1
The Showcase / Dystopian Wars Oil Rigs
« on: April 13, 2020, 08:00:24 pm »
From my "Stay at Home" painting thread, here is the finished product. Just one rig so far, but I plan to do more soon, so watch this space!
Have model ships, will game.
News:
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2
General Discussion / Computational Power and Naval Warfare
« on: April 02, 2020, 08:41:42 pm »
Interesting article on Ars Technica about computational power (or lack thereof) and naval battles.
https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2020/03/how-analog-computational-power-shaped-naval-battles-in-both-world-wars/?comments=1
https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2020/03/how-analog-computational-power-shaped-naval-battles-in-both-world-wars/?comments=1
3
The Shipyard / Stay-at-home Painting
« on: April 01, 2020, 12:18:22 am »
I hope all of you out there are safe and practicing your social distancing! During this time where most of us are home a lot more, hopefully we all have time to whittle down the pile of unpainted models. Figured I'd get this thread started to see what everyone is working on.
For me, I'm working on finishing a Dystopian Wars oil rig that I started a couple years ago and (as usual) never finished:
So...anyone working on anything interesting?
For me, I'm working on finishing a Dystopian Wars oil rig that I started a couple years ago and (as usual) never finished:
So...anyone working on anything interesting?
4
News and Rumors / New War Rocket fleet!
« on: October 24, 2019, 09:58:18 pm »
Our friends over at Hydra Miniatures have debuted a new fleet for War Rocket!
http://www.hydraminiatures.com/
I’ve been thinking about getting into this game for a couple of years but I keep getting distracted by other gaming subjects (cough starwarslegion cough). I know we have a few players out here along the Front Range. Any other players out there in MBS land?
http://www.hydraminiatures.com/
I’ve been thinking about getting into this game for a couple of years but I keep getting distracted by other gaming subjects (cough starwarslegion cough). I know we have a few players out here along the Front Range. Any other players out there in MBS land?
5
News and Rumors / Star Wars: Armada new ships and campaign
« on: August 21, 2019, 11:27:16 pm »
Couple recent news items from FFG regarding Star Wars: Armada...
https://www.fantasyflightgames.com/en/news/2019/8/20/take-command-of-the-fleet/
https://www.fantasyflightgames.com/en/news/2019/8/1/a-new-age-of-battle/
Couple new ships and a new campaign system. Looks pretty cool! Really need to try this game out sometime.
https://www.fantasyflightgames.com/en/news/2019/8/20/take-command-of-the-fleet/
https://www.fantasyflightgames.com/en/news/2019/8/1/a-new-age-of-battle/
Couple new ships and a new campaign system. Looks pretty cool! Really need to try this game out sometime.
6
News and Rumors / Spam on the forum, 21 Aug 19
« on: August 21, 2019, 10:23:16 pm »
All-
We're aware of the spammers hitting the forum of late. Apologies if anyone was offended by the frankly disgusting images in some of the posts. I'm working to fix the issue. Please continue to report and I'll keep a close eye on it going forward. Also, apologies in advance if I accidentally ban and/or delete accounts of any legitimate MBS forum members. If this happens, please contact me at landlubber@manbattlestations.com.
Landlubber
We're aware of the spammers hitting the forum of late. Apologies if anyone was offended by the frankly disgusting images in some of the posts. I'm working to fix the issue. Please continue to report and I'll keep a close eye on it going forward. Also, apologies in advance if I accidentally ban and/or delete accounts of any legitimate MBS forum members. If this happens, please contact me at landlubber@manbattlestations.com.
Landlubber
7
News and Rumors / Stellaris coming to the tabletop...
« on: June 03, 2019, 09:42:02 pm »
TTCombat is apparently going to make a Stellaris tabletop game. See video below for the relatively few details we have so far...
https://www.beastsofwar.com/liveblogentry/ryan-talks-about-whats-new-for-ttcombat/
https://www.beastsofwar.com/liveblogentry/ryan-talks-about-whats-new-for-ttcombat/
8
Halo: Fleet Battles / Halo: Fleet Battles at KoboldCon 2019
« on: April 28, 2019, 04:48:09 pm »
Along with forum member Quickdraw's help, I ran a large game of Halo: Fleet Battles at KoboldCon 2019 in Colorado Springs yesterday.
I opted for a variation on the "Firefight" scenario that Spartan released in one of the updates for the game. In my scenario, a Punic-class supercarrier and a CAS assault carrier (Quickdraw's model) are parked on either side of a Forerunner station complex, and have called for reinforcements. I built four battlegroups for each side and assigned them specific orders and deployment instructions.
I wasn't sure how the game would play out, but my goal was for all the players (half of whom had never played the game) to roll lots of dice and blow up lots of ships. And, that's about what we got!
The UNSC players were able to deliver two Spartans to the CAS...after a couple of "stalemate" boarding results, the Spartans were able to cause a critical core breach in the forward section of the massive vessel, and then moved on to the mid-section, where they caused a second critical core breach a few turns later--although one of them was killed in the process. I had this image in my mind of the two Spartans going through the CAS like Captain America on the Lemurian Star in "Winter Soldier".
Meanwhile, the remaining Covenant ships (two CPVs, a supported CCS, and a few SDV corvettes) worked the Punic over from stem to stern, eventually wrecking the forward and rear sections of the supercarrier.
We all had a good time and it was good to see the two massive ships on the table. They acted mostly as objectives and scenery, as they didn't move, but they were able to get a few shots off at the opposing forces.
Thanks to Quickdraw for the use of his CAS and for helping me run the game, and to Dakkar and others for participating.
I opted for a variation on the "Firefight" scenario that Spartan released in one of the updates for the game. In my scenario, a Punic-class supercarrier and a CAS assault carrier (Quickdraw's model) are parked on either side of a Forerunner station complex, and have called for reinforcements. I built four battlegroups for each side and assigned them specific orders and deployment instructions.
I wasn't sure how the game would play out, but my goal was for all the players (half of whom had never played the game) to roll lots of dice and blow up lots of ships. And, that's about what we got!
The UNSC players were able to deliver two Spartans to the CAS...after a couple of "stalemate" boarding results, the Spartans were able to cause a critical core breach in the forward section of the massive vessel, and then moved on to the mid-section, where they caused a second critical core breach a few turns later--although one of them was killed in the process. I had this image in my mind of the two Spartans going through the CAS like Captain America on the Lemurian Star in "Winter Soldier".
Meanwhile, the remaining Covenant ships (two CPVs, a supported CCS, and a few SDV corvettes) worked the Punic over from stem to stern, eventually wrecking the forward and rear sections of the supercarrier.
We all had a good time and it was good to see the two massive ships on the table. They acted mostly as objectives and scenery, as they didn't move, but they were able to get a few shots off at the opposing forces.
Thanks to Quickdraw for the use of his CAS and for helping me run the game, and to Dakkar and others for participating.
9
Halo: Fleet Battles / Halo: Fleet Battles at Adepticon 2019
« on: April 07, 2019, 10:24:51 pm »
I was fortunate to be able to play in a few games of Halo: Fleet Battles in the tournament at Adepticon this year. It was great to meet some of the other players from the HFB Facebook group. These guys really pulled together and did a great job putting on the tournament, and there were some great models on display.
10
DWCO / Dystopian Wars Day
« on: March 22, 2019, 11:04:00 pm »
So I’ve gotten to play a few games of Dystopian Wars here recently and I forgot how much I enjoy the game. I know there are several of us in the area who still play or still have fleets. I was thinking we could get together for a Dystopian Day? Maybe take a Saturday and play a mini escalation league...600, 900, and 1200-point games or something like that.
I’ve got Adepticon next weekend and April is pretty crazy for me, and I know that some of us (Dale) need about 60 days’ notice for scheduling games.
. So...what do you guys think? Maybe a day in May or June?
I’ve got Adepticon next weekend and April is pretty crazy for me, and I know that some of us (Dale) need about 60 days’ notice for scheduling games.
. So...what do you guys think? Maybe a day in May or June?
11
Battlestar Galactica - Starship Battles / Apollo vs the AIs
« on: January 01, 2019, 07:45:26 pm »
MarkyMark and I got our second game of BSG-Starship Battles in over the weekend. This time we tried using specific pilots. The game uses some really interesting mechanics when it comes to using pilots (both named an unnamed), and it’s worth going over those mechanics before I tell you how the game went.
In BSG-Starship Battles, you can fly your starfighters with specific pilot cards (named pilots), pilot tokens (unnamed pilots at a specific skill level), or neither (considered to be average pilots). The starter set includes pilot cards for one named Colonial pilot—Lee “Apollo” Adama—and two named Cylon pilots—AI Level 4 and AI Level 5. The named pilots have positive “to hit” modifiers, as you would expect (Apollo’s modifier is +2). There are also pilot tokens included for both factions; in ascending order, they are Nugget, Rookie, Average, Expert, and Ace. The pilot tokens also have “to hit” modifiers commensurate with each pilots’ skill level, from -1 for Nuggets to +2 for Aces.
Additionally, both the named and unnamed pilots can be equipped with “talents” and “flaws”. We haven’t yet played with the flaws; we only tried using the talents in this game. There are four types of talents: Firing, Maneuver, Activity, and Other. Interestingly, the named pilots can only be assigned the specific talents listed on their pilot cards; for example, of the seven Maneuver talents (Resolute Pilot, Evasion, Sharp Reflexes, Daredevil, Nimble Pilot, Dodging, and Exceptional Pilot), Apollo can only be equipped with Daredevil and Sharp Reflexes. Unnamed pilots (pilot tokens) can take a number of talents commensurate with their skill level—Nuggets can take only one talent (of any type), and Aces can take up to five (of any type). Use of named and unnamed pilots, and the number of assigned talents for the unnamed pilots, are either specified by the scenario being played or agreed upon by the opposing players--there are no point values for pilots (named or unnamed) or talents.
Now, there are limitations, and this is where things get interesting. Pilots can only use one talent of each type once per turn (so if a pilot has two Firing talents equipped, only one of the two can be used in each turn). The same talent cannot be used twice in a turn, unless another equipped talent allows you to do so. If the pilot is wounded or severely wounded (critical effects), they can only use a max of two or one talents per turn (respectively), no matter how many are equipped. To make things even MORE interesting, most talents have a finite number of uses; this is listed on the talent card. Each time the talent is used, a token is placed on that talent’s card; when the maximum number of uses is reached, that talent can no longer be used in the game. There are a few talents that have an unlimited number of uses.
In this game, my opponent flew Apollo and an average Colonial pilot against my Level 5 AI and an average Raider pilot (or...AI, I guess?). As you can see from the picture below, my unnamed Raider got waxed pretty early in the game.
A note on the image above: we didn't realize that certain damage tokens only apply to collisions (i.e collisions with asteroids, planetoids, etc). The token with the 12 damage points is one of those collision tokens. However, we didn't know that at the time, so that Raider died pretty quickly!
The next several turns looked something like the picture below (although I took this picture once the Level 5 AI killed the unnamed Colonial pilot):
As I was chasing the Viper, which was oriented almost 180 degrees away from its direction of flight, Apollo was pacing my Raider at close range, firing into it on pretty much every turn. Good tactic on Mark's part, and Apollo was able to eventually close the deal and eliminate the Level 5 AI.
I pulled four "0" damage tokens IN A ROW out of the token bag, much to Mark's frustration. For the last 5 turns of the game the Level 5 AI Raider was hanging on by a wire and a transistor--14 damage points!
Playing with the talents was pretty interesting, and I like that most of them have a limited number of uses. In addition to having to choose which talent to use, this forces more tactical decision-making during the game, and adds a lot of depth.
I also really like the unnamed pilot tokens. With a little planning and coordination, I could see using those cards in a "career progression" campaign, where you start off as a Nugget and progress up the ranks based on surviving engagements and scoring kills. Someone needs to write up a version of the "Heroes of the Aturi Cluster" cooperative X-Wing campaign that can be used in BSG-SB!
We also had our first chance to use the "Tailing" rule in this game; one of my Raiders got in close enough to tail one of the Vipers. However, in this case it didn't help too much because the Viper was rotated away from its direction of travel, limiting my opponent's maneuver choices, but it was still neat to see it in action!
Next time I'll see if we can start incorporating the pilot flaws and elevation changes.
And this game still looks DANG COOL on the table top.
Thanks for reading!
In BSG-Starship Battles, you can fly your starfighters with specific pilot cards (named pilots), pilot tokens (unnamed pilots at a specific skill level), or neither (considered to be average pilots). The starter set includes pilot cards for one named Colonial pilot—Lee “Apollo” Adama—and two named Cylon pilots—AI Level 4 and AI Level 5. The named pilots have positive “to hit” modifiers, as you would expect (Apollo’s modifier is +2). There are also pilot tokens included for both factions; in ascending order, they are Nugget, Rookie, Average, Expert, and Ace. The pilot tokens also have “to hit” modifiers commensurate with each pilots’ skill level, from -1 for Nuggets to +2 for Aces.
Additionally, both the named and unnamed pilots can be equipped with “talents” and “flaws”. We haven’t yet played with the flaws; we only tried using the talents in this game. There are four types of talents: Firing, Maneuver, Activity, and Other. Interestingly, the named pilots can only be assigned the specific talents listed on their pilot cards; for example, of the seven Maneuver talents (Resolute Pilot, Evasion, Sharp Reflexes, Daredevil, Nimble Pilot, Dodging, and Exceptional Pilot), Apollo can only be equipped with Daredevil and Sharp Reflexes. Unnamed pilots (pilot tokens) can take a number of talents commensurate with their skill level—Nuggets can take only one talent (of any type), and Aces can take up to five (of any type). Use of named and unnamed pilots, and the number of assigned talents for the unnamed pilots, are either specified by the scenario being played or agreed upon by the opposing players--there are no point values for pilots (named or unnamed) or talents.
Now, there are limitations, and this is where things get interesting. Pilots can only use one talent of each type once per turn (so if a pilot has two Firing talents equipped, only one of the two can be used in each turn). The same talent cannot be used twice in a turn, unless another equipped talent allows you to do so. If the pilot is wounded or severely wounded (critical effects), they can only use a max of two or one talents per turn (respectively), no matter how many are equipped. To make things even MORE interesting, most talents have a finite number of uses; this is listed on the talent card. Each time the talent is used, a token is placed on that talent’s card; when the maximum number of uses is reached, that talent can no longer be used in the game. There are a few talents that have an unlimited number of uses.
In this game, my opponent flew Apollo and an average Colonial pilot against my Level 5 AI and an average Raider pilot (or...AI, I guess?). As you can see from the picture below, my unnamed Raider got waxed pretty early in the game.
A note on the image above: we didn't realize that certain damage tokens only apply to collisions (i.e collisions with asteroids, planetoids, etc). The token with the 12 damage points is one of those collision tokens. However, we didn't know that at the time, so that Raider died pretty quickly!
The next several turns looked something like the picture below (although I took this picture once the Level 5 AI killed the unnamed Colonial pilot):
As I was chasing the Viper, which was oriented almost 180 degrees away from its direction of flight, Apollo was pacing my Raider at close range, firing into it on pretty much every turn. Good tactic on Mark's part, and Apollo was able to eventually close the deal and eliminate the Level 5 AI.
I pulled four "0" damage tokens IN A ROW out of the token bag, much to Mark's frustration. For the last 5 turns of the game the Level 5 AI Raider was hanging on by a wire and a transistor--14 damage points!
Playing with the talents was pretty interesting, and I like that most of them have a limited number of uses. In addition to having to choose which talent to use, this forces more tactical decision-making during the game, and adds a lot of depth.
I also really like the unnamed pilot tokens. With a little planning and coordination, I could see using those cards in a "career progression" campaign, where you start off as a Nugget and progress up the ranks based on surviving engagements and scoring kills. Someone needs to write up a version of the "Heroes of the Aturi Cluster" cooperative X-Wing campaign that can be used in BSG-SB!
We also had our first chance to use the "Tailing" rule in this game; one of my Raiders got in close enough to tail one of the Vipers. However, in this case it didn't help too much because the Viper was rotated away from its direction of travel, limiting my opponent's maneuver choices, but it was still neat to see it in action!
Next time I'll see if we can start incorporating the pilot flaws and elevation changes.
And this game still looks DANG COOL on the table top.
Thanks for reading!
12
Battlestar Galactica - Starship Battles / First Impressions
« on: December 23, 2018, 08:50:21 pm »
I was finally able to get BSG-Starship Battles on the table today with forum member MarkyMark at Collectormania!
Mark played the dreaded Cylons, while I took the Colonials. We each had two starfighters apiece. We played a basic "slayer" game, each trying to be the first to kill all the enemy starfighters. No terrain, as we needed to get used to how the starfighters moved before we started throwing asteroids and planetoids in the way.
So, a basic overview of the turn phase:
1. Plan ship movement, which involves choosing the correct setting on the ship's control panel and choosing up to two maneuver cards.
2. First movement--each starfighter executes its first planned maneuver. This is simultaneous. Once each starfighter finishes its first planned maneuver, the player has the option of rotating the fighter (if planned on the control panel for that fighter).
3. Attack (optional, but any ships that attack now cannot attack later in the turn). Firing is simultaneous, so it isn't possible to obliterate an enemy starfighter before it shoots back at you (as far as I know).
4. Second movement--each starfighter executes its second planned maneuver (again simultaneous).
5. Attack (only if the fighter did not conduct an attack after the first maneuver) (again simultaneous).
It took us a few repetitions to get the rhythm of the turn, but by the end of the game I feel like we were getting the hang of it.
Basically, you can choose up to two maneuver cards to move each ship in each turn. If you choose two cards, one must be an overboost, which is generally either a straight line or a long 90-degree turn. You don't have to choose two cards; there is a "joker" (blank) card that you can play so that it looks as if you're planning two maneuver cards, thereby bluffing your opponent a bit.
The maneuver cards are hexagonal and are meant to imitate the playing cards used by the characters in the show (you see this in the rebooted BSG, not sure if they were also in the original). The cards aren't very big, so even with two planned maneuvers the fighters aren't moving very far in each turn. To move, you line up the back of the maneuver card with the "0" mark on the front of the base (the "0" is always the direction the fighter is moving), then move the fighter's base to the end point of the maneuver. Most cards will have different "speeds" for each maneuver, and you use whichever speed that corresponds to your current kinetic energy and your chosen speed for this turn. There are some limitations to this which I won't go into here, but basically your fighter will end up in different places and orientations based on how fast you are moving going into the maneuver. (This is where the consoles for each ship come into play).
Then the fun starts...you get to rotate your ships! If you've seen the rebooted BSG series, you'll remember that both the Vipers and the Cylons could spin 360 degrees on their axis in order to fire.
In the picture below, a Viper and a Raider are passing each other and turned 90 degrees so they can both fire on each other. The starfighters are actually moving in the direction of the "0" on their base (the Viper is moving towards the top edge of the picture, and the Raider is moving towards the bottom edge):
You can spin the ships 180 degrees in either direction in a turn. (Actually technically you could spin them up to 360 degrees in a turn, but there would be no point in doing that).
In order to fire on an enemy ship, it has to be in arc and in range. You can see the firing arc in the picture below (look at the Viper's base; it's the wedge shape under the starfighter's nose. The Viper is actually facing backwards in that picture, i.e. the nose is pointed in the opposite direction that the starfighter is moving).
If you look at the Raider's firing arc, it has the Viper dead to rights! (Additionally, that Raider is facing almost 180 degrees away from it's direction of travel--look where the 0 is on the base). There are two range rulers in the starter set, and there is no difference in firing between the Viper Mk II and the Raider. Each starfighter has an attack value; for both fighters in the starter set, the attack value is 6. Range is measured from the center peg of the attacker to the closest point of the defender's base. There is a close, medium, and long range; close range gives +1 to the dice roll, and long range gives -1 to the dice roll. There are other modifiers that can be added on based on the attacker's speed and the defender's speed, but I won't go into that here. If you have a target in arc and range, you roll 2D6 and add the results together, looking to get at or above your starfighter's attack value (after factoring in the modifiers). For fighters with an attack value of 6, if you're shooting at a target in close range, you need a 5+; at long range, you'll need a 7+. If you score a hit, your opponent has to blindly pull a damage token (we had them in a dice bag).
Each starfighter has a structural value (14 for the Viper Mk II and 15 for the Raider). The damage tokens will have a number; when you've drawn enough to equal or exceed that value, the starfighter is destroyed. One of the neat things about this game is that, in addition to pulling blindly from the pool of damage tokens, you do not reveal the amount of damage to your opponent (unless there is a critical effect that requires you to give your opponent information). Some of the damage tokens are 0; the highest is 12. You pull one damage token per hit; if the token has a + sign next to the number, you have to draw another token. These are stacked by that starfighter's control console. So you *could* wax an enemy starfighter in one shot, if your opponent pulled the right (or wrong!) tokens. Conversely, your opponent could pull a few damage tokens that are 0, and you would be none the wiser!
If the starfighter attacks after the first maneuver, you put a marker next to it indicate it can't fire after the second maneuver. After the second maneuver, any starfighters that haven't attacked yet this turn can attack, if they have targets in arc and range.
Then the turn is over, and you go back to planning maneuvers for the next turn!
So, a few initial expressions:
-the starfighters are pre-painted and they are VERY nice!
-the movement and shooting really captures the "feel" of BSG. I LOVE that I can send my Viper Mk II through an engagement completely backward, firing behind it as it goes through!
-movement and firing range are noticeably shorter than that other starfighter game set in a galaxy far, far away. But if you've never played that game, you wouldn't know the difference.
-executing maneuvers is just a bit fiddly; it's very easy to bump either the starfighter base or the maneuver cards when you are moving the fighters.
-there are a LOT of options for movement (21 different movement cards for each starfighter in the starter set), however these are necked down based on your speed and ability to maneuver. So you don't have to choose from all 21 cards every time you plan maneuvers, since not all of them will be available to you in every turn.
Overall--it's a fun game! The movement/maneuver system is probably what will take the most time to learn, however that is also what sets this game apart. Being able to rotate the ships is key, and the mechanic used to change direction while rotated is pretty smart (I didn't really cover that above--this review is running a little long already).
There were a few things we didn't get to try in this game, the biggest of which is the named pilots. The Colonials have Lee "Apollo" Adama, and the Cylons have a level 4 and level 5 AI. Each has it's own strengths and weaknesses, which will help with shooting and maneuvering.
Very much looking forward to getting this on the table again. Thanks for reading!
Mark played the dreaded Cylons, while I took the Colonials. We each had two starfighters apiece. We played a basic "slayer" game, each trying to be the first to kill all the enemy starfighters. No terrain, as we needed to get used to how the starfighters moved before we started throwing asteroids and planetoids in the way.
So, a basic overview of the turn phase:
1. Plan ship movement, which involves choosing the correct setting on the ship's control panel and choosing up to two maneuver cards.
2. First movement--each starfighter executes its first planned maneuver. This is simultaneous. Once each starfighter finishes its first planned maneuver, the player has the option of rotating the fighter (if planned on the control panel for that fighter).
3. Attack (optional, but any ships that attack now cannot attack later in the turn). Firing is simultaneous, so it isn't possible to obliterate an enemy starfighter before it shoots back at you (as far as I know).
4. Second movement--each starfighter executes its second planned maneuver (again simultaneous).
5. Attack (only if the fighter did not conduct an attack after the first maneuver) (again simultaneous).
It took us a few repetitions to get the rhythm of the turn, but by the end of the game I feel like we were getting the hang of it.
Basically, you can choose up to two maneuver cards to move each ship in each turn. If you choose two cards, one must be an overboost, which is generally either a straight line or a long 90-degree turn. You don't have to choose two cards; there is a "joker" (blank) card that you can play so that it looks as if you're planning two maneuver cards, thereby bluffing your opponent a bit.
The maneuver cards are hexagonal and are meant to imitate the playing cards used by the characters in the show (you see this in the rebooted BSG, not sure if they were also in the original). The cards aren't very big, so even with two planned maneuvers the fighters aren't moving very far in each turn. To move, you line up the back of the maneuver card with the "0" mark on the front of the base (the "0" is always the direction the fighter is moving), then move the fighter's base to the end point of the maneuver. Most cards will have different "speeds" for each maneuver, and you use whichever speed that corresponds to your current kinetic energy and your chosen speed for this turn. There are some limitations to this which I won't go into here, but basically your fighter will end up in different places and orientations based on how fast you are moving going into the maneuver. (This is where the consoles for each ship come into play).
Then the fun starts...you get to rotate your ships! If you've seen the rebooted BSG series, you'll remember that both the Vipers and the Cylons could spin 360 degrees on their axis in order to fire.
In the picture below, a Viper and a Raider are passing each other and turned 90 degrees so they can both fire on each other. The starfighters are actually moving in the direction of the "0" on their base (the Viper is moving towards the top edge of the picture, and the Raider is moving towards the bottom edge):
You can spin the ships 180 degrees in either direction in a turn. (Actually technically you could spin them up to 360 degrees in a turn, but there would be no point in doing that).
In order to fire on an enemy ship, it has to be in arc and in range. You can see the firing arc in the picture below (look at the Viper's base; it's the wedge shape under the starfighter's nose. The Viper is actually facing backwards in that picture, i.e. the nose is pointed in the opposite direction that the starfighter is moving).
If you look at the Raider's firing arc, it has the Viper dead to rights! (Additionally, that Raider is facing almost 180 degrees away from it's direction of travel--look where the 0 is on the base). There are two range rulers in the starter set, and there is no difference in firing between the Viper Mk II and the Raider. Each starfighter has an attack value; for both fighters in the starter set, the attack value is 6. Range is measured from the center peg of the attacker to the closest point of the defender's base. There is a close, medium, and long range; close range gives +1 to the dice roll, and long range gives -1 to the dice roll. There are other modifiers that can be added on based on the attacker's speed and the defender's speed, but I won't go into that here. If you have a target in arc and range, you roll 2D6 and add the results together, looking to get at or above your starfighter's attack value (after factoring in the modifiers). For fighters with an attack value of 6, if you're shooting at a target in close range, you need a 5+; at long range, you'll need a 7+. If you score a hit, your opponent has to blindly pull a damage token (we had them in a dice bag).
Each starfighter has a structural value (14 for the Viper Mk II and 15 for the Raider). The damage tokens will have a number; when you've drawn enough to equal or exceed that value, the starfighter is destroyed. One of the neat things about this game is that, in addition to pulling blindly from the pool of damage tokens, you do not reveal the amount of damage to your opponent (unless there is a critical effect that requires you to give your opponent information). Some of the damage tokens are 0; the highest is 12. You pull one damage token per hit; if the token has a + sign next to the number, you have to draw another token. These are stacked by that starfighter's control console. So you *could* wax an enemy starfighter in one shot, if your opponent pulled the right (or wrong!) tokens. Conversely, your opponent could pull a few damage tokens that are 0, and you would be none the wiser!
If the starfighter attacks after the first maneuver, you put a marker next to it indicate it can't fire after the second maneuver. After the second maneuver, any starfighters that haven't attacked yet this turn can attack, if they have targets in arc and range.
Then the turn is over, and you go back to planning maneuvers for the next turn!
So, a few initial expressions:
-the starfighters are pre-painted and they are VERY nice!
-the movement and shooting really captures the "feel" of BSG. I LOVE that I can send my Viper Mk II through an engagement completely backward, firing behind it as it goes through!
-movement and firing range are noticeably shorter than that other starfighter game set in a galaxy far, far away. But if you've never played that game, you wouldn't know the difference.
-executing maneuvers is just a bit fiddly; it's very easy to bump either the starfighter base or the maneuver cards when you are moving the fighters.
-there are a LOT of options for movement (21 different movement cards for each starfighter in the starter set), however these are necked down based on your speed and ability to maneuver. So you don't have to choose from all 21 cards every time you plan maneuvers, since not all of them will be available to you in every turn.
Overall--it's a fun game! The movement/maneuver system is probably what will take the most time to learn, however that is also what sets this game apart. Being able to rotate the ships is key, and the mechanic used to change direction while rotated is pretty smart (I didn't really cover that above--this review is running a little long already).
There were a few things we didn't get to try in this game, the biggest of which is the named pilots. The Colonials have Lee "Apollo" Adama, and the Cylons have a level 4 and level 5 AI. Each has it's own strengths and weaknesses, which will help with shooting and maneuvering.
Very much looking forward to getting this on the table again. Thanks for reading!
13
News and Rumors / Topside Minis holiday sale
« on: December 21, 2018, 12:48:27 am »
Just saw this on their site...15% off through 4 January 2019 (holy cow I can't believe we're at the end of 2018!)
http://topsideminis.com/
http://topsideminis.com/
14
The Showcase / The Painting Year in Review--2018
« on: December 06, 2018, 09:50:39 pm »
Fellow Naval Wargamers!
The end of 2018 is nigh upon us. So, as we've done in the past, let's see what you painted this year! Post up pics of all your naval wargaming-related (finished) projects that you've knocked out this year. Nothing to win but bragging rights, but it's always good to see what the MBS community has done!
The end of 2018 is nigh upon us. So, as we've done in the past, let's see what you painted this year! Post up pics of all your naval wargaming-related (finished) projects that you've knocked out this year. Nothing to win but bragging rights, but it's always good to see what the MBS community has done!
15
Battlestar Galactica - Starship Battles / BSG-SB News
« on: December 05, 2018, 03:53:56 pm »
Figured I'd kick off this sub-forum with some news on the game.
U.S. release date is 10 December, according to Ares. Here are some game-play videos I found on YouTube:
Basic rules: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4uSzP_2E0w
Advanced rules: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SD7hOx8Qa04
I gotta say, after watching the video on the advanced rules, I'm really excited for this game! Three thing that stand out to me initially: hidden damage, "altitude" adjustment, and the "tailing" ability. Should make for some interesting games!
I have the starter set pre-ordered from my FLGS...will post pics and impressions once I get my hands on it, and we'll likely review it on the podcast at some point.
U.S. release date is 10 December, according to Ares. Here are some game-play videos I found on YouTube:
Basic rules: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4uSzP_2E0w
Advanced rules: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SD7hOx8Qa04
I gotta say, after watching the video on the advanced rules, I'm really excited for this game! Three thing that stand out to me initially: hidden damage, "altitude" adjustment, and the "tailing" ability. Should make for some interesting games!
I have the starter set pre-ordered from my FLGS...will post pics and impressions once I get my hands on it, and we'll likely review it on the podcast at some point.