Achievement Unlocked: Piss away 40$ and get binder

http://www.facebook.com/SuperflyCircus wrote: OK, I'm pissed. I spend 40$ on "Star Fleet Battles: Captain's Edition" and get the 900,000 page rulebook, unbound. Luckily, I have binders.

I gleefully insert the 900,000 pages into the binder. I plan to teach my 11 year old what REAL starship combat is about. No more light games, no more medium games. You want to piss in the tall grass, prove you're a big dog.

Then I realize that not only do I not have a single hex-map in the house, which is bollocks, I furthermore do not have the chits for playing SFB.

Turns out I really should've bought the Captain's Edition Basic Set, because this big fucking rulebook doesn't have a single SSD sheet in it (can't play), nor does it have a map (can't play), nor does it have the counters (can't play).

But, I can tell you how towing through an atmosphere works.

#EpicFailPete #40BucksDownTheShitter

Why am I so stupid? Was it the drugs?

Several of my close friends got addicted to Starfleet Battles during our teens. Eventually, they moved beyond playing the game to debating the rules themselves for entertainment. They would set up the map for the scenario, have their stuff all laid out on the table, then start battling over rules interpretations. The ultimate victory was the "technical enema." That's when you crush an opponent's stupid interpretation of a rule by quoting another rule, while slowing tracing under each line with your finger for emphasis. Then you triumphantly slam the rule book shut on the table, daring them to look up their interpretation. It's kind of a lawyer meta-game version of Starfleet Battles.

EDIT: So if you played Starfleet like my old friends, you wouldn't really need the hex maps or cardboard tokens.

SuperflyTNT wrote:

http://www.facebook.com/SuperflyCircus wrote: OK, I'm pissed. I spend 40$ on "Star Fleet Battles: Captain's Edition" and get the 900,000 page rulebook, unbound. Luckily, I have binders.

I gleefully insert the 900,000 pages into the binder. I plan to teach my 11 year old what REAL starship combat is about. No more light games, no more medium games. You want to piss in the tall grass, prove you're a big dog.

Then I realize that not only do I not have a single hex-map in the house, which is bollocks, I furthermore do not have the chits for playing SFB.

Turns out I really should've bought the Captain's Edition Basic Set, because this big fucking rulebook doesn't have a single SSD sheet in it (can't play), nor does it have a map (can't play), nor does it have the counters (can't play).

But, I can tell you how towing through an atmosphere works.

#EpicFailPete #40BucksDownTheShitter

Why am I so stupid? Was it the drugs?

yeah well I bought Fortune and Glory new because it looked EPIC! But...not so much. And I was warned! You're not alone dewd.

I'm thinking of buying this for $35. Is it fun?

Is it anything to do with Lou Zocchi? I seem to remember buying a version of this in the late 1970's.

I see it can be played via email and stuff so maybe I'm up for it. Complexity doesn't bother me. I do play ASL ... can't be harder than that!!

ThirstyMan wrote: I'm thinking of buying this for $35. Is it fun?

Is it anything to do with Lou Zocchi? I seem to remember buying a version of this in the late 1970's.

I see it can be played via email and stuff so maybe I'm up for it. Complexity doesn't bother me. I do play ASL ... can't be harder than that!!

I prefer Starfire to SFB, but mostly because I started with starfire back in the "task force pocket game" days. Both have achieved "ASL in Spaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaace" status as far as the rules go. SFB is far more sprawling than Starfire and it allows you to get into Star Trek land, whereas Starfire is a different sort of universe altogether. Starfire is a bit more self-contained, though.

I miss Silent Death as far as tactical space combat rules go. It was the "GDW ruleset" or "Car Wars in Space" of the genre...

ThirstyMan wrote: I'm thinking of buying this for $35. Is it fun?

Is it anything to do with Lou Zocchi? I seem to remember buying a version of this in the late 1970's.

I see it can be played via email and stuff so maybe I'm up for it. Complexity doesn't bother me. I do play ASL ... can't be harder than that!!

SFB is fun if you have time. I'm considering paying the $ to get an www.sfbonline.com/index.jsp account so I can play other people over this thing I hear is called "the internet" lol.

I really like SFB, always have, and this is the third time in my life I've owned the rulebook. Dogmatix has it right, too - before the revisions there were some serious nerdcore rap battles made about rule interpretations. I hear it's much tighter now.

This is not the Zocchi "Star Fleet Battle Manual" which was an epic fail, this is Star Fleet Battles (or Star Fleet Universe) from Amarillo Design Bureau, back in 1979.

And yes, it's ASL in space, but infinitely more complex and time consuming. I remember playing this at 14 with a buddy and it literally took 4 days to play a 3 on 3 skirmish. Back then we were into "no retreat" so it lasted 2 days longer than it should've.

Federation Commander is much better for multiple ships. SFB really should've been called Star Ship Battles because if it's more than one on one, or two on two (4 players) it's a nightmare.

I still say for a medium-weight skirmisher that has all the aspects of FEDCOM but none of the bullshit, A Call To Arms: Star Fleet is the best out there. Review to follow whenever I can.

Is this sfbonline still actually running?

Looking at the spec, it doesn't seem to be being updated too much (screen res of 800 x 600 etc etc). I can't find out, from the pisspoor webpage, how much it actually costs. Monthly subs seem a bit much just for a kind of VASSAL interface. Also, I'm a bit worried with the min internet connection speed of 28.8 kbps:)

Making me think this is not being updated at all.

Tried downloading their java app for this but my system wouldn't run it.

Cost is $60/yr which seems a lot if no fucker is actually using it....

They have 15$/3 months subscriptions, but I think you're right...maybe VASSAL has a module.

Either way, if you get the captain's basic set, let me know. I'll totally play you by email. I've got the space to leave a map up for a month, chits and all.

Doh, yea, Federation Commander is the "takes you into Star Trek realm" game from ADB. Brain fart on my part...

As for SFB online, the client claims to have been updated on 2012/04/01, which does seem to indicate it's still being used.

SuperflyTNT wrote: They have 15$/3 months subscriptions, but I think you're right...maybe VASSAL has a module.

Either way, if you get the captain's basic set, let me know. I'll totally play you by email. I've got the space to leave a map up for a month, chits and all.

After doing a bit of research it appears the company are being assholes and blocking all VASSAL development. I really do not think that charging a monthly subscription to play SFB is the way to go. I despise companies that do this for the petty cash that monthly subscriptions bring in compared to new players prepared to buy your shit IF they can play online for free.

Decision Games tried this by exclusivly licensing SPI games to some asshole monthly subscription outlet (HexWar.com) who try to charge $120/yr to play SPI games. I just can't believe it is actually worth all the bad feeling engendered.

GMT realised this years ago. Gamers are a tiny minority of spenders on the net and pirate gamers (talking boardgamers here) are an even smaller subset. Looks to me that some companies just believe that they are bigger than they are, while trying to suck every last dollar from genuine gamers/collectors.

Fuck ADB and Steve Cole can suck my dick.

I totally agree with you Thirsty regarding companies being idiots when the refuse to allow their games to be played over VASSAL and that's 10x more for wargames.

In my experience, the few times I have played a game over vassal that I did not own, if it turned out I liked it, I went out and bought it anyway. I think most wargamers are like that.

Wow Thirsty...ever since TWKIL cut you off, you've gotten B-I-T-T-E-R!

Anyhow, there's a nice alternative: www.vassalengine.org/wiki/Module:Star_Tr...cal_Combat_Simulator

Star Trek III is there too, which is nice, if you like Star Trek, but from an adventure standpoint. It's like Encouters, but a VERY EARLY precursor.

Star Wars Silent Death is there, which is another good one.

But, one of the best ever is there: Starmada, which is made by the same company, ADB.