SFB Frequently Asked Questions

This is a summary of some of the commonly asked question about SFB by established players.

Plus the SFB GLOSSARY!

In addition, to the above, remember that the main page has lots of other info including complete product lists and descriptions, an introduction for non-players, and unofficial (but professionally done) playtest material:

Back to John's SFB Page

Where can I get insider info on the game?

Well, the official publications are the infrequently published Captain's Log issues, or the official monthly newsletter, Star Fleet Times. There is also a company web page for ADB.

Obviously, my web page here has links to lots of other stuff on the web, both official and unofficial. See my main page for a listing of most other SFB sites on the web. Also, see my page on the various on-line discussion groups available on the Internet and other networks. There is an official web-based BBS as well as unofficial mailing lists and other forums.

How does SFB relate to `official' Star Trek?

The basic game of SFB represents fairly well a lot of material from `Classic' Trek, plus bits from the animated series and novels. However, their license does not cover anything from the movies or the later series (The Next Generation, Deep Space 9, or Voyager). Thus, in expanding, SFB has diverged enormously from nearly all of the other `official' stuff. Many new races, new starships, and more have been introduced with no reference to either `official' or fan-written material.

In the "Star Fleet Universe", there is an enormous and devastating General War (parallel to WWII) in the period after the time of the original Star Trek series which pits Klingon, Romulan, and Lyrans against the Federation and their allies (including Tholians, Gorn, Kzinti, and Hydrans). This war included radical changes to starship combat, introducing carrier starships and fighters, as well as fast patrol ships, and other developments. The universe is a very violent place in this view, which contrasts sharply with the later Star Trek timeline.

However, the basics game mechanics are well grounded in the original series. If you watch the TOS episode Balance of Terror, the Romulans of the show match in many ways with the Romulans of the game. Their plasma torpedo decays with range, and the Fed Heavy Cruiser can go in reverse to avoid it. The older Romulans ships in SFB have ``Nuclear Space Mines'' like the warhead used in that show. And their cloak protects them somewhat but still allows them to be battered by Federation fire.

Other aspects of the game draw from old deck plans, novels, and the animated series. For example, Larry Niven wrote some Star Trek material for the animated series where he included his Kzinti race. SFB incorporated the Kzinti as a major race in galactic politics, including fighters.

SFB mainly diverges from the ``canon'' in that it adds tons of new elements to the game which are not in any Star Trek material. At best, it can perhaps be looked on as an alternate future from the time period of The Original Series. Whereas in the official timeline, peace was made with the Klingons and Romulans at the Khitomer conference, in SFB the General War occurred, devastating the galaxy for close to two decades.

What's up with the different editions?

SFB has gone through four distinct phases. The very first edition was called The Pocket Edition, released in 1978, with 28-pp rulebook, 14 starships, 7 scenarios, and 108 counters. Then came the boxed Designer's Edition (1979), which added more ships and rules (including three supplements). Then came the Commander's Edition (1983), which came in three volumes, each a boxed set, plus many supplements. This introduced the ``Commander's SSD'' which included many of the relevant charts and information on one sheet with each ship. During the 80's, the game grew enormously, with major changes which were released as ``addenda'' in various publications. This was frustrating for both the players and the designers.

Finally, in 1990, ADB managed to put out a finished, complete edition: the Captain's Edition, which was ostensibly guaranteed to be the final revision, although some corrections were inevitable. Before it came out, this came to be known as the ``Doomsday Edition'' based on predictions of when it would get done. However, it did get done, and ADB has added expansions, but has had much less game-changing addenda of the sort that came before.

The 1999 edition of the Basic Set is largely the same as it was before. Some confusing sections have had additional material added to clarify this, but the changes are all available on the ADB web site as erratta. There are several pages in total, but most points are clear.

Who makes what?

Star Fleet Battles was originally designed by Steve Cole, who currently heads ADB, the ``Amarillo Design Bureau'' company which writes the products for SFB. ADB owns all the copyrights of the game, including the original Franz Joseph License. This is a license for rights to the original and animated Star Trek series, from the writers of the original series Star Fleet Technical manual.

For a while, a different company (Task Force Games) published and distributed all official SFB products. They held a license with Paramount Pictures authorizing the game, which dates from an ``encounter'' in 1985 (probably when Paramount contested their license). TFG simply published all written products directly from ADB. However, they also produced directly the miniatures for the game.

As of January 1999, ADB will be publishing all products directly. In addition, there are other companies which produce related products. Agents of Gaming produces certain ``official'' products under contract from ADB.

There are some unofficial published products for SFB, but none that are currently in print. Companion Games, New Galaxy Games, and Pinwheel Galaxy all published new races for use with SFB. These companies were unrelated to ADB. They did not have copyrights to the rules, but their products do not reproduce any of the copyrighted rules, either.

How do I get errata for the game?

While the mandate of the Captain's edition prohibits ``addenda'' (i.e. basic changes to the game), it does provide for ``errata'' to correct accidental typos, loopholes, and contradictions. The errata are available on-line from ADB.

Are there tournaments for SFB?

Yes - lots. While, there aren't any dedicated conventions for SFB solely, many gaming conventions include SFB tournaments. These generally use the tournament cruisers and rules as given in Module T, but there are sometimes other tournament formats for play. For more information, see my Tournament Advice page.

As a warning, the tournament ships and rules are regularly updated to keep them balanced - so be prepared for many small changes from material from several years ago. Module T has been re-released in 2000 with all the current rules and SSD's. The latest SSD's are also available for download from ADB.

The top tournament conventions are Origins and Gen Con, but there are dozens of conventions all over with SFB tournaments. ADB maintains an on-line schedule of upcoming SFB tournaments. You can also hear about them in the latest issues of Star Fleet Times or Captain's Log. SFB tournaments are even held worldwide, with events in England, Australia, Italy, and Germany.

If you want to run a convention event, you can order a Sanctioned Tournament Kit from ADB, which includes instructions, Rated Ace Nomination form, $25 in ADB gift certificates for use as prizes, list of any recent tournament rules changes, and the 7-page ``Judge's Erratta'' sheet. You must include a copy of the convention program or flyer showing your event listed at a real convention. Send mail to ADB from their web site for more information.

What about SFB computer programs?

There is no computer program which is SFB directly translated on the computer. Interplay has licensed from ADB the right to use elements of SFB in their game, Starfleet Command. However, SFCommand is different in many ways

In addition, Online Game Systems has produced a utility program which allows SFB to be played over the Internet, SFB Online. This simply implements a virtual board and virtual dice -- the players both need the paper rules to resolve game issues.

There are other freeware computer programs which are designed for use with SFB. ADB does not authorize, and in fact discourages, players from designing and sharing such utilities. Thus, such programs should not reproduce copyrighted rules material. Game concepts like the hex-based sideslips and turn modes, or drones and direct-fire weapons are not copyrighted -- indeed, you see them in many other wargames. Copyright protects the text of the game rules, but not the concepts of game play involved. The problematic issue is terms like photon torpedoes and specific charts like the DAC and damage charts.

The easiest solution to this is to create a program which requires that the player type in a few numbers from his edition of the SFB rules. Just have ``look-alike'' charts where the copyrighted charts would be and allow the player to change them: either to match the official charts or to create her own variants.

In addition, there are some unlicensed computer strategies games similar to (and inspired by) SFB. These include the strategy game for Windows, Star Fleet Combat Simulator, and the shareware game, Fleet. While they may be similar to SFB, these are not a computer version of the game and do not have any relation to ADB or TFG. There is also a networked 3D tactical game called WARSHIP, where each player controls one ship on a turn by turn basis.

Are there miniatures for SFB?

Yes, there are. Currently the Elite line and the 2300 line are being sold by ADB, but there are other options available. Please see my miniatures page for more information.

Back to John's SFB Page
John H. Kim <jhkim@fnal.gov>
 Last modified: Fri Oct 20 15:49:47 2000