Reviews

The Federation Commander Reference rule book it a truely awesome addition to your FC game. Every rule you need, easy to access. Get the Tactics manual to go with it and you will ROCK the universe. (Or at least you'll know why you lost ;^)...

SFB Tactics Manual
SFB player, why don’t you have this already?! Buy it now, then come back and read my review. It goes like this, I played SFB for years and for years my buddy and I played it wrong. Yeah, I know, who can’t figure out how long a ¼ turn is? The Tactics manual breaks down into a variety of useful subjects and clearly demonstrates how the rules were meant to work and how you can best apply them. It was the Zen moment of my SFB gaming reading this book. There is no point in trying to break down the variety of subjects, but it is a wonderful treatment of our favorite game. Even casual SFB players should pick this up because it provides a gateway into truly learning the game. Roll low!
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Star Fleet Battles Basic Set Review
Star Fleet Battles Basic Set is a fantastic value in gaming. This box set comes with rules, map, charts, ship displays and scenarios. Why do I love SFB over other sci-fi space combat games? Each empire of aliens has its own weapons systems. So while the ships have similar systems (like shields, warp engines, tractor beams, transports and such) they also have unique weapons and therefore tactics. As the Captain of your own starship you must decide how to apply the strengths of your ship against the weaknesses of the enemy. If you try to use one basic strategy against each opponent you will lose your command in short order (oh yes, I have gotten my ship blown out from under me).
The variety of scenarios means that you can go on scientific missions, fight monsters, explore the terrain of space (like asteroids, black holes, and more), play solitaire games, go on rescue missions, do pirate raids and even conduct multi game campaigns.
This game easily converts to using miniatures either on their large hex system or play hex less!
Here’s another strength, the rules are laid out in a logical fashion that facilitate reference during play. Here’s the challenge, figuring out how to start a game. The examples are in there and careful reading will get you there, but why not learn the fun way, by playing! Go get yourself the free Cadet version, use that to teach yourself the basics and then read the SFB rules again and start playing.
I also recommend you pick up the SFB Tactics Manual. I must confess I played for years incorrectly until I read this gem. It’s not just how to beat everybody, but the tried and true advice there demonstrates how the rules are meant to work.
Why SFB and not Federation Commander? I started with SFB (back in the day) and then picked up Federation Commander and now I’ve gone back to SFB. I love and play both, but there is something to be said for the breadth of action you can take in SFB. It’s well balanced after years (and years) of playtesting and refinement. The current version is well written, consistent and fun to play.
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The Kzinti 2400 scale frigate is a great model. While small, it’s a frigate after all, it has great detail. I like that the nacelles and arms. Take a look at the free paint guides. These are very approachable for new painters and add great visual appeal to your games....

Lil smaller than I thought it be but still big enough for my kitbash plans :)

If you are serious about playing Federation and Empire, this is an investment that is worth it.

Key Pros:

4-5 Stacks are easily placed per hex. This allows you a "big picture" perspective without having to reach in and move too many counters around. Knocking stacks over can be fairly annoying.

The provinces are clearly demarcated so figuring "what is what" and exactly what is captured or disrupted is much easier.

Included along the bottom row are helpful items like a battle mat as well as capital hex compositions for easy reference.

If you are serious about picking this up, pay the extra money and get it laminated. This will allow you to mark off bases as destroyed and annotate ownership of provinces without danger of wrecking the map. Also, this map is a pretty significant investment, so a spilled beverage is the LAST thing you want ruining your map.

So, get yourself to a 6 foot folding table or larger and set this guy up. The map that came with the game is fully functional, but if you want the wow factor and ALOT of added convenience, pick this one up. ...