Red Jump routes usually pass through unstable locations in space like certain nebulae, black holes and other space terrain. Movement along these routes can mean the destruction of ships. Each red jump route has a number shown that must be rolled for each ship enroute. If the die roll is less than the number shown, a ship is destroyed. Green routes are routes through regions of space that slow movement. Numbers are shown that detail the number of movement points used to make the jump.

HIGHSPACE GATES
Players can also place Highspace Gates (aka "stargates") in star systems to  allow ships to move directly from one gate to another without having to traverse the Jump Routes. These gates connect the sectors and new ones can be placed in sectors to allow ships to move from star to star within that sector. Highspace Gates can be sabotaged as well as built. The small bluish icon next to a star system is the place where a Highspace Gate is placed.

Ships cannot move except via these two options.

PLANETS
There are three types of planets. Earthlike, Barren and Hostile. Earthlike planets are represented as green planets, Barren as grey and Hostile as red/orange. Bear in mind that the artwork show here is preliminary. Some troop types cannot operate on any planet type but Earthlike, while others can operate on both Earthlike and Barren.  Some can operate on all three types.

Some stars have no planets but are merely locations along a jump route. Each planet has a numerical value that determines how many troop units of a single player (not including planetary defenses) can occupy that planet. In other words a planet with a "3" value means that a single faction can place up to three troops on that planet. If attacked it can only be attacked by a maximum of three enemy troops at a time. Militia units count as a troop.

ASTEROID FIELDS
Some star systems have asteroid fields which are identified as a cluster of grey rocks and a large "A" above them. Asteroid fields provide the defending player with a good defensive situation. Both players will have their die rolls reduced in combat due to the interference of asteroids.

SECTOR COMMAND
Each player must place an admiral in a sector where he has ships. The opposite corners of a sector map are the icons of both factions. This is where players place Sector Admirals of their choosing. These admiral's abilities determine the number of operations that can be played in that sector each game turn. There a spot for bot an Imperium admiral and a Federation Admiral.

THE BATTLE BOARD

All combat in the game takes place on the Battle Board. prototype is seen below...

UNITS IN COMBAT

Combat is a relatively simple affair. Players place all ships, troops, stations and admirals on the Battle Board.

Fleet admirals help in combat by modifying die rolls. Without a Fleet Admiral, ships have no modifications other than that posed by asteroid fields. Units are placed on the Battle Board with either their full strengths face up or reduced strengths face up. There are a series of numbers on all units. Yellow far left numerals represent the number of dice rolled for that unit. The Blue central number is the number of movement points for ships, while the White far right numerals represent he maximum die roll result required to get a hit on an opponent.  Most units have full strength sides and reduced strength sides. The numerals on the reduced sides are usually significantly smaller than in full strength. Once a unit in reduced strength is hit it is eliminated.

Here is a sample of a federation Jump Troop unit:

TROOP UNIT TYPES

Troops come in a variety of types: Federation Colonials, Imperial Militia, Federation Regulars, Imperial Troopers, Federation Jump Troops, Imperial Marines, Federation Armor, Imperial Armor and Imperial Guards.

Federation Colonials and Imperial Militia: These are essentially locally-levied non-specialist and poorly trained and equipped units of infantry used for cannon-fodder or for supplementing planetary defense. The Imperium also has Militia. These troops can only operate on Earthlike planets and cannot leave the planet they were levied on. Unlike other unit types, Colonials/Militia can be disbanded and returned to the reserve pool.

Federation Regulars & Imperial Troopers: These are standard grunts and boots-on-the-ground forces. They can operate on both Earthlike and Barren planets but not hostile worlds. They carry heavy equipment and are the swiss-army-knife unit used in almost all combat. They must be transported to a planet's surface via combat shuttles.

Federation Jump Troops & Imperial Marines: These specialized units carry light equipment and utilize Jump Suits - heavily armored suits that enable them to descend individually through an atmosphere onto a planetary surface where they set up landing stations for the regulars and armored forces. These guys are able to operate on any planetary surface.

Armored units: Armored units are essentially heavily armored fores utilizing gravtanks, artillery, etc. They can operate on any planetary surface and give extra punch to supplement regular troops.

Imperial Guards; The Imperium has a few Guards units that are incredibly powerful and used only to help guarantee a victory when no one else can, but losing them is a serious penalty in victory points so players are advised to use them only when necessary.

Next time I'll cover ship types and few other things.

Star Fleet Admirals Development

STAR FLEET ADMIRALS ENTERS DEVELOPMENT STAGE

Here are some recent shots of the game prototype.  We have moved from a fixed hex-based board to a modular system with eight heavy mats with double-sides. Each 8"x 8" mat has star systems, planets and other information. The Playing pieces are 1" square full color heavy cardboard chits.

Above are individual Troop unit types

Here's a peek at the various ship types in the game.

Above are four of the  8"x 8" mats assembled together. Each mat represents a Sector in the game. Players assign Admirals to Sectors and Fleets.

Here are two examples of playing pieces on the Sector mats.  Jump routes connect star systems. White dashed lines are normal Jump Routes, while Green are Nebula Routes and slow movement. Red Jump Routes are in hazardous territory and ships can be destroyed. Each ship type has different movement allowances. Troops are placed on planets which are three types: Earthlike, Barren and Hostile.

BATTLE FOR GALLION'S REACH: FLEETS!

PLAYTESTING RESULTS

The revised version of Battle for Gallion's Reach we call "FLEETS!" has been undergoing playtesting and it is ready to go market. The manual and some of the cards need updating and then it's a "go". The game plays faster, smoother and is more fun. By replacing the cumbersome combat rules the game feels right now. Here are some photos of the game in play.

STAR FLEET ADMIRALS continued...

THE CARD-DRIVEN MECHANIC

So far we've learned that players assign Admirals to Fronts who use their Command ratings to order commands to the forces under their control and while they move fleets and troops around on the board via Normalspace or Higherspace, what mechanic is used to regulate what players actually DO?

The answer is "Command Cards".

Command Cards are the means by which players take actions in the game. An "action" is anything that involves moving fleets, constructing things, making attacks, etc. Players select which Front Admiral to assign to a Front and this admiral has a rating that determines the maximum number of Commands that can be played on a turn by that Admiral.

Some Command Cards give the player the opportunity for two Front Admirals to move one Combat Fleet apiece, while some allow the player to construct stations, fleets, sensor grids, etc. Playing Command Cards is how the game is played and judicious use of these cards will help determine who wins.

 

COMMAND CARDS

The number of cards a player can keep in his hand is determined by the number of Star Bases on the game board. Star Bases represent Command & Control centers where Front Admirals and their staffs operate from. Each Star Base allows the player to hold three cards. Each Admiral has a Command rating or 1-4. So If a player has two Star Bases he can hold six cards in hand maximum and play 1,2,3 or 4 Command Cards on that turn. the Admiral's rating determines how many Commands can be given to that Admiral that turn. Think of Command cards as "Orders" from supreme command (the player) being passed down to subordinates. 

When the Command Card Deck has been entirely played-through it is re-shuffled and players can continue drawing from it.

In the next blog we will discuss combat mechanics...

STARFLEET ADMIRALS Continued

 

 The Game Board & Movement

In the last blog segment I covered the Admirals and how they influence and control the play of the game. In this segment I'll be covering the nature of the game board - including terrain -  and movement.

The Board

 The board is actually eight 10"x16" heavy card stock mats placed adjacent to one another. This reduces cost significantly. The white lines you see on the board are the seams of these sections. the gaming board has red and blue on opposite edges that represent the starting areas or "controlled" area of the board by either faction. In most scenarios the Empire starts along the red edge while the Federation starts along the blue edge, but there are plenty of scenarios where forces from one of both sides are scattered on the board at start. In terms of supply, communication and reinforcements, the board edges determine where these things come from. The board is divided into three Fronts A, B & C  that stretch from the blue to the red edges. On both edges of each front is a Front Admiral card space where players place assigned Front Admirals. Three for each faction's front.
The board is a star field and a hexagon pattern overlaid upon it. The hex field is to control movement of fleets and troops and for placing space terrain and star systems.
When players move fleets across the game board they count hexes since each fleet has a movement allowance limit.

Movement

Fleets have a 2 to three hex movement limit each game turn. there are two ways for starship fleets to move: via Normalspace (with the 2-3 hex limit) and Higherspace using star gates which allow fleets to move instantly from one stargate to another location with or without a stargate.

A GAS GIANT PLANET

Fleets have a movement range limit that's not arbitrary but based upon fuel consumption. Starships require deuterium gas to operate their engines. In order for starship fleets to move up to 2 or 3 hexes they need to refuel with this deuterium and there are two ways to acquire it. Ships can scoop it up from massive gas giant planets or from Depot Stations. Fleets cannot move if they cannot refuel at their destination. Only gas giants and depots can handle fleet refueling, not star bases or fleet docks. This makes star systems with gas giants and depots critical in moving star fleets and winning the game. Admirals can play certain cards that allow them to buy and build Depots but there aren't that many cards and they are only in hand a few times in a  game, so players need to not be profligate in constructing these stations. Also, they can be easily destroyed by enemy ships. Only gas giant planets cannot be destroyed. So most combat will occur along close star systems with gas giant planets.

STAR DEPOT

The other way fleets move is through star gates. Players have admirals build star gates on star systems. This is where fleets enter and leave Higher space. However, fleets entering a star gate can attempt to leave Higherspace at any space hex but at a potential cost. The fleet can be damaged, destroyed and/or wind up off course and floating in open space and no way to be refueled. Star systems with star gates are valuable because star gates are so incredibly expensive to build. Those that exist must be protected - just as much as Depots.

So that's how movement is planned to be in the game. Next up, we'll describe the space terrain such as star systems, nebulae, etc. and how they affect game play.

STAR FLEET ADMIRALS FIRST LOOK

While we are getting BattleForce Saturn reviewed and Battle for Gallion's Reach: Fleets! polished into it's final, streamlined form, we are pushing ahead with the Star Fleet Admirals game concept.

A GAME I WANT TO PLAY

 This is a game I've wanted to play for a very, very long time. I grew up on war games and love them, but so many of them are incredibly complex and time consuming., it is hard to find the time anymore to sit down, learn and play one. My favorite war games always involved strategy of some type but there were few, if any, science fiction-based strategy war games available that weren't so complicated and time-consuming that it took weeks to learn the rules and days to play one.

But lately, I have been playing newer war games designed to eliminate the complexity and time to play and still provide the enjoyment. One such game, Memoir 44, is especially fun with quite simple rules (that can be made more complex by after-market add-ons to the game) and relatively short playing times (2 hours max). That allows me to also have a life and still enjoy this particularly fun hobby. I wish there were more such games, but it seems that either they  are too complex or too ridiculously simple.

 

Memoir '44 game

When it comes to a war game, I want to be able to enjoy the flavor of leading armies into battle without so much detail that the "game" gets lost. Rules should not overpower the "game". I also wanted to play a strategy game that simulated interstellar warfare on a strategic level. Finding no such game on the market that had both qualities, I realized that if ever wanted to be able to play it, I'd better create it!!!

 

STAR FLEET ADMIRALS

STAR FLEET ADMIRALS is that game.

I wanted seven things that the game must have:
1) Simplistic, straight-forward play and yet enough detail to keep it interesting.
2) Streamlined way of simulating command and control at the "Operational" level (as opposed to Grand Strategic or Tactical) scope of play (D-Day would be "operational" versus the entire war in Europe as Grand Strategic and individual tank battles as Tactical).
3) Abstracted and yet interesting ship and ground combat
4) An interesting and challenging movement/command/supply mechanic
5) Quick pacing
6) Plenty of options for strategy planning but with some randomness and simplicity involved.
7) A genuine "war game" without economics or technology research getting in the way. Just pure strategy.

In essence, I wanted a game I could feel was detailed and meaty but was in fact rather simple and streamlined. Something between RISK (simple) and World In Flames (incredibly complex) , for example.Rather than creating just another move-and-shoot war game, I wanted to force players to make tough choices and consider things like supply lines, defending critical assets, power projection within a battlefield, economy of force, and achieving a clear and narrow victory condition or set of conditions. It would have to be a 2-player game, as any more players would severely complicate play and extend play time.

In STARFLEET ADMIRALS, players take on the roles of Supreme Commanders for both sides with a pool of admirals under their command.

Admirals 

 The heart of the game is the unique command and control mechanic that involves actual admiral characters. All admirals start the game in different ranks and have two values that change with promotion to a higher rank - Command and Initiative. The board comes with three delineated sections or "fronts" that require an admiral to command anything in it. Admirals are also required to move and fight with Fleets. Fleet Admirals are always of a lower rank than Front Admirals. Front Admirals use their Command Rating, while Fleet Admirals use their Initiative Rating. So all admirals have only 2 values. This keep things simple.
Some admirals can advance through four ranks to the very top, but in many cases, their values change as they are advanced. Some are better are lower ranks and others shine at higher. Some are better suited to Fleet command while others are better in managing an entire Front. Each admiral has a specific name and a picture so that players get the bonus of immersion. Lower-ranked admirals cannot command higher-ranked ones, so sometimes players will have to settle for less-than-optimal admirals in front command so the better ones can lead a fleet, etc. Thus is the nature being a supreme commander. Just ask President Lincoln how tough an assignment that can be!
Fleets do not move without an admiral in command of the fleet. Nothing moves or is done in a Front without a Front Admiral in command. So admirals make the game actually "play". Admirals can also be killed or wounded if the fleet they were commanding is destroyed in battle, and while there may be up to 20 admiral on each side, there are only a few on each side that are really exceptional!
Players may also choose to demote an admiral, but doing so can cause a loss of victory points - reflecting the political consequences of demoting popular commanders!

Next blog I will cover the game board and movement mechanics! :-)