Posted By dmindock on 11/26/2006 5:07 AM
I bought 1 case of boosters and 1 starter and played a bunch of games at Games Comics and Stuff in Glen Burnie this last Saturday and I have a few observations.

First of all the models look good, however it can be hard to tell a star fighter ace from a star fighter.

Initiative and Movement

The winning player always goes last. As the rules are written this in advantageous for the winning player as all ships move at the same time, however, the strategy is so oversimplified that it makes the game boring after a few games.

The round comes down to this

Move fighters to pin enemy fighters

Move larger ships

Launch fighters



Next Player

The initiative phase gives the losing player a huge advantage to pin enemy fighters before the player winning initiative can move them into an advantageous position.

A good example is that fighter bombers get pinned and cannot engage enemy capital ships, ever though that side won initiative because the losing player gets to move his fighters first.

The movement phase is lacking because you cannot move your large ships less than 90 degrees. For a space combat game this is just to oversimplified to be fun after a few games. Most gamers want a game that ships can turn at any angle to a maximum amount.

This rule just needs to go, it destroys the game.

The rule for movement needs to include different speeds for the same class of ships. In the current rules the speed of a ship is determined by its hull size.

So a Hull Size 1 Ship, a Very Large Capital Ship can move 1 space per turn while a Hull Size 4 Ship, a Star Fighter, can move 4 spaces per turn.

This is just too simple, many players were stunned that an interceptor star fighter moves at the same speed a bomber does. Speeds should be different while the ability to turn should be determined by the hull size.

Combat Phase

I liked combat for the most part. I wish that individual shield sections could be hurt individually during combat like in the movies. Also most of the weapons seemed to have a 360 degree arc and had no facing.

Damage Phase

For a basic game the Damage Phase is fine, however some more detail would be nice for an advanced game to make it more interesting.

Command Points

I liked the command points and it added some color to the game.

So in my Conclusion is as follows

Starship battles is a fine game for very young children, however it lacks the complexity for anyone out of high school to be more interesting for more than a few games.

The only answer I can see to correct the problems with the game and to make it playable for any length of time is to redo the rule book or publish an Advanced or Commanders Rule book to make the game more interesting.

See you at Winter Fantasy

Posted By dmindock on 11/26/2006 5:07 AM
1)   The initiative phase gives the losing player a huge advantage to pin enemy fighters before the player winning initiative can move them into an advantageous position. A good example is that fighter bombers get pinned and cannot engage enemy capital ships, ever though that side won initiative because the losing player gets to move his fighters first.

2) The movement phase is lacking because you cannot move your large ships less than 90 degrees. For a space combat game this is just to oversimplified to be fun after a few games. Most gamers want a game that ships can turn at any angle to a maximum amount. This rule just needs to go, it destroys the game.

Posted By Android on 11/29/2006 12:09 PM
Ok, so I think the common consensus is that the rules for this game are not working. Everyone likes the ships (I'd like to get more!) but the game itself is crap.

So, what options do we have. Is there any other system out there that would make the game work? I know I have a couple of rule sets at home (Aerotech is quite well done, but very complex, Full Thrust I haven't read yet) that might work. Any suggestions or ideas?

Posted By MomawNadon on 02/06/2007 6:11 PM
Uh Oh I don't know D20 rules!