Starship combat games

[tkdguy]

Okay, it's not the HERO system, but this seems to be the most appropriate forum. I was looking at the Starship Combat News forums and found a few free games online. Maybe you'll find them useful.

 

Anteel

 

Laplace, Newton & Lagrange (pdf file)

 

A Sky Full of Ships

[tkdguy]

Re: Starship combat games

 

Here is a link to some free downloads, thanks to Ground Zero Games.

[tkdguy]

Re: Starship combat games

 

The Battleshift game, available as a pdf file.

[L. Marcus]

Re: Starship combat games

 

. . . This "Can't Rep TKD Yet" is getting old.

[tkdguy]

Re: Starship combat games

 

. . . This "Can't Rep TKD Yet" is getting old.

It's the thought that counts, bro!

[Anatosuchus]

Re: Starship combat games

 

Here is a link to some free downloads' date=' thanks to Ground Zero Games.

 

Just to say I've had Full Thrust for many years now, and it's a great system - very simple, and fast-flowing. It has the odd peculiarity but in general works very well.

[tkdguy]

Re: Starship combat games

 

I've been trying to get my friends to try a game of Full Thrust myself.

[Curufea]

Re: Starship combat games

 

I've played quite a few two dimensional spaceship combat games. In general i did find them a bit repetative and boring - because they resembled naval combat games far too much. So then I started looking at three dimensional games. I mean - if I wanted combat on a single plane, why use spaceships at all? Naval games are far more playtested and generally better balanced.

 

Battlestations - my current favourite, isn't really a wargame, more a boardgame. It is two dimensional - but it is co-operative. Which is rare in any game.

 

That being said, the best site I know of for free wargame rules is http://www.freewargamesrules.co.uk which includes quite a few space combat wargames (and even some of those mentioned earlier)

[tkdguy]

Re: Starship combat games

 

I remember seeing a plug for a 3-D starship combat game once. I'll look for it.

[Curufea]

Re: Starship combat games

 

There are a few out there - they all suffer from playability because it is far easier to play in two dimensions, than find play aids to adequately represent three dimensions.

 

However - I highly recommend looking at it. The biggest difference between spaceships and seagoing vessels is their movement in the third dimension. And it is the one difference I am actually interested in simulating in a game. Otherwise it is too much like playing dress-ups with boats or aircraft.

 

Moondragon, Attack Vector:Tatical, Starship

[tkdguy]

Re: Starship combat games

 

Good point, Curufea. I owe you some rep.

 

Edit: I have a few Moondragon miniatures (a squadron of fighters). They look good, but I heard that the game went out of production.

[tkdguy]

Re: Starship combat games

 

Ninja Magic is working on another 3D starship combat game: With Hostile Intent.

[tkdguy]

Re: Starship combat games

 

Okay, this is not a miniatures site. Instead, it's about space warfare.

 

Space Based Warfare

[Curufea]

Re: Starship combat games

 

I think Moon Dragon is no longer published. I have a copy - but I use the miniatures for Battlestations It may be available on eBay or Boardgame Geek.

It used car aerials for height and ball joints for angles. The mechanic there was to have two ships to represent you - you align the second ship in front of the first to determine movement and then remove the first ship.

 

AV:Tactical uses representational blocks for height, trays for angles, hexes for location, and maths for realism.

 

From what I've seen of Spaceship it has the same mechanic as Moon Dragon.

[Old Man]

Re: Starship combat games

 

I think the Saganami Island Strategic Simulator is supposed to opperate on threee dimentions but it is really bookie/mathie.

[Captain Obvious]

Re: Starship combat games

 

As those Full Thrust rules mention, the third dimension isn't really as important in a space combat game as it is in an air combat game. You could label one axis of your game table as up/down in a space game and it won't change jack.

 

I have seen air combat games that went with an north/south up/down orientation rather than a north/south east/west one, to take advantage of different planes' rates of climb and dive. Which really is the main advantage or disadvantage in an aerial dogfight. It was application of climbing/diving tactics that beat the Zero's reputation of invincibility.

[shadowcat1313]

Re: Starship combat games

 

there was a WW2 air combat game called Mustangs and Messerschmidts that used movement stands calibrated in height levels, and 1/72nd scale aircraft kits

the kits are built gear up and fitted for a brass tube to mount on the stands

 

the local gaming shop also hosted the scale modelers group, so we got a lot of crossovers from the modelers, it wasnt a very fast game, but we could have upwards of 20 planes depending on how many stands were available

[Curufea]

Re: Starship combat games

 

I think the Saganami Island Strategic Simulator is supposed to opperate on threee dimentions but it is really bookie/mathie.

It's by the same people as do Attack Vector: Tactical. It uses more simplified rules (hence you can actually do the paperwork necessary for a fleet )

[Curufea]

Re: Starship combat games

 

As those Full Thrust rules mention, the third dimension isn't really as important in a space combat game as it is in an air combat game. You could label one axis of your game table as up/down in a space game and it won't change jack.

 

I have seen air combat games that went with an north/south up/down orientation rather than a north/south east/west one, to take advantage of different planes' rates of climb and dive. Which really is the main advantage or disadvantage in an aerial dogfight. It was application of climbing/diving tactics that beat the Zero's reputation of invincibility.

 

You've obviously never thought about planets, asteroids, missiles, mine fields, formations or arcs of fire/weapon arcs then.

A third dimension affects all of these things to a dramatic and interesting degree.

 

[edit]Hmm, that came out a bit harsh and judgemental. How about "spent the time contemplating the game balance changes that would need to be made for a third dimension"

 

[edit]On a side note, there are some excellent space combat descriptions in the Praxis series of books by Walter Jon Williams. All High-G accellerations and slingshots around planets.

[tkdguy]

Re: Starship combat games

 

Here's a set of rules someone used to modify Full Thrust for his hard SF campaign.

 

His main page is found here.

 

Edit: Seems the author knows Nyrath. Does he post here too?

[Captain Obvious]

Re: Starship combat games

 

You've obviously never thought about planets, asteroids, missiles, mine fields, formations or arcs of fire/weapon arcs then.

A third dimension affects all of these things to a dramatic and interesting degree.

 

To some degree, notionalizing the third dimension oversimplifies some of these concepts, but then again, jogging "up" to avoid a collision isn't much different than jogging "left".

 

I'd actually argue that a third dimension is at least as important in a ground combat game as it is in a space game, if not more so. Wellington's tactics at Waterloo can't be reproduced (well) in two dimensions.

[Brother Jim]

Re: Starship combat games

 

Starmada from mj12 games.

 

the rules are available as a free download, but don't include construction rules.

 

however, the free XL ship construction program is also available on their website.

[Old Man]

Re: Starship combat games

 

I should mention that I really enjoyed playing B5Wars while it was still available. 2D but way fun.

 

They came up with a fleet level game called Turning Point which looks good but I haven't played it yet.

[bigdamnhero]

Re: Starship combat games

 

. . . This "Can't Rep TKD Yet" is getting old.

Got him.

 

Just to say I've had Full Thrust for many years now' date=' and it's a great system - very simple, and fast-flowing. It has the odd peculiarity but in general works very well.[/quote']

Great game. Also simple enough that you can adopt it to support an RPG campaign without turning it completely into a wargame. (BTW, the long-awaited FT v3 is supposedly coming out soon...ish. Supposed to tie together all of the changes from the two Fleet Books and a couple other things. I know a few people on the GZG playtest list who say it looks pretty good.)

 

I think the Saganami Island Strategic Simulator is supposed to opperate on threee dimentions but it is really bookie/mathie.

That's my understanding as well - it was described to me as being a great simulator, but not much of a game per-se. Haven't tried it myself yet, tho.

 

Here's a set of rules someone used to modify Full Thrust for his hard SF campaign.

Ooooo! Hadn't seen that one yet - thanks!

 

Edit: Seems the author knows Nyrath. Does he post here too?

Heck, Everybody knows Nyrath!

 

Seriously, Nyrath is also active on the GZG Mailing List; Keith posts over there as well. (Don't know if he's here too or not.)

[Captain Obvious]

Re: Starship combat games

 

Any sci-fi fan (especially sci-fi gamers) who hasn't heard of Nyrath is sadly under-internetified. His was one of the first websites I ran into when I first logged in to the www. I remember spending WAY too much of my sleepy-time reading about turning a starmap into a night sky....