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Squadron Warfare for the 2000s

robject

robject

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Flykiller brought a new insight to my old Panzerblitz wargaming habits: wargames ain't what they used to be. A static map and little cardboard counters just don't cut it nowadays.

So let's look at tabletop wargames in the 2000s; maybe I'll learn a lesson or two.

OK, make that one lesson only. I don't get out much. I did, however, find this game to be pretty neato:

http://www.wizkidsgames.com/pirates/article.asp?cid=40526


Here's what it has going for it:

(1) it's modern
(2) it's freeform
(3) cool graphics
(4) reasonably portable

Suppose this were star systems and squadrons instead of pirate ships and islands.


Or, perhaps someone out there has seen something else that would fit Traveller better. Anyone got any brainstorms?
 
Here's some more of my thoughts on the matter.

I don't see a lot of kids buying pewter minis. I do see them plopping down $4 for an "expansion pack" of fragile, bendy, plastic, constructible pirate ships with uber-cool graphics and simple wargaming rules.

I would, however, prefer not to go the collectible route, and instead keep rather static mixes of stuff in each pack. I suppose that's against marketing strategy, though, isn't it? Sigh.

I think it could be neat to pay $4 for a mini card pack containing two star systems, two "admirals", and eight "squadrons".
 
Looks more like the WotC thing has two ships in it instead of squadrons. But for Traveller, eight ships could be useful (provided they're minis), and if there are rules for them counting as squadrons that'd be even better.
 
It's more Flash Gordon than Spinward Marches but Wizkids has a spaceship game similar to the Pirates CSG game Robject mentioned above.

Find it here: http://www.wizkidsgames.com/rocketmen/


Looks like it wouldn't be too hard to work somehting similar for Traveller, althugh getting a Tigress to scale might prove interesting.


Simon Jester
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Well, as a counterpoint, I think that counters and maps CAN still work...

But not 1/2" counters on 16mm hexes...

1" full color illustrated counters (not dissimilar to BL's) on stands, and 1" hexes. Optional separate-sale minis.

Y'see, some hex and counter games ARE selling. Classic Battletech still does. A bunch of counters on maps stuff is selling from a variety of sources.

Block-games (Blocks with counter data facing the owner only) are also doing fine.

Oh, and the Pirates ships are pretty fragile. Nifty cool, but not sturdy.
 
Ah, glad to hear it. 1" counters and hexes would be nice. Yeah, those pirate ships are very brittle.
 
If you purchase Mongoose Publishings Babylon5 a Call to Arms, you will find a non-hex based fleet battle game with counters of up to 5"s long or more.

You can replace the counters with full pewter mini's if you want but it is not neccessary.

I have played the game and it is alot of fun. I would say that it is one of the better ship combat games on the market today, although not the best.

best regards

Dalton
 
Originally posted by Dalton:
I would say that it is one of the better ship combat games on the market today, although not the best.
Click to expand...
Don't leave us in suspense, then... which one is the best?
 
It all depends upon your assumptions and expectations when it comes to gaming.

I personally have been gaming with a system that I have mentioned to you for a bit (little thread on Traveller5 about fun ship combat) and the ship design is nearly complete.

For commercially available games, battlefleet gothic is good for those who like the ideas of old wooden navy ship battles, while starfleet battles is good for those who like to win by applying some arcane rule from a forgotten supplement.

I have played alot of different space combat games, and I have yet found a system that appeals to every gamer. If a game system existed that appealed to everyone, we would all be playing BRP rules and D20 would never have seen the light of day.

The freely downloadable ww2 water fleet ship combat system is very good (found in the pages of signs and portants - a free pdf magazine from mongoose) as a starship combat variation I have played using the SST rules, adjusted for space.

I also enjoy the full thrust set of rules, but it is not good for new gamers, while the silent death rules from iron crown where alot of fun.

Agents of gaming had a full thrust varient for their line of babylon5 miniatures.

So, which one is best, well, I'm biased, but, most don't have access to that system, but I think I have given enough leads for people to decide for themselves.

best regards

Dalton
 
Dalton fails to mention Federation Commander (SFB Lite), a simplified SFB by the same people. There's a playable sample on-line.

And AoG didn't have a FT Varient, Chameleon Ecclectic did.

AoG's Bab5 Wars was similar to SFB in both rules detail and tactical flavor. It wasn't an SFB Clone, but it appealed well to SFB players, and was often described by ex-SFB players as "SFB Done Right" or similar. (And my name appears in the 1st ed rules... under "Foreign Playtesters"... apparently AoG thought Alaska wasn't part of the United States.)

There is also SLAG! by BTRC, which is very low randomness.

And we also have BAP's Starfight... while it's beer and pretzels level Trek-knock-off, it's pretty darned fun, and highly random.

My favorite? Chameleon Ecclectic's B5 RPG EFSB's FT derivative rules. Good stuff. I like FT.
 
Thanks for the heads up Aramis on the Federation Commander stuff.

I have not played SFB since 82 but I was playing first edition as I picked it up when it was first released.

My first battles where done with combat sheets that where traced and copied on a gestetner (sp?) machine as photocopiers where very rare back then.

I am starting to show my age, not bad for a guy who was supposed to be worm fodder over 20 years ago.

best regards

Dalton
 
Starfleet Commander looks pretty good, but it's a pricey game.

The beauty of the $4 card games is that they're allowance friendly for kids, and gets them playing right away. The real question for this pirate game is what kind of game would you have after $40 (10 packs). With their suggested 30 pt game, I think you'd have a good mix of resources in 3-4 packs.

Also, I don't see the quest for Rare pieces and what not that are trademark of the Collectible Card games.

But the other nice thing is that the game can be played over a lunch table with almost zero set up, making it quite portable. The dark side is all of the little bits of card or plastic that you need to organize or get lost.

I think it would be very interesting to see Mayday perhaps simplified (can it really be simplified?) and someone come out with some "nice" little ship silohuettes to play with.

The really nice mechanic in the pirate game is using the cards to measure and move and figure out LOS. All in one simple handy card. I think that's really clever.

Back in the day, one of the first things that showed up in a Space Gamer for Car Wars was the turning key. That was a must have for game play and a brilliant innovation by the player that dreamed it up. It was one of those interesting oversights that the designers didn't seem to pick up on.

But in the end, at least for me, is while the mechanics look good, it's not clear to me how rich the game play is over time. I don't want to judge it without playing it, because it does have a solid manuever and a decent combat system, even if it's simple. I just don't know how long it will hold it's charm to play.

But overall, very nice. I think if they have it at the local Target, and I remember, I'll pick some packs up and try it out. If nothing else, they may make for interesting desk/office toys.
 
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