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 From
Port
Nova Media
Two games are currently
available in the Astra Empires line and
Universe.
Astral Empires: Nova
Command (Task Force level)
Take command of powerful
military starships you can design yourself
and send them into combat with Nova
Command. Based
upon a popular ruleset with a decade of
history behind it, Nova Command
offers you the chance to control one of
numerous fleets from the Astral
Empires universe while also
allowing you the opportunity to construct
your own ships. Awaiting
your leadership are a wide variety of
factions including the advanced
Technocracy, the eugenic Barons of
Machiavelli, the powerful Felinoid
Consortium, the insectoid Qajari Writh,
the Corporate Fleets of the Merchanteer's
Alliance and the mysterious robotic
Omnicron Singularity. You're
certain to find a fleet you want to play.
Includes a wide variety of systems
to equip your ships so
you'll be on your way to conquer the known
universe in no time at all!
Astral Empires: Nova
Command is based on GSC2
by Thane Morgan and consists of
three different books (core rules,
appendices including top view counters of
many different ships, and a fleet book
detailing five fleets).
 Astral
Empires: Battleshift
(Massive
Fleets)
Big space battles are one
of the coolest sights in science fiction
movies and television, but there aren't
many rules systems that really do it
right. Most top out at running ten or so
ships effectively, a few make it to
twenty, but none of the other available
rule sets really let you drop a couple
hundred on the table and decide the fate
of the galaxy!
 Battleshift
does....
"Battleshift"
refers to ships shifting into and out of
battle through hyperspace. It allows units
of ships to disappear from the table, and
then re-enter the battlespace a few turns
later making maneuver important, as fleet
commanders can't just focus on what's on
the table.
Battleshift also
features a suppression system, which
causes squadrons to lose accuracy as they
take fire. Suppression has traditionally
been critical in battle. In
naval gun engagements, near
misses on enemy ships were still useful as
they made crews flinch, rocked the ship to
spoil aim and obscured targeting. Few
starship miniature games have even looked
at suppression's effect on a battlefield.
Astral Empires: Battleshift
is based upon Battleshift
rules written by Thane Morgan (of "Armies
of Arcadia" fame). They are
designed to let you play out positively
HUGE starship battles (it's been
playtested with hundreds of ships on each
side) and offers a unique game mechanic by
which various ships phase in and out of
battle which adds some very interesting
dynamics as far as play.
2/25/2012 - "We
are in the process of completing a series
of "Fleet Books" (called
"Battle Packs" for lack of a
better term) made up of pages of
starship counters along with background
"fluff" describing each class of
ship and how it fits into the overall
fleet dynamic. These new counters
are unique in that they are designed to be
used in game systems that have 90 degree
arcs of fire or hex-based six-60 degree
arcs. We have found them to work
great with various systems, and have taken
to calling them "Virtual Minis"
as we're trying to give them something of
a semi-3d look. They're intended for
people who want to be able to field large
fleets in games but can't afford to
stockpile a sufficient supply of
miniatures." They
have also been working on is creating free
"Fleet Books" for various Astral
Empires powers for existing game
systems. To start, we are focusing
on the excellent Full Thrust
starship combat game
2/26/2011 - Now
available from DrivethruRPG
are several Astral Empires products
for space gaming and RPGs. You can
get Nova Command and Battleshift
there now along with the first fleet book
for Battleshift, Human
Powers. Fleet books for xeno/alien
powers, along with a larger fleet book for
all of the powers of AE
universe's 10,000 AD setting will be
available soon.
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