This is a great game. If I remember correctly, this game sneaked in the back door of licensing, before the Motion Picture was made. The original Star Fleet technical Manual is the source material for most of what is in this game. It also makes use of material from the animated series, which is how it has the Kzinti (a feline race from Larry Niven's novels) in it. It also has a number of in universe creations which are great. Most Star Trek fans I know dislike the Star Fleet Universe as it does not portray the Federation as an omnipotent benevolent Utopian society. The back ground of the game is mostly between the time of the Four Powers War and the General War. (These wars last years, 20 years for the General War. They are not resolved in a one hour episode.) If you want to stretch the time line, you can even play the war against the Andromedan Invasion. There were hints given about early years and x-ships for future vessels.
Amazing people still have and play it! What a game! I still have the original boxes from the Original SFB and Volume II and Volume III along with shitloads of NEXUS magazine, Capt's log, and Commander's SSD books. Of course I have a more recent Captain's Edition and F&E...crazy. SSD = "Ship's Systems Display" by the way...! :D
Apologies for the bad scratchy sound. Using an old mic and I had it placed too close. I redid vid with better mic th-cam.com/video/ZpwpiDAbQG0/w-d-xo.html
Well since they pretty much got stiffed out of any profits from SFC 1, 2, 3 they are rather disinclined too. You will have to settle for the online board game versions on vassalengine.org and sfbonline.com
I've read the rules. While the increase move opportunity vs fire opportunity is interesting, the reduction of tactical richness via the sealed EA now being open is not to my liking. I would have preferred changing the per turn based actions into X number of impulses before you could do it again timing. That said all the materials were made in a way they could still be used for full SFB.
This game takes place in the trek universe but there are star Wars ships Battle star Galactica ships and so on that you can find on the web to download print and play. They are hard as hell to find but worth it. A great way to do cross over battles.
Had to keep checking the date this was posted. I didn't think anybody played SFB any more. I started playing around 1984, but haven't played for years. I have been working on a computer program to help play the game- I call it the controller program. Almost done with it; it's a simple text-based, menu-driven assistant. But it runs on Windows XP or 98. If I can finish it, would you be interested in testing it out for me?
ho2zoo Yes it's still being printed/produced and played. The fact it's based on Trek is a bit of a hindrance but it is still an effective game system. For instance some people have adapted it for wet navy ship combat, for BSG etc.. There is already an electronic version SFBOL (sfbonline.com). If you are developing something I recommend you make it available to tablets. You will need to make it for generic gaming and provide template examples how users can input their own SSDs and charts to avoid ADB's copyright. Similar to Vassal. I'm a linux user. I don't think anyone with an IQ over 60 still uses XP except in an offline environment,
spammeaccount I'm a little insulted about the 'IQ over 60' comment- I've never had it tested, but I like to think my IQ is higher than 60. I use XP because all my software runs under it. It does what I need. I think you misunderstood though. What I've written is not a computer version of SFB, it's not a video game, there are no SSDs displayed, no explosions on the screen. It guides the players through each phase of the game, telling them what they can do and when. It runs through the 32 impulses and tells each ship (and shuttle, and drone, and monster) when they can move. It rolls the dice and looks up the damage from the weapon tables taking into account the range, ECM, ECCM, sensor damage, scanner damage, cloaked ships, erratic maneuvering, etc. It can go through the Damage Allocation procedure. It does a lot of the mundane chores and helps move the game a little faster. Each player still fills out a paper Energy Allocation sheet and SSD. They still move the counters (or miniatures) on a map. But they don't have to look up and calculate quite so many numbers on charts. I think it's very amazing! (of course, I'm a little biased). And I will probably give it away for free, just to help other SFB players.
This is a TACTICAL simulator. Strategic involves movement between planetary systems, resource management, transport of cargo and resources, building of ships and the costs, monetary and resources. SSD = Ship Status Display.
Yep, it's a really old vid and most of my brain was concentrating on the primitive tools I was using. FnE would be strategic level SFB would be tactical level.
1979 Stanford Psychiatry had a portly employee with a moustache introduce the ziplock version of the game to me. The following year or the year after I got the deluxe box edition, but didn't know how to play until a coup[le years later. I've not liked the direction of the game, its development, and it's gotten more complicated as opposed to purely creative. I think a lot of that is by design. Which is too bad, because that means the game is screening device as opposed to a game with new expanding fiction. Come Expansion 2 it lost nearly all Trek flavor. I dumped my Commanders and Captain's editions into the recycle bin. I still wish I could have played some of the fan made stuff posted in the 90s. Oh well.
Yes, made do with the old crappy microphone I had. I'm not investing cash into a hardware or a youtube channel that doesn't qualify for monetisation and whose watchers over 4 years have donated ?$4? According to socialblade if I were monetised I would have made a whole $168 bucks by now, but I'm not and SFB is an extremely tiny niche of game players. You'll notice almost all my recent vids are more scifi and blender related. Other hobbies are getting my youtube attention for now. So apparently my SFB content really sucks or the player base doesn't value the vids.
![[LIVE] : ONE ลุมพินี 85 | คู่เอก "ยอดเหล็กเพชร vs ผึ้งหลวง"](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Qq_19bnnxEo/mqdefault.jpg)
This is a great game. If I remember correctly, this game sneaked in the back door of licensing, before the Motion Picture was made. The original Star Fleet technical Manual is the source material for most of what is in this game. It also makes use of material from the animated series, which is how it has the Kzinti (a feline race from Larry Niven's novels) in it. It also has a number of in universe creations which are great.
Most Star Trek fans I know dislike the Star Fleet Universe as it does not portray the Federation as an omnipotent benevolent Utopian society. The back ground of the game is mostly between the time of the Four Powers War and the General War. (These wars last years, 20 years for the General War. They are not resolved in a one hour episode.) If you want to stretch the time line, you can even play the war against the Andromedan Invasion. There were hints given about early years and x-ships for future vessels.
Amazing people still have and play it! What a game! I still have the original boxes from the Original SFB and Volume II and Volume III along with shitloads of NEXUS magazine, Capt's log, and Commander's SSD books. Of course I have a more recent Captain's Edition and F&E...crazy.
SSD = "Ship's Systems Display" by the way...! :D
did this from 82 to ever, loved it SSD is ship system display, took hours to play but was a blast
Apologies for the bad scratchy sound. Using an old mic and I had it placed too close.
I redid vid with better mic th-cam.com/video/ZpwpiDAbQG0/w-d-xo.html
I always describe it as"ship to ship combat in the Star Trek Universe"
Other than starfleet command, I really wish they would make a good current version for computer.
Well since they pretty much got stiffed out of any profits from SFC 1, 2, 3 they are rather disinclined too. You will have to settle for the online board game versions on vassalengine.org and sfbonline.com
SFB Addict Have you tried Federation Commander yet?
I've read the rules. While the increase move opportunity vs fire opportunity is interesting, the reduction of tactical richness via the sealed EA now being open is not to my liking. I would have preferred changing the per turn based actions into X number of impulses before you could do it again timing. That said all the materials were made in a way they could still be used for full SFB.
Hoping to make it to Schenectady NY this month to play this game for the first time in decades.
This game takes place in the trek universe but there are star Wars ships Battle star Galactica ships and so on that you can find on the web to download print and play. They are hard as hell to find but worth it. A great way to do cross over battles.
You can also just make your own but you gotta try to make them balanced.
Had to keep checking the date this was posted. I didn't think anybody played SFB any more. I started playing around 1984, but haven't played for years. I have been working on a computer program to help play the game- I call it the controller program. Almost done with it; it's a simple text-based, menu-driven assistant. But it runs on Windows XP or 98. If I can finish it, would you be interested in testing it out for me?
ho2zoo Yes it's still being printed/produced and played. The fact it's based on Trek is a bit of a hindrance but it is still an effective game system. For instance some people have adapted it for wet navy ship combat, for BSG etc..
There is already an electronic version SFBOL (sfbonline.com).
If you are developing something I recommend you make it available to tablets.
You will need to make it for generic gaming and provide template examples how users can input their own SSDs and charts to avoid ADB's copyright. Similar to Vassal.
I'm a linux user. I don't think anyone with an IQ over 60 still uses XP except in an offline environment,
spammeaccount I'm a little insulted about the 'IQ over 60' comment- I've never had it tested, but I like to think my IQ is higher than 60. I use XP because all my software runs under it. It does what I need. I think you misunderstood though. What I've written is not a computer version of SFB, it's not a video game, there are no SSDs displayed, no explosions on the screen. It guides the players through each phase of the game, telling them what they can do and when. It runs through the 32 impulses and tells each ship (and shuttle, and drone, and monster) when they can move. It rolls the dice and looks up the damage from the weapon tables taking into account the range, ECM, ECCM, sensor damage, scanner damage, cloaked ships, erratic maneuvering, etc. It can go through the Damage Allocation procedure. It does a lot of the mundane chores and helps move the game a little faster. Each player still fills out a paper Energy Allocation sheet and SSD. They still move the counters (or miniatures) on a map. But they don't have to look up and calculate quite so many numbers on charts. I think it's very amazing! (of course, I'm a little biased). And I will probably give it away for free, just to help other SFB players.
SSD == Ship Systems Display. Captain’s Master Rulebook § A2.1 at page 6.
This is a TACTICAL simulator. Strategic involves movement between planetary systems, resource management, transport of cargo and resources, building of ships and the costs, monetary and resources. SSD = Ship Status Display.
Yep, it's a really old vid and most of my brain was concentrating on the primitive tools I was using. FnE would be strategic level SFB would be tactical level.
1979 Stanford Psychiatry had a portly employee with a moustache introduce the ziplock version of the game to me. The following year or the year after I got the deluxe box edition, but didn't know how to play until a coup[le years later. I've not liked the direction of the game, its development, and it's gotten more complicated as opposed to purely creative. I think a lot of that is by design. Which is too bad, because that means the game is screening device as opposed to a game with new expanding fiction. Come Expansion 2 it lost nearly all Trek flavor. I dumped my Commanders and Captain's editions into the recycle bin. I still wish I could have played some of the fan made stuff posted in the 90s. Oh well.
Can't really hear anything.
Yes, made do with the old crappy microphone I had. I'm not investing cash into a hardware or a youtube channel that doesn't qualify for monetisation and whose watchers over 4 years have donated ?$4? According to socialblade if I were monetised I would have made a whole $168 bucks by now, but I'm not and SFB is an extremely tiny niche of game players. You'll notice almost all my recent vids are more scifi and blender related. Other hobbies are getting my youtube attention for now. So apparently my SFB content really sucks or the player base doesn't value the vids.
SSD=Ship Statistic Diagram maybe??
SSD = Ship System Display