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Author Topic: Uncharted Seas; I see the Empire in all things.  (Read 8370 times)

Offline WallyTWest

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Uncharted Seas; I see the Empire in all things.
« on: June 04, 2009, 09:38:39 PM »
Uncharted Seas; I see the Empire in all things.

http://www.spartangames.co.uk/uncharted.htm

Ok, I know its kind of off topic and perhaps this is not the right part of the forum but I thought this might be an right place to drop it because of its implications.

I was wondering if anyone else was playing Uncharted Seas with the warhammer setting? The ships are fantastic and it shure is alot less hassle compared to modeling 28mm ships.

I loved the little bit of Man O War I had the privilage to play; I also enjoy Mordhiem, Warhammer Skirmish, Bloodbowl and Heroquest. These systems are hardly suported by games workshop past keeping the models in circulation. Anyone else using alternate systems? I have found myself using battlelore to replace my need for Deamon World and Warmaster.

Is there any room for the Empire outside of the GW IP with players?
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Offline rufus sparkfire

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Re: Uncharted Seas; I see the Empire in all things.
« Reply #1 on: June 04, 2009, 10:27:51 PM »
I'm not very keen on the ship designs for uncharted seas (especially the blocky human ships). Plus, I already have man 'o war, so I don't feel any need to play that too.

It's probably fun though.


Quote
Is there any room for the Empire outside of the GW IP with players?

Of course!
Hey, I could still beat up a woman!
If I wanted to.

Offline Justnorth

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Re: Uncharted Seas; I see the Empire in all things.
« Reply #2 on: June 05, 2009, 06:59:34 AM »
I am a dyed in the wool old fashioned 'Man O War' fan.
For my money it is the best game GW staff ever created, well, the basic game and the first gamette (Sea of Blood) anyway, the second gamette (Fleets of Chaos) kind of lost the plot a bit but was still ok.
I was such a fan that I purchased two of every fleet so I could run Man O War tournaments.
I made scenery for it etc.
It was awesome, I preferred to Warhammer.


However, Man o War was taken off the shelves circa 1993/94 and has never made a return.
A real shame for those who like a bit of fantasy piratin' and high seas adventure.

So a while back I came across the new Spartan Games models for their fantasy naval game 'Uncharted Seas' and I was interested but not enthralled by the new models.
I was immediately wondering if I could use my old Man O War models for the game so I could get some more use out of them.
Turns out all the smaller ships are fine but the larger ships are nowhere near big enough compared to the Spartan Games vessels.

I still wasn't sure if i liked the models so I went down to South London Warlords club night and watched a game between the Dragon Lords (essentially they are like Michael Moorcocks classic 'Elric of Melnibone'.) and they were playing regular Elves.

In person I was taken aback at how good the 'Uncharted Seas' ships looked on the tabletop and how well sculpted they were.
The large vessels, like the galleons, greatships etc are up to 3 times the size oif the large vessels in Man o War.
They have a real 'presence' on the sea scape.

For those of you who remember the impressive Dark Elf vessel, the mighty Black Ark?
Know this, the Black ark is less than half the size of the big Battleships in 'Uncharted Seas'.
They are enormous and magnificent on the table top.

The bodies or hulls of the ships are made of resin, nicely sculpted and carefully casted.
The sails are a blessing.
In Man O War GW used plastic masts and spars and they were forever breaking or snapping off in transit, a real pain in the backside.
They were very flimsy even for regular gameplay.
Spartan Games have improved this issue immeasurably by casting the sails out of metal as one piece and it makes all those nightmares disappear.

So I decided to have a go at the game and was kindly offered the use of a human (Empire) fleet to play against a Dwarf fleet and the game was very fun, winning at any time oscillated between the two fleets and we ended up having a tight draw when the magazine in one of the leading ships blew up spectacularly and took out two more small ships in close proximity.
It was a great laugh and I was sold on the simple but elegant game mechanics that allow for tactical thinking and strategy development without getting over complicated but still cater nicely for the smash 'em up approach.

I now have warmed to the models a lot and the game is a winner on the table top.
Spartan Games are a small outfit from south west England and they are a little embarrassed at the overwhelming popularity of their game.
They are virtually sold out of their new releases by pre-order, almost unheard of in the miniatures world.
They simply cannot keep up with demand.

I have played my part in that by purchasing every ship they make for 'Uncharted Seas'.
It's so cheap to buy compared to the old Man O War ships the value is awesome and they do little bulk deals for buying fleets so you can even get a discount.
The rulebook is fantastic, full of sumptuous eye candy pictures and big clear concise writing for players coming into the system for the first time

I'm thoroughly impressed by the game, 100%, by the models 90% but distribution has had it's niggles so I'll only give them 75% on that front.

So far you can buy fleets for Dragon Lords, Elves, Humans (Empire), Dwarves and Orcs, they all come with extra additions and whizzy bits you can but beyond the basic fleets for each race.

In three weeks time the two new fleets enter the game... Undead and Chaos Dwarves (Shroud Mages)

[Spartan are also doing a new Space fleet game (rules not released yet) that looks interesting and the new models look superb on their website gallery.]

Now, in regards to using the Uncharted Seas' fleets for a 'Naval' component for Warhammer, absolutely.
They can cross over in a heartbeat, no problem at all.
They would be a fantastic addition to a warhammer based Campaign where you want to explore the map beyond the constricted aspect of a completely  land based campaign.
The human fleet is even called the IMPERIAL HUMAN fleet.

I'm a self confessed fan so maybe there are negatives I'm missing about this game and the small company that makes it but they are very enthusiastic and keen and it comes out in their work.
I've been impressed that although I had misgivings about the models at first (mostly because they didn't resemble my beloved GW Man O War models) when I saw them in person painted on the tabletop I was impressed by the quality and the 'presence' they had on the tabletop.
I was also greatly relieved to see how they had got around the issue GW had with the frail plastic masts and spars by casting them as one piece in metal.

So naturally I wondered about purchasing some ships to have a go at the game with 'my own' fleet.
When I went to see what was available and to check the prices on the Spartan Games website I was absolutely gob smacked to see how CHEAP they were  :icon_eek: compared to even the 1992 prices for GW's Man o War.

The price point for the 'Uncharted Seas' fleets just blew me away... I could get the whole Iron Dwarf starter fleet for just £ 13.70 Inc Tax . :icon_eek: :icon_mrgreen:

Yep, you read that right, just £13.70 including tax.
Now for that paltry sum of money you get one battleship, 3 cruisers, 6 frigates and a deck of 26 race cards for use with the Uncharted Seas naval game. (Each fleet has a race specific deck of cards.

 
The most expensive fleet is the Imperial Human fleet coming in at just under £26 quid inc tax for their starter fleet.
Same configuration as the Dwarf starter fleet.
The Imperial battleship is MASSIVE.

Anyway, it's a worth a look, I went bananas and bought everything they sell for the game.

Here's the link for a nosey...

http://www.spartangames.co.uk/gallery_2.htm
GW can pucker their skanky lips and suck my arse.

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Offline rufus sparkfire

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Re: Uncharted Seas; I see the Empire in all things.
« Reply #3 on: June 05, 2009, 02:41:01 PM »
I heard that the uncharted seas ships were approximately 1/600 scale rather than 1/1200 (as for man o' war). Is that true?

Also, doesn't it just mean you need more room to play the game?
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Offline warhammerlord_soth

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Re: Uncharted Seas; I see the Empire in all things.
« Reply #4 on: June 05, 2009, 03:15:27 PM »
I saw the ships at my LGS last weekend, and am seriously considering buying them.

Now I need to convince a couple of guys at my LGS to do the same, with a possible crossover to LotHS for skirmish action.

Campaign ideas have been spinning through my head...  :happy:
Have one  on Midaski's tab.  :::cheers:::
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Offline Captain Tineal

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Re: Uncharted Seas; I see the Empire in all things.
« Reply #5 on: June 05, 2009, 03:34:19 PM »
I heard that the uncharted seas ships were approximately 1/600 scale rather than 1/1200 (as for man o' war). Is that true?

Also, doesn't it just mean you need more room to play the game?

I just spent some time reading their site, they are indeed 1/600 scale.... whatever that means.

I'm seriously considering buying some of these.... just emailed them to find out if they have a Canadian distributor, and will keep you (my fellow Canadians) posted on what I hear back.
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Offline rufus sparkfire

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Re: Uncharted Seas; I see the Empire in all things.
« Reply #6 on: June 05, 2009, 03:37:21 PM »
Quote from: Captain Tineal
I just spent some time reading their site, they are indeed 1/600 scale.... whatever that means.

Ah. So they are about twice the size of man o' war ships. I have a couple of civil war gunboats in that scale that I bought randomly once.
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Offline Captain Tineal

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Re: Uncharted Seas; I see the Empire in all things.
« Reply #7 on: June 05, 2009, 05:23:13 PM »
So I got a very prompt reply from them, for those of us across the pond, here is the response"

Quote
Hello John,

Thanks for your email. At the moment we don't have a Canada-based distributor, something we hope to rectify soon, however E-Figures who are based out of Washington are selling into the Canadian market. You can get info and contact details on their website:

http://www.e-figures.com/

Kind regards

Gary
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Offline Justnorth

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Re: Uncharted Seas; I see the Empire in all things.
« Reply #8 on: June 05, 2009, 06:22:45 PM »
Ah. So they are about twice the size of man o' war ships. I have a couple of civil war gunboats in that scale that I bought randomly once.

The biggest ships of most fleets come in around 2 and a half times the size of the black ark.
However, if you want to use the small ships from Man o War from the squadrons they will work fine as a replacement for the small ships of Uncharted Seas.
It doesn't take very much money at all to pick up a single fleet and run with it.
GW can pucker their skanky lips and suck my arse.

He's French. Since when do his plans have to be feasible?

Offline WallyTWest

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Re: Uncharted Seas; I see the Empire in all things.
« Reply #9 on: June 05, 2009, 07:26:50 PM »
You know, although the scales are incompatable there is no reason not to run uncharted seas with MOW or vice verca. But its a "fresh start" with uncharted seas.
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Offline Johan Willhelm

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Re: Uncharted Seas; I see the Empire in all things.
« Reply #10 on: June 05, 2009, 09:30:41 PM »
I've long held the opinion that Man O War is one of the finest things GW have ever produced - however acquiring a new set via eBay is beyond my financial means.

This "Uncharted Seas" thang looks affordable and fun.

Johan approves (and refers to himself in the 3rd person )  :icon_mrgreen:
« Last Edit: June 05, 2009, 09:34:28 PM by Johan Willhelm »
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Offline Dihenydd

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Re: Uncharted Seas; I see the Empire in all things.
« Reply #11 on: June 05, 2009, 09:36:26 PM »
I've seen this site but I hadn't looked too deeply at the game, I don't think anyone locally knows about it.

If the rules are fairly good I'd like to like at a bit more.

I do have some Langdon ships (slightly bigger than Empire Greatships), gorgeous models and was looking for a good rules system.

On the Sci-Fi front, have you seen Full Thrust?  Its a generic space combat game.  I've just d'l the rules (they're all free/OOP from the publisher).  Their ships are also quite cheap (especially compared to BFG) and very impressive (I'm considering ordering some fleets after our child is born) 

As I seem to be having a lot of problems getting rules for my new ACtA's fleets, I'm hoping to run 2 fleets against each other this w'end.  But has anyone else run Full Thrust?  It seems super-easy to modify and is reasssuringly simple but has a pretty good movement system.  Apparently there's a Full Sail version but I haven't found it yet.
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Offline Justnorth

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Re: Uncharted Seas; I see the Empire in all things.
« Reply #12 on: June 06, 2009, 07:52:20 AM »
You know, although the scales are incompatable there is no reason not to run uncharted seas with MOW or vice verca. But its a "fresh start" with uncharted seas.

There is one key reason that the larger MoW ships don't work in Uncharted Seas, they have to use the larger ship templates and they simply aren't big enough to use the turning and shooting templates accurately.
If players are willing to waive that then there is no problem.

@ Dihenydd; I was looking at the Langdon ships myself but I was concerned I'd never figure how to tie those thread knots for the rigging. :icon_redface:
A fleet of those ships would be attractive though.
GW can pucker their skanky lips and suck my arse.

He's French. Since when do his plans have to be feasible?

Offline rufus sparkfire

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Re: Uncharted Seas; I see the Empire in all things.
« Reply #13 on: June 06, 2009, 10:23:51 AM »
I do have some Langdon ships (slightly bigger than Empire Greatships), gorgeous models and was looking for a good rules system.

Those are 1/1200 scale, I think. Maybe you'd be better using one of the many historical rules sets.


Quote
n the Sci-Fi front, have you seen Full Thrust?  Its a generic space combat game.

I was going to play that, but I thought the rules looked like a bit of a mess - all the updates need to be combined into a new edition.


Quote from: Justnorth
There is one key reason that the larger MoW ships don't work in Uncharted Seas, they have to use the larger ship templates and they simply aren't big enough to use the turning and shooting templates accurately.

Oh. So, does uncharted seas offer anything to man o' war players (other than the possibility of finding more people to play against)?

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Offline Dihenydd

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Re: Uncharted Seas; I see the Empire in all things.
« Reply #14 on: June 06, 2009, 03:22:41 PM »
Full thrust is pretty much in one edition, the 2 fleet lists (which have been updated), the 2E edition plus the More Thrust which is just full of optional rules.

From what I see, most ppl take all 4 and then add and delete as they see fit for their own games.  I've seen Trek, Star Wars, Bab 5, Star Control and many other versions that ppl have created.

The rules themselves are so simple its almost silly someone didn't do it earlier.  Yet there's enough variety to keep interest.  The whole ship design at the component level is great too.  I've put together two 1000pt fleets for tonight's game.  Took me all of 15 minutes to design them.

MoW
  I've seen a few Historical rules but haven't found one recommended by someone I trust.  I'll probably stick with the GW rules and use my alternative models.  Uncharted Seas look great but yeah, its 1:600 so probably won't convert.  However, you could always re-make the templates etc to 1:1200 and tweak rules as needed.  Yay, another rules project...
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Offline WallyTWest

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Re: Uncharted Seas; I see the Empire in all things.
« Reply #15 on: June 06, 2009, 05:32:46 PM »
@ Dihenydd and anyone interested.

Actually my true passion has been Sci-Fi Fleet Gaming. I had about a 5 year run between 2002 to 2007 where I would play some sort of fleet combat once or twice a week. Really killed Warhammer Fantasy for a length of time. That was collage… battleships and fusion cannons. Much cheaper to get my collage buddies into that over making them into warhammer fantasy armies.

Mainly Twilight Imperium, Space Dreadnaught 3000, ACtA, BFG and lots of Starmada X

Dihenydd I would totally recremend SD3000 if you are looking for a cheap 3E wargame with miniatures. I used it a lot with BFG campaigning and with little or no changes to the core game mechanics. I am playing with the concept of using it for a rule set for warhammer campaigning. I also ran a lot of the SD3000 ships as Cheap ACTA Narn or BFG Imperial Navy ships.

War at Sea is another Mongoose Classic, and would sudjest that to anyone looking at ww2.

@ Subject.
Just bought a Dwarf and Orc fleet from a friend. Ill try to post a battle report some time in the near future.

I miss ManOWar and hope that UnchartedSeas will fill that nitch. 
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Offline warhammerlord_soth

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Re: Uncharted Seas; I see the Empire in all things.
« Reply #16 on: June 06, 2009, 07:26:37 PM »
War at Sea is another Mongoose Classic, and would sudjest that to anyone looking at ww2.

Don't you mean "Victory at sea" ?

Great game in its simplicity...
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Offline Justnorth

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Re: Uncharted Seas; I see the Empire in all things.
« Reply #17 on: June 07, 2009, 08:31:24 AM »
  Oh. So, does uncharted seas offer anything to man o' war players (other than the possibility of finding more people to play against)?

It offers to fill the void in fantasy naval war gaming.
Thats a mighty good start.
Sadly Man O War is largely dead except for a few grognards (like me) who are living in the past..., and it has been dead for a long time.

When I first encountered 'Uncharted Seas' I immediately wondered if all my Man O War ships would cross over, but sadly they don't.
However all of the small squadron based ships can cross over comfortably, it's only the big ones that don't make the cut.

In terms of balance it's a better game than Man O War, with more opprtunity for strategy and tactics yet it still doesn't lose it's grasp on the beer and pretzel fun value.
They (Spartan Games) have struck a rare and special balance in the game play and the speed of the denouement.

It's incredibly cheap to buy the products compared to other manufacturers like GW, Privateer Press, Rackham etc. so the price point is a winner.
Less than £14 pounds for the 'Uncharted Seas' Iron Dwarves starter fleet is unbelievable value, it's considerably cheaper than a small Dwarf fleet cost for Man o War if you purchased it waaaaay back in 1993. :icon_eek:

The rulebook is in one book, not three like Man o War and it's very colourful with lovely pictures of painted ships in sea scape terrain and the rules are in BIG writing unlike the man o War rules which were in black and white and small print, another bonus, it can be purchased separately without buying any fleets.
That way people can decide if they like the look of it before they invest in fleets.

It offers an Imperial Human fleet and a variety of race opponents.
I still love my old 'Man O War' Imperial Wolf ships but when the Great ship from the Empire 'Man O War' fleet is put next to the Imperial Human Great ship from 'Uncharted Seas' the old man o War vessel looks tiny, and like a toy. It also lacks detail compared to the SG's resin models.

So yes, Spartan Games 'Uncharted Seas' offers rather alot to former 'Man o War' players.

@Dihenydd; Have you had a look at the rules for Naval warfare in the age of sail called, "TRAFALGAR"
Made by Warhammer Historical, it is designed for 1200 scale as the default setting.
It also provides a box/table to allow players from scales as small as 2400 right through to scale 100 to enjoy the ruleset. A nice feature.
The book is full of Langton miniatures from start to finish and the rules are pretty complex but well thought out and the rulebook is professionally set out with adequate eye candy colour photos.

Also, your ships could be used in 'Uncharted Seas' as a squadron based leeser rating vessel like a frigate or suchlike.
« Last Edit: June 07, 2009, 08:43:00 AM by Justnorth »
GW can pucker their skanky lips and suck my arse.

He's French. Since when do his plans have to be feasible?

Offline MrDWhitey

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Re: Uncharted Seas; I see the Empire in all things.
« Reply #18 on: June 07, 2009, 08:38:02 AM »
The rulebook is "ok". It has plenty of mistakes in it, but none should cause people trouble in playing. Except for raking, but that was a hilarious debate in our club so it's ok. The rules in general seem quite nice though.

I'd prefer to play Uncharted Seas as a naval version of warhammer, due to Man O War being mostly gone at this point. The fluff of USeas isn't bad (but then, they haven't had many years of many writers churning out stuff), but doesn't hold a candle to Warhammer.

Also if you think about it, at first you answered his question with what he said in the question.  :wink:
I thought he should act responsibly and just kill himself.

Offline Justnorth

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Re: Uncharted Seas; I see the Empire in all things.
« Reply #19 on: June 07, 2009, 08:55:58 AM »
The rulebook is "ok". It has plenty of mistakes in it, but none should cause people trouble in playing.

Thats industry standard in wargaming circles.
I remember the trumpeting about the infallibility of the new 7th edition Warhammer rules due out imminently when I was at the Dutch GT a few years ago in Tillburg. We were all suitably impressed by the announcement, only to discover upon our return from the excellent tourney in Holland, that the new edition was to receive a series of errata before it had even hit the shelves.  :icon_eek:
It's a common problem inthe wargaming industry, but perhaps slightly less so in the Historical segment of the pie graph.
I hear tell the new 'Uncharted Seas'  rulebook addresses those issues raised on the SG forum but that remains to be seen.

I'd prefer to play Uncharted Seas as a naval version of warhammer, due to Man O War being mostly gone at this point. The fluff of USeas isn't bad (but then, they haven't had many years of many writers churning out stuff), but doesn't hold a candle to Warhammer.

The only fluff of any worth for Man O War came from the legendary scribblings of Bill King.
The pieces of his writing inserted into the Man o War rulebooks were some of the best work I've read in character, in the genre.
Outside of that I don't see anything special about fluff for Man o War.
Partly that may be because GW pulled Man o War opff the shelves too quickly for it to gain much impetus in terms of background.

Also if you think about it, at first you answered his question with what he said in the question.  :wink:

Correct, it was by design.
The topic had wandered, as they do, with other intervening posts in the thread and I wanted to make it clear to whom and which topic I was addressing so I made the original question the lead in to the explanation.
Cheers for noticing.
« Last Edit: June 07, 2009, 09:00:16 AM by Justnorth »
GW can pucker their skanky lips and suck my arse.

He's French. Since when do his plans have to be feasible?

Offline rufus sparkfire

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Re: Uncharted Seas; I see the Empire in all things.
« Reply #20 on: June 07, 2009, 10:03:53 AM »
Thanks for the info on uncharted seas! I might get the rulebook sometime.


Full thrust is pretty much in one edition, the 2 fleet lists (which have been updated), the 2E edition plus the More Thrust which is just full of optional rules.

When I looked at it, there were two sets of movement rules and two sets of facing rules (four sides or six sides to each ship). Maybe that's been fixed now.
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Offline Dihenydd

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Re: Uncharted Seas; I see the Empire in all things.
« Reply #21 on: June 07, 2009, 02:11:18 PM »
@ messr Sparkfire

Yes, the 'More Thrust' or 2.5E is filled with 'optional rules'.  So there's 'Cinematic' movement using the basic thrust and 'Vector' movement which is supposedly more realistic. 

The beauty as I see it for Full Thrust is that there's no real canonical rules but deliberately designed to be modified.

Thanks for the other tips, I'll look into those rules.  Langton sure looks nice as Empire but being able to use actual historical rules/ships might be fun for a change.

So we played 2 1000pt fleets (roughly Narn vs Abbai) last night of FT.  We had to look up rules a total of two times (damage tables/crew stuff).  Played it in about 2 1/2 hours (my opponent is a notorious 'thinker' taking far too long on his turn as he's afraid of making mistakes) so that seemed pretty good to me.  My only ACtA game to date was 2 G'Quon versus LNAW squadrons.  That was almost 4 hours and wasn't resolved at the end.

I'm gonna google SD3000 today.

edit

Ok, I've looked at SD3000 could be useful for campaigns I guess.  Starmada looks very interesting however.  WallyT as someone who knows this sort of thing, can you compare Full Thrust to Starmada?
« Last Edit: June 07, 2009, 02:35:18 PM by Dihenydd »
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Offline WallyTWest

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Re: Uncharted Seas; I see the Empire in all things.
« Reply #22 on: June 07, 2009, 10:44:07 PM »
Ok, I've looked at SD3000 could be useful for campaigns I guess.  Starmada looks very interesting however.  WallyT as someone who knows this sort of thing, can you compare Full Thrust to Starmada?

@ anyone Intrested in sub discussion.
I tell alot of people that...
Full Thrust = Starcraft 1 as Starmada = Homeworld 1.

Ever played a point value RPG like champions? Building ships can be a bit tidious and the rules engine is a bit more complex but it pays off big once you begin diging into the "Meat" of the game. In my case I bought the PDF and began teaching people how to make ships after giving them links to a dozen or so manufacturers. Then somthing awfull happened... A 4 month cold war of starship design.

The rules engine begins to crap out once you have more than a dozen ships on the table so with a set points limit everyone began pushing the envlopes on starship design and fleet combat. Ships became super personalized to players stragities and tactics and suddenly you had Drone Carriers on equal footing with Invincible Dreadnaughts and Boarding Fleets. High and Low technology levels. It felt like 6 diffrent races where fighting and trying to destroy one another.

It plays well, each ship ends up having a specialized crittical chart. The point system can mean that the complexity of play varies with how complicated the player makes it. (Think Ork fleet vs. someone who is a bit more federation-esque.)

I admit I had a special group with this one, but if you can get anything like this going its worth it! Can be used for any series, and great fun once the ball gets going. Gameplay is about as "complex as Battletech."

SD3000 Link; Explains the way it plays in depth.
http://theminiaturespage.com/rules/scf/sd3000des.html
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Offline rufus sparkfire

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Re: Uncharted Seas; I see the Empire in all things.
« Reply #23 on: June 07, 2009, 11:36:47 PM »
@ messr Sparkfire

Yes, the 'More Thrust' or 2.5E is filled with 'optional rules'.  So there's 'Cinematic' movement using the basic thrust and 'Vector' movement which is supposedly more realistic. 

The beauty as I see it for Full Thrust is that there's no real canonical rules but deliberately designed to be modified.

That's true. I just wanted the rules to all be in one place, rather than scattered around. On the other hand, it's not like I had to pay for them!


p.s. you know that 'Messrs' is the plural of 'Mister,' right? Am I more than one person?
Hey, I could still beat up a woman!
If I wanted to.

Offline Dihenydd

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Re: Uncharted Seas; I see the Empire in all things.
« Reply #24 on: June 08, 2009, 02:15:15 AM »
Yea, its a typo.  On the other hand, we have had many discussions regarding how many people reside in your head.  And by 'we' I mean me several times over.

WallyT hmmm what you describe is very attractive with people essentially beginning their own race/style.  Probably not quite as possible with FT. 

What I lose in diversity however I think I may make up in accessibility.  As its free, I can distribute the rules among a few friends and hopefully get them hooked.  Plus as most of my friends lean towards Space Opera versus Star Trek I think I might just do Full Thrust for the short term.

Oh, and to be back on Topic, I'm bidding on TRAFALGAR right now :)

The uncharted seas looks good, but as the wife is already raising her eyebrows at all the space ships showing up lately I may have to delay.  Might get the rules to start however.  Hmmm must use work address for delivery...


Sometimes the "Old Ones" just need to leave.....