Description
This article is from the Star Trek Tech
FAQ, by Joshua Bell inexorabletash@hotmail.com with numerous
contributions by others.
53 Gaming Materials p2 (rec.arts.startrek.tech reading list)
Decipher
Licensee 1992 through present.
Decipher makes the Star Trek Collectible Card Game (CCG) and through
its license gets to "fill in some of the details" in the Star Trek
universe that the aired material leaves unanswered in a somewhat
official way. I wouldn't recommend going out and buying packs of the
cards for the sole purpose of seeing what they've decided to label
some class of starship - check the card list on their web site
instead: http://www.decipher.com.
Amarillo Design Bureau / Task Force Games
Article by Euan Holton, with additions by Kasey Chang
The Star Fleet Universe series:
* Star Fleet Battles (SFB) - Tactical starship combat. Each player
control one or more ships which engage in combat. Every single
kind of ship possible is in here, from fighter-shuttles to huge
battleships to Starbases.
* Prime Directive (PD) - Role-playing. Each player controls one
character in an elite team - a "prime team" for the Federation.
The team engages in missions such as commando strikes, hazardous
science operations, and First Contact scenarios. Expansion
materials allow the creation of Klingon and Romulan characters to
of Dagger Team / Praetorian Team members respectively.
* Federation and Empire (F&E) - Strategic level warfare system. Each
player controls one of the political entities and engages in war
against other empires by moving out fleets, allocating resources
and construction, and so on.
Designed by Amarillo Design Bureau (and published by Task Force Games
through 1999, ADB thereafter), these products are loosely based on
TOS/TAS era Trek and extended the background in a very different
direction to what has been since established by the movies and later
series. In this timeline, political and territorial pressures had
erupted into a large and destructive General War, creating lots of
opportunities for scenarios for SFB and PD, and the primary focus for
F&E.
All the TOS favorites are there - Federation, Klingon, Romulan, Gorn,
Tholian, Orion Pirates, Andromedan Invaders (not quite as per "By Any
Other Name" [TOS], though) - with one from TAS (Kzinti), and several
that have been added since, some quite recently.
The background material, because of major discrepancies with TNG+
established material, is definitely not canonical, but contains a lot
of interesting data nonetheless. Those familiar with the work of Franz
Joseph designs (Star Trek Blueprints, Star Fleet Technical Manual)
will find the Federation material heavily influenced by it, with
classes mentioned in the latter work (Tug, Scout, Destroyer and
Dreadnought) appearing. Klingon fans might like to note that John M.
Ford's work - long regarded as definitive amongst fans until TNG
totally changed the basis on which we knew Klingons - figures heavily
in the Klingon nature here.
Interestingly, SFB is based only on Franz Joseph blueprints and other
early material that has entered the public domain (with ADB's
interpretation and additions), not on Star Trek directly - for legal
reasons. They are not licensed for any TNG or later material. They
have their own interpretations of what happened since, called X2
(Second Generation X-ships) but that's out of print and no longer
considered "valid" for SFB play. For r.a.s.tech background, SFB is not
a good source, and is best considered as a parallel universe.
Products include:
Star Fleet Battles
* Basic Set (required minimal rules set with material on Feds,
Klingons, Romulans, Tholians, Orions and Kzinti)
* Advanced Mission (more advanced rules, otherwise More of the Same)
* Modules C1-C4 - New Worlds 1 to 4. Extra races beyond the ones in
Basic Set and Advanced Missions.
* Modules R1-R6 - Books of ship displays for the various races
* Other rules modules on Fighters, PFs (small gunboats carried into
battle on specially designed tenders), Marines, Advanced
Starships, and more.
Prime Directive
* Prime Directive rulebook - basic rules and background material.
I believe expansions are out giving further details on the Federation
and the Klingon Empire.
Federation and Empire
* F&E Deluxe Set.
There are a few expansions to this game as well. As a place for
background material, it is a lot more limited.
Journals
* Captain's Log is the occasional journal of all things SFB and F&E.
* PD is covered by it's own journal.
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