Star Trek Fleet Captains - article with pictures: Enterprise D, Kronos One, Bortas!

[Deathblossom]

Here's an article with the stuff we crave (no, not Brawndo):

http://www.icv2.com/articles/news/20247.html

[csi]

looks great, but ouch on $99 MSRP

[sgtregis]

Indeed. That's a high price tag. Course, Star Fleet Captains as a box set was 50, and you needed two in order to get all the races from the original SFB game. I never bought those either. I make my own. And probably will do so here as well. As soon as I see some of the dials and how the combat system works, I will make my own, and use the ton of miniatures I have from the older 2200 and Fasa lines.

Rep to Deathblossom for the news.

[WakandaMan]

Looks cool.

When I click on the image of the ships though, it shows me a zoom in of the cards instead. Is everyone having this problem? I want to see the ships!

[sphin]

Your wish is granted:

http://www.hcrealms.com/forum/album.php?albumid=1135&pictureid=16602

[WakandaMan]

Stoked for this game.

I wonder if the two ships from Expeditions will be compatible?

[traitorarmor]

Stoked for this game.

I wonder if the two ships from Expeditions will be compatible?

Oh, I hope not. The Klingons don't need that kind of an advantage. :noid:

[tenketsu]

Kinda strange that they went with an obscure ship like the Yosemite instead of either the Defiant or the Reliant.

[WakandaMan]

Oh, I hope not. The Klingons don't need that kind of an advantage. :noid:

True. Plus from what I've heard of the mechanics of Fleet Captains, they wouldn't work for it. They'll probably reuse those sculpts though I would say.

Kinda strange that they went with an obscure ship like the Yosemite instead of either the Defiant or the Reliant.

Yeah true. I guess that's because it's an odd looking ship. I'm sure the Defiant will be in the game though (or else I might have to boycott it!)

[petro]

Kinda strange that they went with an obscure ship like the Yosemite instead of either the Defiant or the Reliant.

It says right in the article (and on the advertisement) that each side has 12 ships, and they only show 6 of each...so let's not jump to conclusions. I will remain cautiously optimistic that they wouldn't be quite that...dumb.

[CarlosMucha]

I LOVE the Ships! and we will have ALL the generations in one game? wow!

I bet they will have Borg and all kind of expantions later :)

But yes, 100 dollars may be a lot but I want to buy it with my friends!

A Next Generation fan here! who watched ALL the series and disliked very much Enterprise. :p

[Dr. Morbius]

here's hoping for an Ambassador class...even if it's Enterprise-C!
Just Klingons and Federation?
If this was a collectable "booster" game they coul add aöl the other races and their ships....oversized Borg cubes etc.
A boardgame sounds like a missed opportunity.

[CarlosMucha]

and happy to see the Equinox! (who remember that Voyager episode? :p )

[petro]

here's hoping for an Ambassador class...even if it's Enterprise-C!
Just Klingons and Federation?
If this was a collectable "booster" game they coul add aöl the other races and their ships....oversized Borg cubes etc.
A boardgame sounds like a missed opportunity.

Board games come out with Expansions all the time now days. No reason this should be any different, if this sells well.

Ok, enough defending Star Trek: Fleet Captains, but I'm just REALLY excited for this.

[tenketsu]

It says right in the article (and on the advertisement) that each side has 12 ships, and they only show 6 of each...so let's not jump to conclusions. I will remain cautiously optimistic that they wouldn't be quite that...dumb.

Aha, somehow I thought it said 12 total. That's much better, and yeah in that case it seems pretty likely that they'll have the Defiant and the NX and Reliant, all. However--it's still weird that they choose the Yosemite for their Oberth class instead of the Pegasus or the Grissom.

[Suttkus]

We've already been told there is a Romulans expansion in the works, if I remember correctly.

[NightCastle]

and happy to see the Equinox! (who remember that Voyager episode? :p )

You mean the Pilot Voyager Episode?

[joeldad]

You mean the Pilot Voyager Episode?

Definitely was not the pilot episode LOL. It was much later.

I loved the equinox design, probably my 3rd favorite design behind the Excelsior and the Klingon Birds of Prey.

I have been a huge Star trek fan forever and loved playing the fleet battles computer games (starfleet command, armada, etc).

Great looking minis, I can combine both of my passions in one game! Yay super-nerd-dom!

[lancelot]

So Expeditions and Captains are two different beasts entirely?

[traitorarmor]

So Expeditions and Captains are two different beasts entirely?

Completely.

Expeditions is the co-op game that is based around an away team dealing with a mission while the Klingons are on their way to the area. The space combat is very simplistic and ony one part of what is going on.


Fleet Captains sounds like it is more in line with what we are used to from Clix. It doesn't come in boosters and comes in one big box (24 ships, 12 Federation/12 Klingon).

Some of the info about Fleet Captains gives me the impression that while it can be as battle heavy as you want you can also win through less direct options................that might be completely off but that's what I got from the info I've seen.

[elfholme]

Your wish is granted:

http://www.hcrealms.com/forum/album.php?albumid=1135&pictureid=16602

Thanks!

Two of the ships have the names swapped. That's...kind of embarassing.

The game looks nice though. I was hoping for a Defiant, but I'd expect that to be in the picture if it was included. Bummer.

[NightCastle]

Definitely was not the pilot episode LOL. It was much later.

I loved the equinox design, probably my 3rd favorite design behind the Excelsior and the Klingon Birds of Prey.

I have been a huge Star trek fan forever and loved playing the fleet battles computer games (starfleet command, armada, etc).

Great looking minis, I can combine both of my passions in one game! Yay super-nerd-dom!

Man! I didn't have my V8! I was getting my timelines crossed! :laugh:

I have always liked that design as well as the refit version shown in the series finale.

I'm excited for this set because I have a large number of Star Trek miniatures that would be great for this like the Stargazer, Defiant (both Constitution class and Defiant class), Future D, Jem'Hadar Fighters, Ferengi D'Kora ships and Cardassian Galors to name a few.

[Puuka]

I want to get this game. I really do. The $100 price is a little much for me right now. Though, with Heroclix not being available when I go in to the store, I might start looking at this one.

24 figures and the rules and extras isn't too bad, but still kind of iffy for me if I can get in to it.

[pumawag]

That one Klingon ship in the poster is a no-name...

Cloaked?

[elfholme]

That one Klingon ship in the poster is a no-name...

Cloaked?

Are you talking about the one that has its name swapped with the Federation ship? It has a name, it's just in the wrong place.

[Ted_Kord]

I'm a huge TNG fan, so I'm psyched to hear that this is spanning multiple generations rather than just the chronologically earlier series (which was the impression I got, since it's just Federation vs. Klingons for now). With that in mind, though, it would have been nice to get more than just two factions - I'd much prefer 4 factions with 6 ships each for the initial release, and then expanding on those and maybe introducing smaller factions like Ferengi or Cardassians with future expansion sets. Because really, during TNG you wouldn't see too much Federation v. Klingon action, and it would be cool to be able to have a Fed and Klingon ship team up against Romulans instead.

A boardgame sounds like a missed opportunity.
It seems to me like it's really running the line between board game and tabletop strategy game, and looking at it that way the $100 pricetag really isn't too unreasonable. You get the entirety of two playable forces (which, if it's only 1v1 and you only have 1-2 ships per side in a normal game, means you're getting huge variety in team-building options) as well as rules, cards, and tiles. Really not that bad. Still, the $100 pricetag is probably a tad much for my budget right now.

[Uberman]

I'm happy to see they're not calling these "Heroclix miniatures." Progress, man.

[stormphoenix]

i hope these are the six:

USS Defiant (duh)_ Deep space Nine
USS Phoenix (nebula class) TNG
USS Reliant (miranda class) Wrath of Khan
USS Thunderchild (akira class) Generations
USS Excelsior (Excelsior class) The Search for Spock/Undiscovered Country
USS Rio De Jinero (Danube class) Deep Space Nine

and later down we'll have:

Steamrunner class
Luna class (what's this? the official class designation of the USS Titan - star trek novel series Star Trek: Titan confirmed this.)
USS Enterprise C (Ambassidor class) TNG
USS Stargazer (Constellation class) TNG
USS Excalibur (Ambassador class)

just a few wants.

[elfholme]

i hope these are the six:

USS Defiant (duh)_ Deep space Nine
USS Phoenix (nebula class) TNG
USS Reliant (miranda class) Wrath of Khan
USS Thunderchild (akira class) Generations
USS Excelsior (Excelsior class) The Search for Spock/Undiscovered Country
USS Rio De Jinero (Danube class) Deep Space Nine
<snip>
just a few wants.

The Defiant would probably be enough to convince me to buy this game if the mechanics reasonably capture the feel of the battles in the shows/movies.

[IceHot]

I just stumbled across the rules and downloaded the pdf and read the rules.

Game seems pretty darn cool....

I will link to a thread in the appropriate forum for further discussion of the rules (and the pdf link)....
http://www.hcrealms.com/forum/showthread.php?t=325818


RULES are UP!!!! Wooottttt!!!!!!!

[IceHot]

The Defiant would probably be enough to convince me to buy this game if the mechanics reasonably capture the feel of the battles in the shows/movies.

Go ahead and buy then because the USS Defiant has an entry in the rules.

[IceHot]

i hope these are the six:

USS Defiant (duh)_ Deep space Nine
USS Phoenix (nebula class) TNG
USS Reliant (miranda class) Wrath of Khan
USS Thunderchild (akira class) Generations
USS Excelsior (Excelsior class) The Search for Spock/Undiscovered Country
USS Rio De Jinero (Danube class) Deep Space Nine

and later down we'll have:

Steamrunner class
Luna class (what's this? the official class designation of the USS Titan - star trek novel series Star Trek: Titan confirmed this.)
USS Enterprise C (Ambassidor class) TNG
USS Stargazer (Constellation class) TNG
USS Excalibur (Ambassador class)

just a few wants.
I just posted all 12 federation and 10 of the 12 Klingons here...
http://www.hcrealms.com/forum/showthread.php?t=321540&page=2

[stormphoenix]

since you have access to all STar Trek properties and timelines, i'm throwing out a challenge to you.

I'm a partial fan of Star trek online, and it's confirmed that the storyline is offical canon.

There this really cool looking shipthat they just announced for the game.
i'm challenging you to , inthe words of one Jean Luc Picard.."make it so."

here's the ship:http://www.startrekonline.com/node/2549

Now boldly..GO.

[Ted_Kord]

Apparently the ships come unpainted - bummer. I mean, I guess most Star Trek ships are fairly boring as far as color goes, especially a lot of the Klingon ships, but it would have been nice to get little details like the red and blue on the warp engines or decals with the ship designations.

[traitorarmor]

Apparently the ships come unpainted - bummer. I mean, I guess most Star Trek ships are fairly boring as far as color goes, especially a lot of the Klingon ships, but it would have been nice to get little details like the red and blue on the warp engines or decals with the ship designations.

:confused: That's new.

Where did you hear that?

[Ted_Kord]

:confused: That's new.

Where did you hear that?
Board Game Geek. I don't know this to be the case, but there certainly seems to be quite a buzz about it over there, and the pictures I've seen don't indicate that the figures are painted - just generic grey plastic for federation ships and green plastic for Klingon ships.

Normally I wouldn't care that much if boardgame pieces came unpainted, you almost assume that they will, but when it's coming from Wizkids, a company practically known for their pre-painted minis, and at a $100 pricetag, it would be a bit of a disappointment.

On the flipside, I seem to remember on the old Wizkids page for the game that the digital sculpts were painted, so maybe the photos we've seen are just early shots. I'm not holding my breath though...

[traitorarmor]

Board Game Geek. I don't know this to be the case, but there certainly seems to be quite a buzz about it over there, and the pictures I've seen don't indicate that the figures are painted - just generic grey plastic for federation ships and green plastic for Klingon ships.

Argh. Thanks for pointing me in that direction....I found this....

Post 4 (http://boardgamegeek.com/thread/675068/to-any-wizkids-people-out-there-will-the-minis-be/page/1)They will not be painted - we are updating our webpages - sorry for the confusion.

Edited to include that they will be at GenCon to view/demo and a limited number will be available to purchase.

Bryan Kinsella
WizKids

I don't even know what to say about that.........the ships in Expeditions(where they are just a small part of the game) are going to be of better quality (highlighted and have decals) than the ships in Fleet Captain.......where ships are the main focus.

......my brain hurts........alot.

I still want the game but that cuts me deep WK. :disappointed:

[tenketsu]

Argh. Thanks for pointing me in that direction....I found this....

Post 4 (http://boardgamegeek.com/thread/675068/to-any-wizkids-people-out-there-will-the-minis-be/page/1)

I don't even know what to say about that.........the ships in Expeditions(where they are just a small part of the game) are going to be of better quality (highlighted and have decals) than the ships in Fleet Captain.......where ships are the main focus.

......my brain hurts........alot.

I still want the game but that cuts me deep WK. :disappointed:

So let me get this straight... They want $100 for 24 unpainted miniatures and some cards? Well, I thought the price was pretty steep to begin with. Now I know it's actually insulting. On the other hand, maybe I can just print out the cards and play the game with Star Trek Micro Machines instead. You know, the folks that were able to deliver 3 pretty highly detailed minis for around $5 not so very long ago.

Unbelievable.

[RSIxidor]

"cloick for beattery view"

NO SHOW MIANTUREA SHOWS ACARDS CAUSE THATS DWHAT DTHE BEATTER VIEW ALKOOOKSLIKE FU

[WakandaMan]

That's quite a bummer.

I guess I'll just have to paint some highlights on them myself. :p

[CarlosMucha]

Apparently the ships come unpainted - bummer. I mean, I guess most Star Trek ships are fairly boring as far as color goes, especially a lot of the Klingon ships, but it would have been nice to get little details like the red and blue on the warp engines or decals with the ship designations.

What?!

I'm TOTALLY out now. :ermm:

[Znail]

So let me get this straight... They want $100 for 24 unpainted miniatures and some cards? Well, I thought the price was pretty steep to begin with. Now I know it's actually insulting. On the other hand, maybe I can just print out the cards and play the game with Star Trek Micro Machines instead. You know, the folks that were able to deliver 3 pretty highly detailed minis for around $5 not so very long ago.

Unbelievable.

It's expensive if you just buy it for the minis, but then you should probably buy the toys line instead. It's not just 'some' cards, its 400 of them plus the board pieces. $100 is pretty much in line with what other companies takes for similar games with similar unpainted models. It would add 20-30 more to the cost with painting and that would cut into the sales for sure. Even with your own price example so would the minis alone cost $40 and that is without the clix bases which is not free by any means. But if it sells well then there might be a deluxe edition with painted minis, don't expect it to be cheap thou.

[Fredwood]

So let me get this straight... They want $100 for 24 unpainted miniatures and some cards? Well, I thought the price was pretty steep to begin with. Now I know it's actually insulting. On the other hand, maybe I can just print out the cards and play the game with Star Trek Micro Machines instead. You know, the folks that were able to deliver 3 pretty highly detailed minis for around $5 not so very long ago.

Unbelievable.

Not as unbelievable as your ignorance. If you don't know anything about it then why are you spouting off angrily?

As someone who bought the game, the minis are incredible, and you can easily make your own decals and if they did it would have jumped up to 150 easily. I know we get spoiled as players of a pre-painted miniatures game so most of us really don't appreciate the concept of hobby customization, but often thats a huge draw for people. Also They're not generic colors, and they're not just un-painted raw plastic either, they are painted Federation White and Klignon Green, so they are painted just not detailed. Basically all you'd have to do is either paint the nacells, or decal them, and then decal the name and the number and you're done. For the Klignons, its not as if they had any real detail besides the orange on the wings, and if you really want it, its not that hard to paint in the lines that are there.

Also, good luck printing off all the components as there are about 6 different card types and about 350 regular cards and 50 location cards, not to mention all the tokens that it comes with. For a board game and all that you get, its a good deal, especially since most games with the same amount of components would go for about 50 or 60 (some like Last Night on Earth goes for about 80), and thats not even counting the ships and the clix bases. And when you look at games like Castle Ravenloft, or LNoE or House on Haunted hill which demand high prices, those miniatures are unpainted as well.

As far as the game goes, I played it 3 times after buying it, and its a blast. Its all random (even the ships), so each game is radically different from the next. It combines elements from the 3 major gaming genres (Card, Board, and Minature) but it doesn't feel forced and gameplay is organic. The only thing I can say bad about the gameplay is that, as of now, The Cloak mechanic seems rather underpowered/useless. I doubt Heroclix players are their main market for this game, but if you enjoy board games and Star Trek, its a must have.

Basically if you're expecting or wanting a game like Heroclix, don't buy this game it won't be for you. If you want to ##### about it not being exactly like you expect it to be and how it isn't painted or w/e fine, but you have no idea what you're talking about. WK is making a serious push into the broader gaming market, and as far as the games go they're doing a bang up job. I know many "snobby" gamers of different genres that had written of WK because of the Clix, and many of them for the first time ever bought a Wizkids product, because the games are so damn good that they can overcome their preconceptions. I imagine that exposure is only going to help in the long run.

[WakandaMan]

Wait....this is available already? I thought it's release was pushed back to late September?????

[traitorarmor]

As far as the game goes, I played it 3 times after buying it, and its a blast. Its all random (even the ships), so each game is radically different from the next. It combines elements from the 3 major gaming genres (Card, Board, and Minature) but it doesn't feel forced and gameplay is organic. The only thing I can say bad about the gameplay is that, as of now, The Cloak mechanic seems rather underpowered/useless. I doubt Heroclix players are their main market for this game, but if you enjoy board games and Star Trek, its a must have.

That's all I need to know. :classic:

Oh, I took your advice Fredwood and picked up Pandemic. It was(and continues to be) a blast. The locals (mostly fellow clixers) really liked it.

Thanks again for mentioning it.




Wait....this is available already? I thought it's release was pushed back to late September?????

The general release has been delayed. But a limited # were availible at Gencon. Looks like Fredwood was lucky enough to grab one.

[WakandaMan]

Bah Humbug!

Oh well, I couldn't afford it yet anyway. :p If it gets delayed even further here in Australia I might just get it for my Birthday instead. :)

[Fredwood]

That's all I need to know. :classic:

Oh, I took your advice Fredwood and picked up Pandemic. It was(and continues to be) a blast. The locals (mostly fellow clixers) really liked it.

Thanks again for mentioning it.

The general release has been delayed. But a limited # were availible at Gencon. Looks like Fredwood was lucky enough to grab one.

NP glad I could help, and yeah I was able to get it at GenCon.

Bah Humbug!

Oh well, I couldn't afford it yet anyway. If it gets delayed even further here in Australia I might just get it for my Birthday instead.

I hang out with an Aussie at GenCon, and he was trying to desperately see if it to fit into his backpack, it was rather amusing. Also your money is so flippin' cool, I've never seen anything like that.

[WakandaMan]

I hang out with an Aussie at GenCon, and he was trying to desperately see if it to fit into his backpack, it was rather amusing. Also your money is so flippin' cool, I've never seen anything like that.

Good to hear an aussie made it over there! Is he a realmser? If he is I probably have met him.

I can imagine I would have been doing the same thing if I was there. :p

Yeah we do have cool money. :cool:

[Fredwood]

Good to hear an aussie made it over there! Is he a realmser? If he is I probably have met him.

I can imagine I would have been doing the same thing if I was there. :p

Yeah we do have cool money. :cool:

No he doesn't play Heroclix, I know him through a friend of mine and we met a couple of years back. He always brings Tim-Tams and other assorted candies so its like a highlight of the con to see him, and make fun of how you guys have Energy on your nutrition guide instead of calories.

[traitorarmor]

Oh, Fred.....any chance we could convince you to share some info about the ships? Scans or text?

When you get a chance, please.

[Fredwood]

Oh, Fred.....any chance we could convince you to share some info about the ships? Scans or text?

When you get a chance, please.

I split it with a friend of mine, and he has it at the moment. The size 6 ships are beefy as you would expect, the Enterprise J has 16 weapons and 17 shields at one point. I remember the defiant being 3 points with 9s on Movement every white click and pretty solid weapon numbers. I will be playing it again on Thursday so I'll get more info on the ships to you, I won't be able to do any scans but I could get the info on the dials out.

[WakandaMan]

Oh, Fred.....any chance we could convince you to share some info about the ships? Scans or text?

When you get a chance, please.

Yes please! Especially.....the DEFIANT! :)

Looking forward to this game so much. The rules really got me excited about it.

[traitorarmor]

I split it with a friend of mine, and he has it at the moment. The size 6 ships are beefy as you would expect, the Enterprise J has 16 weapons and 17 shields at one point. I remember the defiant being 3 points with 9s on Movement every white click and pretty solid weapon numbers. I will be playing it again on Thursday so I'll get more info on the ships to you, I won't be able to do any scans but I could get the info on the dials out.

That would be great....thanks in advance.

[Fredwood]

Yes please! Especially.....the DEFIANT! :)

Looking forward to this game so much. The rules really got me excited about it.

Yeah as fan of that series especially (my favorite of all of them), I was happy that I drew the defiant in all 3 of my games, one time was a reinforcement ship but still. I was a bit dissapointed that there wasn't a Cisco, Dax, Kira or a Basheer, but I didn't have the chance to look through all of them, but there was a sort of DS9 themed Command deck sub-theme. It was a lot of fun to have Kirk on the Enterprise J with Dr. Crusher and Picard, Riker and Dr. McCoy on the Defiant.

But yeah I'll have it Thursday, it was rather hectic as always at the end of GC, and it slipped my mind to pick up one of the extra ship decks they gave us for multiplayer so I apologize for making you all wait a few more days.

[WakandaMan]

Yeah as fan of that series especially (my favorite of all of them), I was happy that I drew the defiant in all 3 of my games, one time was a reinforcement ship but still. I was a bit dissapointed that there wasn't a Cisco, Dax, Kira or a Basheer, but I didn't have the chance to look through all of them, but there was a sort of DS9 themed Command deck sub-theme. It was a lot of fun to have Kirk on the Enterprise J with Dr. Crusher and Picard, Riker and Dr. McCoy on the Defiant.

But yeah I'll have it Thursday, it was rather hectic as always at the end of GC, and it slipped my mind to pick up one of the extra ship decks they gave us for multiplayer so I apologize for making you all wait a few more days.

NP, I still have to wait a couple of months before I can actually get the game, so a few days to find out lots more info is no biggie. Maybe start a new thread with the info when you do post it?

Surely the DS9 crew are in it?! They better be, as I know Janeway is and guest characters like Lt. Barclay. I think it just depends on which deck you use. DS9 is my favourite as well, although I like all the series really.

[Ted_Kord]

I was happy that I drew the defiant in all 3 of my games, one time was a reinforcement ship but still.
So from this it sounds like rather than building a fleet beforehand, you have to draw to see which ships you get? Interesting - not necessarily what I would have chosen but I guess it does make sure you'll make use of some of the smaller, more obscure ships instead of running the Enterprise-D every game.

[elfholme]

I watched one demo and played in a second (quick) demo during the Con. I'd have liked to play a longer demo, but the way Heroclix was organized discouraged straying from the hall for too long.

I was kinda disappointed with it. Not with the unpainted ships (which look nice even without paint), or with the quality of the materials or the general gameplay, but with the overarching design. I was hoping for a ship-to-ship combat game, but this is more of a boardgame. So it's really more like a season of a Star Trek show, rather than a battle taken from a Star Trek show. You CAN collect VPs for destroying enemy ships, but the emphasis is really in accomplishing your missions and getting through encounters. It's a cool game, just not what I was hoping for. I may still buy it, but I'm kind of on the fence now. It might be worth it just to get the ships for Federation Commander, though you'd have to paint them (and if someone has tips on how to easily make decals for these ships I'm all ears, as decals for Star Trek ships in this scale are EXPENSIVE), and I'm not 100% sure they are to scale. Even at $100 retail, that's a good price for that many ships for Federation Commander though.

OTOH, I also checked out FFG's X-Wing game, and that seems like more my speed. Ship-to-ship combat between X-wings and Tie Fighters. It also looked like a lot of fun, but it was an actual combat game, so I'm really interested in that one. :)

[traitorarmor]

So from this it sounds like rather than building a fleet beforehand, you have to draw to see which ships you get? Interesting - not necessarily what I would have chosen but I guess it does make sure you'll make use of some of the smaller, more obscure ships instead of running the Enterprise-D every game.

Sounds like you haven't taken a look at the rules yet........<here under 'how to play'> (http://wizkidsgames.com/startrek/star-trek-fleet-captains/).

They have been up for a bit now....and yes the starting ships are random.

[stormphoenix]

I watched one demo and played in a second (quick) demo during the Con. I'd have liked to play a longer demo, but the way Heroclix was organized discouraged straying from the hall for too long.

I was kinda disappointed with it. Not with the unpainted ships (which look nice even without paint), or with the quality of the materials or the general gameplay, but with the overarching design. I was hoping for a ship-to-ship combat game, but this is more of a boardgame. So it's really more like a season of a Star Trek show, rather than a battle taken from a Star Trek show. You CAN collect VPs for destroying enemy ships, but the emphasis is really in accomplishing your missions and getting through encounters. It's a cool game, just not what I was hoping for. I may still buy it, but I'm kind of on the fence now. It might be worth it just to get the ships for Federation Commander, though you'd have to paint them (and if someone has tips on how to easily make decals for these ships I'm all ears, as decals for Star Trek ships in this scale are EXPENSIVE), and I'm not 100% sure they are to scale. Even at $100 retail, that's a good price for that many ships for Federation Commander though.

OTOH, I also checked out FFG's X-Wing game, and that seems like more my speed. Ship-to-ship combat between X-wings and Tie Fighters. It also looked like a lot of fun, but it was an actual combat game, so I'm really interested in that one. :)

that what happens when you get a game designer as opposed to a star trek fan designing the game. it reminds of the old decipher card game in many respects, but i am looking forward to buying this game, and x wing as well ( the fantasy flight aquisition is still a surprise to me)

[RSIxidor]

How big are the miniatures? I think that is what will make or break the price for me.

I'm weighing this against a game like Descent: Journey into the Dark. They are similar price point at suggested retail. Descent comes with 80 unpainted miniatures (colored plastic) of varying sizes, but also included a ton of map tiles and tokens and other assorted awesomeness.

I grant that the Star Trek set will have the unit information primarily on the dial, so that does increase the cost of each miniature.

[elfholme]

I didn't have any of my SFB/Federation Commander miniatures to compare, but they LOOKED about the right scale (1/3788). So about 2-3 inches long each...?

[RSIxidor]

I didn't have any of my SFB/Federation Commander miniatures to compare, but they LOOKED about the right scale (1/3788). So about 2-3 inches long each...?

Hmm ... that price seems more accurate then. Is there a map of some sort? Always the same map?

[WakandaMan]

Hmm ... that price seems more accurate then. Is there a map of some sort? Always the same map?

The map is random- it uses hexagonal tiles for sectors of space, and they are flipped when you move into them for a Fog of War type effect- so you never know what is in each sector before you move to it.

[Ted_Kord]

Sounds like you haven't taken a look at the rules yet........<here under 'how to play'> (http://wizkidsgames.com/startrek/star-trek-fleet-captains/).

They have been up for a bit now....and yes the starting ships are random.
d'oh! I even downloaded the rules a little while ago, just hadn't given them a read-through yet (and apparently forgot I had them, since I clearly could have easily looked this up.

Thanks!

[Fredwood]

that what happens when you get a game designer as opposed to a star trek fan designing the game. it reminds of the old decipher card game in many respects, but i am looking forward to buying this game, and x wing as well ( the fantasy flight aquisition is still a surprise to me)

You don't know whether or not the game designers are Star Trek fans. As a Star Trek fan I'd also have to take umbrage with your inference that the series all about the combat. True there is an element of combat to the series, but its far from the only thing that goes on, in fact they're constantly mentioning how they're explorers not "warriors". I find the game feels much more like Trek than if all you did was run down the map and shoot at each other.

Combat is much easier than in the CCG and the fact that there's actual points scored for making a kill and I would suggest that the CCG is not a fair comparison at all (even though I find the card game enjoyable enough). Most of the missions for the Klignons (because they mostly draw combat missions) are about dealing damage, or destroying outposts, so I'm not sure where you're coming from thinking combat has no importance in the game. Can you win without shooting at the other person yes, because there's other strategies to winning the game other than combat, but it still plays an important part. I would say that if you or the other poster didn't have your bloodlust satisfied for combat, then you must have only played in a 30 minute demo, where it didn't come into play. If you would have played a full game theres a likely chance that you would have destroyed a ship or two.

All that to say, its not a full on combat game like Heroclix no, there are other strategies to victory then beating your opponent to a pulp, and if you want to just shoot #### then this isn't the game for you. I said all this before and wouldn't have even replied to your statement if it wasn't for your statement about Trek being all about combat, and how there was none in the board game which are both untrue.

[stormphoenix]

You don't know whether or not the game designers are Star Trek fans. As a Star Trek fan I'd also have to take umbrage with your inference that the series all about the combat. True there is an element of combat to the series, but its far from the only thing that goes on, in fact they're constantly mentioning how they're explorers not "warriors". I find the game feels much more like Trek than if all you did was run down the map and shoot at each other.

Combat is much easier than in the CCG and the fact that there's actual points scored for making a kill and I would suggest that the CCG is not a fair comparison at all (even though I find the card game enjoyable enough). Most of the missions for the Klignons (because they mostly draw combat missions) are about dealing damage, or destroying outposts, so I'm not sure where you're coming from thinking combat has no importance in the game. Can you win without shooting at the other person yes, because there's other strategies to winning the game other than combat, but it still plays an important part. I would say that if you or the other poster didn't have your bloodlust satisfied for combat, then you must have only played in a 30 minute demo, where it didn't come into play. If you would have played a full game theres a likely chance that you would have destroyed a ship or two.

All that to say, its not a full on combat game like Heroclix no, there are other strategies to victory then beating your opponent to a pulp, and if you want to just shoot #### then this isn't the game for you. I said all this before and wouldn't have even replied to your statement if it wasn't for your statement about Trek being all about combat, and how there was none in the board game which are both untrue.

the game )IMO_ is similar to decipher's in the extent that it was all about combat , either, you explored, scored points based on objectives, if you engaged in combat (and survived) you gained points, i never inferred once that it was solely on combat, perhaps you are reading a lil too much into my statement?

[RSIxidor]

The map is random- it uses hexagonal tiles for sectors of space, and they are flipped when you move into them for a Fog of War type effect- so you never know what is in each sector before you move to it.

That's pretty cool, and I think I knew that a little bit already.

With that information, I'd say this game is only slightly overcosted as opposed to being priced by a bonkered chimpanzee.

[WakandaMan]

The price seems a little high to me, but fairly comparative to other board games. Other games in this price range I will usually wait until I find them in a sale somewhere to buy, but since this is about Trek I'm happy to pay full price.

The Star Trek Expeditions game OTOH is very cheap for a board game. Very good value, but it doesn't have as many minis. I also feel like I don't quite have the full game yet until the Expansion for it comes out in October.

[Fredwood]

the game )IMO_ is similar to decipher's in the extent that it was all about combat , either, you explored, scored points based on objectives, if you engaged in combat (and survived) you gained points, i never inferred once that it was solely on combat, perhaps you are reading a lil too much into my statement?

No, you said that because the games creators didn't focus solely on combat, that they weren't fans of the show, its not a huge leap in logic. The card game had nothing to do with that part of the statement, and only mentioned it wasn't a fair comparison because while neither are just combat orientated, unlike the majority of instances in the CCG (the rare cases where your deck is built around combat), combat in Fleet Captains isn't counter-productive.

[WakandaMan]

Although I've only read the rules so far, I really like the balance between combat and exploration in the game. Seems so very Trek to me. The game actually reminds me of an old PC game called 'Birth of the Federation' that I used to really enjoy, but better since it incorporates characters from the various shows. Although Birth of the Federation had a strong diplomacy aspect as well, and had 5 major races (Fed, Klingon, Romulan, Cardassian and Ferengi) and minor races and the chance of a Borg Invasion. Hopefully with expansions this game will eventually incorporate all of that as well (plus the Dominion and maybe the Breen!) :)

[stormphoenix]

No, you said that because the games creators didn't focus solely on combat, that they weren't fans of the show, its not a huge leap in logic. The card game had nothing to do with that part of the statement, and only mentioned it wasn't a fair comparison because while neither are just combat orientated, unlike the majority of instances in the CCG (the rare cases where your deck is built around combat), combat in Fleet Captains isn't counter-productive.


No, Freedwood, i only said "that's what happens when a game designer designs the game." it was a counter reply to the poster comment that it wasn't clix based game. - my way of saying hey, the designer probably wanted other options to winning than combat.

butm as i stated, you read it in a different text.

[WakandaMan]

No, Freedwood, i only said "that's what happens when a game designer designs the game." it was a counter reply to the poster comment that it wasn't clix based game. - my way of saying hey, the designer probably wanted other options to winning than combat.

butm as i stated, you read it in a different text.

Heh I read it as a negative comment too. Funny how text on the internet does that. I see now that you meant it as a positive.

I still have a strong suspicion that the makers are fans of Trek as well though. :)

[elfholme]

No, Freedwood, i only said "that's what happens when a game designer designs the game." it was a counter reply to the poster comment that it wasn't clix based game. - my way of saying hey, the designer probably wanted other options to winning than combat.

butm as i stated, you read it in a different text.

No, actually you were responding to my post, which didn't say anything about it not being a clix based game. It is, in fact, a clix based game. My disappointment was that I was looking for a miniatures combat game, and it's not that.

Not being a miniatures combat game has nothing to do with being designed by a game designer rather than a fan. SFB and Federation Commander were designed by game designers, and they are miniature ship-to-ship combat games. The new FFG X-Wing game is a miniature ship-to-ship combat game, and certainly seems well designed.

I get that the designer of this game probably wanted other options than combat. That really has very little to do with my post though. As I said, it's a great boardgame. It's just disappointing to me because I was hoping for a great ship-to-ship combat game set in the Star Trek universe. I like Federation Commander, but I was hoping that the clix bases would let the designers capture the feel of the ships with simpler mechanics (and I think they have, but it's not at all the emphasis of the game).

To reiterate - I'm not disappointed because I think it's a bad game, or because I think it's poorly designed. It's just not what I was hoping for.

[elfholme]

Although I've only read the rules so far, I really like the balance between combat and exploration in the game. Seems so very Trek to me.

Right. To me it seems like a whole season of one of the Star Trek shows - you explore multiple sectors of space, you probably have multiple encounters (any of which would be an episode or even two episodes in itself), you probably have a couple quick ship-to-ship actions. It's a cool boardgame. Seems well designed to me, and the quality of the materials is very good.

[Fredwood]

No, actually you were responding to my post, which didn't say anything about it not being a clix based game. It is, in fact, a clix based game. My disappointment was that I was looking for a miniatures combat game, and it's not that.



I actually was responding to his statement which I thought was negative, I don't have a problem with someone not liking the game because they want something else. I would argue that it isn't a clix based game, they could easily have had the game without the clix as all the information is on the card and you could just indicate which power distribution click you are on (as I had to do when I drew the Enterprise E because they gave us the same dial for both Enterprises). Its really not just a single type of game, its cross genre you even build a deck during set-up.

[elfholme]

I actually was responding to his statement which I thought was negative, .

Yes, but he (stormphoenix) was responding to MY post. I never said it wasn't a clix based game (his contention). I just said it wasn't focused on combat (because it's not, though that's an element of the game).

I really didn't understand his comment that the lack of focus on combat was because it was designed by a game designer rather than a fan of the franchise. I could see fans designing it either way (combat-oriented or mission/problem-solving), and designers doing the same (SFB and Federation Commander were designed by game designers and they are combat-oriented).


I don't have a problem with someone not liking the game because they want something else. I would argue that it isn't a clix based game, they could easily have had the game without the clix as all the information is on the card and you could just indicate which power distribution click you are on (as I had to do when I drew the Enterprise E because they gave us the same dial for both Enterprises). Its really not just a single type of game, its cross genre you even build a deck during set-up.

Well, in fact it *IS* a clix based game - it uses a dial with different stats that you click to the different settings. Whether or not it could be well represented without a dial is beside the point, isn't it?

FWIW I think it's a cleaner design with the dial. Yes you could mark the card somehow, but the dial makes that a non-issue. Since you can only select your settings within your current range on your turn, having a dial set to those current settings is handy.

I think I'd probably prefer it without the dial, as the ships would be easier to repaint and potentially reuse for other games. However, if you don't care about paintjobs and only intend to use these ships for this game, having the dial is probably superior.

[traitorarmor]

I split it with a friend of mine, and he has it at the moment. The size 6 ships are beefy as you would expect, the Enterprise J has 16 weapons and 17 shields at one point. I remember the defiant being 3 points with 9s on Movement every white click and pretty solid weapon numbers. I will be playing it again on Thursday so I'll get more info on the ships to you, I won't be able to do any scans but I could get the info on the dials out.

Just a follow-up.................did Fred get a chance to post this and I just missed it? :nervous:

[WakandaMan]

Yeah I'm looking forward to it as well. Looking at Fredwood's recent activity, he hasn't had a chance to post it yet.

[Fredwood]

Yeah I'm looking forward to it as well. Looking at Fredwood's recent activity, he hasn't had a chance to post it yet.

Unfortunately my buddy was ill and was unable to make it both Thursday and Saturday, I'll try again this Thursday.

[traitorarmor]

More news from Boardgamegeek.........


I was at the Star Trek convention this past weekend in Las Vegas, and John Van Citters, the guy in charge of CBS licensing, announced that Fleet Captains would be available in two versions: the standard version without painted minis, and a deluxe version WITH painted minis. I checked the website and there was no new information posted by Wizkids.

Has anybody else heard of this? I'd probably pay extra for the painted version if it becomes an option.

Link (http://boardgamegeek.com/thread/687467/deluxe-edition-of-fleet-captains)

If true, and I don't think it isn't.....I wonder how much more the painted version will cost. :noid: :fingerscrossed:

[WakandaMan]

That's a good move by Wizkids (and probably they are doing it in response to the uproar about them being unpainted). A lot of board games release deluxe versions with painted minis a while after releasing the general version.

Personally I'll be happy to just paint them myself. :)

[csi]

More news from Boardgamegeek.........




Link (http://boardgamegeek.com/thread/687467/deluxe-edition-of-fleet-captains)

If true, and I don't think it isn't.....I wonder how much more the painted version will cost. :noid: :fingerscrossed:


are there any other board games out there where you can purchase unpainted or painted pieces? I have never heard of one before.

[traitorarmor]

are there any other board games out there where you can purchase unpainted or painted pieces? I have never heard of one before.

According to Wakandaman, right above your post, it sounds fairly common in the industry.

[Wyldstaar]

Wizkids released an unpainted version of MageKnight back in the day.

[csi]

According to Wakandaman, right above your post, it sounds fairly common in the industry.

I was hoping for some examples :disappointed:

[WakandaMan]

I was hoping for some examples :disappointed:

War of the Ring is the first one to come to mind. It's a big LotR board game with lots of little miniatures. In the standard set they come just in three colours of plastic (red for bad, blue for good and grey for important characters) but there is a Collectors version that has them all painted. I believe it is a lot more expensive, but there are lots of miniatures in the game. The Collectors one also has a much cooler board, box, etc.

Shadows over Camelot is another one. It has miniatures of King Arthur and his Knights as well as a few other things. I believe you can buy a pack that has just painted versions of them if you really want it. I'm actually in the process of painting mine at the moment.

I'm sure there are others.