Re: (TFT) (SFB)

[pvk@oz.net]

Ya. They made yet another edition of the rules in the 90's, and I think
are still fiddling with stuff. The computer game series "Starfleet
Command" was based on it (SFC and SFC 2 more than SFC 3), and there's a
roleplaying system set in that version of the Star Trek universe, and even
a GURPS worldbook version of it (see "Prime Directive").

(I wrote an article comparing SFB to SFC which is at
http://www.wargamer.com/reviews/SFC_SFB/SFC_SFB_PAGE1.asp .)

The Kaufman Retrograde is a theoretically nearly-unbeatable defensive
tactic in SFB. In its classic form, five Federation cruisers (see USS
Enterprise...) line up side to side facing the enemy and move in reverse,
keeping the enemy at long range. They mainly use their photon torpedoes
set with proximity fuses, and concentrate their fire on one enemy ship at
a time. Photon torpedoes have a particularly high average concentrated
damage at long range in this configuration, and the result is they can
often score enough damage at long range while keeping the range long,
while other ships have a very hard time keeping up speed and doing damage
that can really do anything at long range, so that practically any size
force can be defeated if it tries to chase the formation. Some other ships
can have some success with some weapons doing this, but the Fed ships with
photons were the best.

It's impossible to do in SFC because in that computer game they don't let
ships fly backwards (and the photons only fire forwards)...

PvK
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