Module C4: Fleet Training Centers

This is a set of nine new races, although 4 of these are minor races with only 2 ships each. The C4 races are all ``simulator'' races -- which is to say that they are not a part of the official SFB history; and indeed don't fit the logic and flavor of the existing races. Instead, they are like ``just-for-fun'' variants, intended to present unique tactical challenges. They are patterned after anachronistic sources like 20th-century navy ships, 20th century tanks, 19th century sailing ships, hovercraft, etc.

I review each of the simulator races below:

Major Races

FRAX:
This is the most detailed simulator race, with 47 ships but only 5.5 pages of new rules. The FRAX are a disruptor- and drone-using race based on the modern Navy. Their main ships have disruptors split in FX and RX arcs, plus they have cloaked `submarine' class ships. Their primary ships use only standard rules, but they have variants armed with new weapons: including the Axion torpedo (a direct-fire weapon which can be fired while cloaked) and the Catfish drone (a cloaked drone).

The FRAX are by far the most popular entry in C4. However, with three historical disruptor+drone races already in SFB (Klingon, Kzinti, and WYN), the FRAX are distinctive for their weapon arcs, but hardly unique.

QARIS:
This is a race based on modern tanks, with 10 pages of new rules and 23 new ships. They are all armed with the new kinetic cannon weapon (KKH), mounted in armored rotating turrets. Kinetic cannons fire every turn, but are limited to one KKH shot every 4 impulses. They have no overloads, but do damage comparable to an overloaded disruptor out to 15 hexes.

This makes the Qari supreme sabre-dance and retrograde fighters. They are forced to split up their fire, giving them weak alpha strikes, but they can wheel about and fire their cannons to the rear and can keep up constant damage at long range. This makes them difficult to play with unless you use a fixed map (perhaps with tournament boundaries).

The Qaris also employ sensor-guided drones and the titanic SCUD missiles which score 96 damage points, but have targetting problems. SCUDS are deadly to bases, but can easily be dodged by ships.

TRIAXIANS:
These were designed by Bruce Graw (the only C4 race designed out-of-house) to put a new spin on the movement and plasma rules. They have 3 pages of new rules, and 11 new ships.

The Triaxian ships can move in three directions, instead of the usual two (forward and reverse) -- and they are designed to fight equally well whichever direction they are flying. Besides high-energy turns (HET's), they have high-energy direction changes (HEDC's) which let they spin their ship and keep going forward at the same speed.

In combat, they fire the plasma-A torpedo, which is just like a plasma-S except that it has two new firing options (which work like EPT's or shotgun). First is a ``long-range'' option which goes farther and takes less damage from phasers (1-for-3); but only does 16 at close range. Second is the ``short-range'' option which does 48 at close range, but dies off quickly and takes phaser damage 1-for-1.

SHARKHUNTERS:
This is a simulator race designed by the Romulans specifically to be a tough challenge for cloaked ships -- patterned after modern anti-submarine hunters. They have 6 pages of new rules and 12 ships. Their new technology is standard for all Sharkhunter ships, including:
  • CHAFF THROWERS: provide enhanced protection from enemy attack by adding 4 ECM for 4 impulses. Each chaff thrower has 5 charges.
  • WIRE-GUIDED PLASMA: are torpedoes which can ignore wild weasels and ECM shifts, and which automatically retain lock-on if the target cloaks. However, a maximum of two can be guided at a time.
  • FLASHBOMBS: are like T-bombs which do no damage, but do expose a cloaked ship.
  • BOMB THROWERS: are special transporters which can toss flashbombs out through the shields of the Sharkhunter ship.
  • HELO-SHUTTLES: are specials admins which can move in any direction, and can drop flash-bombs to expose cloaked ships.

The Sharkhunters are a workable plasma race, but the ``challenge'' to the Romulans is of limited purpose. The anti-cloak equipment is sufficiently good that any sane Romulan player will just fly his ships like Gorn and never cloak. This puts the Romulan at a disadvantage, but doesn't produce innovative tactics.

BARBARIANS:
These are generic ships laden with option mounts, an invention of the ISC to simulate any potential Galactic enemy. The Barbarians are like everyman ships, standard shields and hull -- plus a variety of option mounts. A cruiser comes with 4 heavy weapon option mounts, 6 phaser/drone mounts, plus non-weapon options and power system options. The idea is that a single Barbarian ship can be ``configured'' to reflect the fighting style of any Galactic ship.

By design, then, the Barbarians are fairly generic. They are an official version of the commonly-played house scenario "what happens if we put photon torpedoes on a Kzinti?" (or some equivalent). They are interesting test-beds for seeing how different weapons effect balance and tactics, but they aren't going to particularly spice up your game.

Minor Races

BRITANIANS:
These are two new ships (CA and DN) styled after 19th-century sailing vessels, with broadside cannons but very little fore-and-aft armament or shielding. Their CA has 8 disruptors (4xR and 4xL) while their DN has 12! They are very fast since their disruptors have zero holding cost, but they have trouble maneuvering around to get in an opposite-side broadside, since they cannot HET. They use no new rules (except the HET restriction).

CANADI'ENS:
These are two extremely curious mauler-armed ships (CA and CW), which have a tri-pronged mauler that can fire out forward, left, or right! Thus, they are shaped like a Maple Leaf (hence the name). An interesting test of the mauler as a more ``mainstream'' weapon, while using no new rules.

FLIVVERS:
These have two unique ships (CA and DW), with 5 pages of new rules. Their weapon is the hyper-drone, which flies out at 20 hexes per impulse (during direct-fire)... You have one  chance to fire at it -- stopping it at one hex of its flight and firing weapons, then it completes its movement. It has an endurance of 2 impulses (i.e. 40 hex range), takes 6 damage to destroy, and does 8 damage if it hits. The Flivver hyperdrone launchers can fire twice per turn (like a C-rack), and have three magazines of 6 loads each (like a D-rack). The CA has four racks, and thus can fire 8 hyperdrones a turn for nine turns before reloading.

They also have ``hoverwarp'' -- which lets them use their center warp power to shift them about in any direction, or turn them with no chance of breakdown.

The Flivvers have an awful lot of difficult-to-use new rules for two ships, and they are extremely unbalanced to boot. The battle revolves around how much drone defense the opponent has. If the opponent cannot shoot down enough drones, he is dead meat. If he can, then he has a chance. However, the Flivver can also launch normal speed-32 drones from his racks and then follow them up with a hyperdrone attack in the same turn!

DELTANS:
These are supposedly designed as base-busters. They are similar to Feds with photon torpedoes and phasers, with an abundent supply of AWR power. However, their turn mode is always four, whether going speed 4 or speed 30!

In practice, they don't seem all that different from Feds. They are at a disadvantage if going speed 10 or under, but they can stop and TAC like anyone else.

Overall, I would say that the simulator races are of limited interest. If a number of the above races appeal to you, then you might look into it. However, there are many other new races to look into.

Module C4 includes a 96 page rulebook complete with charts, boarding party diagrams (for Module M), and 11 new simulator scenarios. It also has a 96 page SSD book and counters.

($24.95 Complete)
($15 rulebook only, $15 SSD book only)

Back to John's SFB Page
John H. Kim <jhkim@fnal.gov>
 Last modified: Tue Aug 3 16:18:18 CDT 1999
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