Required rule books

[PaulK]

Hi,

What will be the required "core" rule books that are needed to use the Federation Admiralty rules for Federation Commander when it is released?

(And yes, I know that it is still in pre-pre-release status, just trying to get a jump on all of my friends!!!!)

Thanks.

/Paul

[Charles Lewis]

The intent is to make this a stand-alone product as it will serve as the gateway for future VBAM:FC books. In that regard it will be like the Fire as She Bears edition in that ownership of other VBAM books will not be required.

If you're asking about what FC products you will need to fully utilize the ships included in the first VBAM book, we're not sure yet.

[PaulK]

Even more interesting. I may need to try and enlist my FedCom buddies and try to get on the playtest roster when that opens up. We've got quite a few people locally that play FedCom.

/Paul

[Charles Lewis]

All that said, you won't need FC to resolve combats, but you *will* have the option.

If you're interested in playtesting sign an NDA and send it in, which will get you in on the discussions.

[PaulK]

Sounds good. I'll take a couple of them to my game group tonight (we've got a couple of gung-ho FedCom players at my FLGS).

/Paul

[Shadow Warrior]

I appreciate that it's early days yet, but have you any timescale you are working towards here? I used to run my own SFB PBM campaign but it collapsed under the weight of its own bureaucracy.

I'm really fired up by the idea of this product. I had never heard of VBAM before I saw a mention of it on the SFB forum and I've just bought the core rulebooks to check it out.

[mwaschak]

Thank you for your support everyone! The writing and development is going well, so I imagine we will have some fun topics here soon like shipyards and diplomacy.

At its core it will be very modular so the game, like traditional VBAM, will be as easy or as complicated as the players want.

-Jay

[Shadow Warrior]

Sounds perfect for what I want. I can hardly wait!

[mwaschak]

Hello everyone,

Just to keep you posted with the comings and goings of the Federation Admiral project I thought I could add to this existing thread. So far so good! A big part of my time has been revising and rewriting large sections of the rules.

Federation Admiral as designed will scale to three different sizes of games. There is the grand and regional campaign scales, which are closer to true VBAM with all of the customizations needed for this unique setting. This would be for something like the Four Powers War, or a "start from scratch" campaign.

Then there is the local campaign, which includes operational objectives against your opponent. So the campaign is much more granular, and the players will have to think about the political climate they exist in. Perhaps Starfleet wants to avoid an armed showdown with the Romulans to keep a bad situation from escalating, rush medical supplies to a stranded freighter, or wants an intense survey completed in the New Belgium system. The scope of the campaign changes based on how the players want to play, and all within the framework of the same campaign system.

So right now I am just writing, and testing .

-Jay

[Shadow Warrior]

Thanks, mwaschak, this is very interesting reading indeed. I am virtually beside myself with excitement waiting for this product line to launch.

Do you have any timescales at all in mind? Obviously I'm not asking for a date here and I'm sure you wouldn't give one even if you did (quite rightly) but how about a small clue-ette? This year? Next year?

[mwaschak]

You're welcome. I hope to post more updates as I make progress. At the moment getting the overall concept right, then creating the framework has been the lion share of the work. As well as deciding which features are better left to expansions instead of crammed in the optional rules.

I was actually discussing this earlier with Tyrel and Charlie, but I hope to allow first passes of the book within a month. That will help us identify any major problems or showstopper before we begin internal playtesting. I need to work out the exact details with the gentlemen at ADB, but we are making very steady progress. With how much work is going in to this book each week I would not be surprised if it was written and in solid playtest this Fall. Obviously a lot of things have to happen to make sure it plays right, so it is tough to set an exact date. Once I have a better idea I will let you know for sure. I am sure something official will appear here and at FederationCommander.com too!

-Jay

[Shadow Warrior]

Thanks again for the update. That's most encouraging and good progress being made indeed. Of course, it's always wise to take the time to get the job done right rather than rush something out. I shall be hovering here frequently looking for any tidbits of information!

[mwaschak]

If you guys have time I wouldn't mind discussing some open SFU (non-NDA) issues here, like cruise drones and construction .

-Jay

[Charles Lewis]

IMO, cruise drones should be a one-shot attack purchased when needed. Perhaps dip into the Intel rules for resolution but with a chance for local forces to intercept and reduce damage? Alternatively, the rules I did for Lightning Strikes for the VBAM:Jovian Chronicles book might worth consideration.

[mwaschak]

Yeah, for me cruise drones typically show up as a scenario piece, and not some regular means of attacking another system. When I discussed this with the ADB folks they told me it is about a DN worth of missiles. Still the strategic implications of weapons that can hit far away if fairly important.

I am actually working to put more emphasis on Intel at some points, so it would make sense to me. Of course, a trick only the Klingons, Federation, or Kzinti could pull off.

-Jay