SCN - Federation Commander

6/18/2011 - ADB will be releasing Transports Attacked at Origins and general sale in July. This supplement will cover Tugs and fleet transports with sixteen ship cards and several new scenarios, but no new rules are needed although they included a copy of the tug and pod rules published earlier.

2/27/2011 - ADB has made a bunch of Federation Commander products available as pdf files from e23.com. Included are the Federation Commander Reference Rulebook, lots of ship packs, and Captain's Log supplements.

Now available is Captain's Log #42 which includes three new scenarios, Hydran Anarchist, Tholian Pinwheel, two Omega Ship Cards, and much more.

March - Federation Admiral: This will be a very large book of campaign rules, designed to work with Federation Commander, but they will also work with Starmada and Star Fleet Battles

June - Federation Commander: Transports Attacked: The next module in the FC game system covers tugs and light transports. Scenarios cover the battles they get into.

6/27/2010 - In the new War and Peace supplement now available, Three new empires come to Federation Commander. The Vudar, a Klingon "Subject Race", were allowed to build ships (with ionic weapons) to patrol remote regions. Then they rebelled. The ISC, considering the rest of the galaxy to be full of dangerous lunatics, stayed out of the General War. When it ended, they declared themselves to be peacekeepers, but were they really after conquest? The Andromedans, a minor nuisance for decades, launched a full-scale invasion of the galaxy just after the General War ended. Can the empires work together to survive, or will they fight in a burning house? Included are 40 one-inch and 140 half-inch counters, plus 16 ship cards and one double-size battleship card, and 24-page rule/scenario book. Booster Packs #28, #29 and #30 for these races have also been released.

Captain's Log #41 is also now available. It includes three new scenarios for Federation Commander and lots more for the other ADB games.

11/21/2009 - Captain's Log #40 is now available. In this issue, The Federation GSVX survey ship has encountered the first known Space Manta, a dangerous monster. Unable to find any way to destroy the ship, the captain must expend the lives of his pilots to gain as much information as he can before the Space Manta destroys his ship. Federation Commander content includes hree new scenarios, six new ships including two new empires, stasis field generators, command notes, and Victory at Origins.

Also available are 2 new squadron boxes of Hyran and Lyran miniatures and Border Box #9, plus the new Klingon F5W miniature.

6/30/2009 - Captain's Log #39 is now available. The issue begins with a major fiction story (Burden of Duty, Debt of Revenge) about a old Federation CA which catches a Klingon DX raiding behind the lines.

Federation Commander fans get get four new ships, rules for early years, tactics, and two new scenarios.

5/28/2009 - A Federation Commander Reference Rulebook is now available from ADB.

"The most requested Federation Commander product, the Reference Rulebook is the complete rulebook players have demanded. This is the complete rulebook, with all of the rules from Klingon Border, Klingon Attack, Romulan Border, Romulan Attack, Tholian Attack, Booster Zero, Battleships Attack, Communique, Distant Kingdoms, Orion Attack, and Captain’s Log. This includes all of the RULES with all of the updates, revisions, examples, expansions, corrections ... all of it!

This is a RULE book and does not include scenarios or ship descriptions. It’s just the rules, ma’am.

But it is ALL OF THE RULES, in one book, in order, front to back, with everything added, inserted, edited into the rules, and rewritten to clarify the rules and make them high and tight, ready for battle."

The Original Series Years! It was a simpler time, when wars lasted about an hour, ships did not have the “refits” that covered their flaws and complicated their tactics, and a captain with some guts could get things taken care of before the admirals got involved (and in the way). Not that a visiting commodore couldn’t stop by and accidentally start a war now and then!

This 96-page book contains 72 starship diagrams (in both Fleet Scale and Squadron Scale) for the starships of this era. (To save costs, these are non-laminated and black-and-white.) Many of these are Middle Years versions of ships already in FC, but some are new to FC and one is new to the SFU.

Also included are ten scenarios reflecting the unique patrol-style battles, border clashes, skirmishes, and free-wheeling phaser fights that raged across the Neutral Zone (and your television screen).

So join us for a simpler time, and a cleaner fight, with ships that exploit each others’ flaws with finesse, not brute force, with maneuver instead of overwhelming head-on attacks.

FEBRUARY 23, 2009 - Federation Commander: Border Box #8, Orion Dreadnought Miniature

ORIGINS 2009 - Federation Commander: Hydran Attack, More Starline minis (to be announced)

SECOND HALF OF 2009 - FC Booster Packs 25-26-27, Squadron Boxes 25-26-27, Border Box 9, FC Campaign Book (VBAM), FC Briefing Book: Support Ships, Captain’s Log (November), More Starline minis (to be announced)

WILL HAPPEN THIS YEAR IF THE OUTSIDE DESIGNERS DELIVER
Silent Star Fleet, Klingon Armada, Leanna’s Fighting Starships: Volume I, Volume II, Star Fleet Battlestations

12/2/2008 - Now available is Captain's Log #38 with class history of Lyran heavy cruisers, Myths of the Organians, Developmental history of heavy plasma superiority fighters. Starline 2400. Federation Commander plasma tactics, six new ships, three new scenarios, how to make your own fleet scale ship cards, Klingon firing arcs, Command Notes.

10/6/2008 - Federation Commander: Orion Attack and Booster Packs #21-#24 are now available.

Orion Attack includes Seven new pirate ships, Four new police ships (Lyran MP, Gorn FF, Hydran Gendarme, Romulan SeaHawk), Commercial Platforms, Q-ships, Monitors, Seven new scenarios. Sixteen full-color laminated ship cards, 40 one-inch playing pieces, and over 100 half-inch markers, Command Cards, Impulse Cards and a complete Master Weapons Chart.

Shipping September 22, 2008
- Federation Commander: Orion Attack, Booster Packs #21, #22, #23, #24, Squadron Boxes #19, #20, #21

Shipping October 20, 2008

- Federation Commander: Border Box #7
Shipping November 17, 2008
- Captain's Log #38,

Federation Commander: Squadron Boxes #22, #23, #24, Border Box #8

7/7/2008 - Captain's Log #37 is now available, it includes Fiction: Magnificent Panzers, Hit & Run, History of the WYN Navy, Federation Commander: 5 new scenarios, 7 new ships (Gendarme, SD7, Lyran heavies, B9, carriers), Carriers & Fighters (Borders of Madness), Tactics.

New miniatures released are the Monitor, Death Probe, Space Boar, Hydran Overlord Heavy Battlecruiserm and the Lyran NCA.

5/15/2008 - Federation Commander: Distant Kingdoms is now available for order. New enemies, and new allies! The Hydrans attack the Klingons with a triple threat: short-ranged gatlings and fusions, long-ranged hellbores, and fast-turning Stinger Fighters. The Lyrans, using disruptors and phasers and their unique expanding sphere generator, join the Klingons. The LDR, a neutral faction of the Lyrans, remain aloof from the war, acquiring Hydran gatling technology. The WYN fanatically defend their rich (and radioative) homeland. Sixteen standard ship cards and two double-size battleship cards, two map panels (gas giants), 40 one-inch and 108 half-inch counters, and five scenarios. Oh, and the Moray Eel of Space!

Also available are Booster Packs #19 and #20 with more cards from this supplement.

2/19/2008 - Federation Commander Briefing #1 is now available. This 64 page includes 24 new scenarios 6 new ships, Complete Master Ship Chart (including FCDK and CL36!), Complete rules update file, Major tactics article, Scenario Designer Guide, and Indexes of Scenarios and Communique.

Also available are miniatures in Squadron Box #16 (Federation heavy & light dreadnoughts, Kzinti DNH and DNL, Neo-Tholian DNH) #17 (Klingon C5, Lyran, heavy and light dreadnoughts, Hydran Liege and Regent), and #18 (Romulan heavy and light dreadnoughts, Gorn DNH and DNL, Romulan KC9R).

Coming in mid March will be Federation Commander: Distant Kingdoms, which brings new alien empires, the Lyrans, Hydrans, and WYNs, into the game system. It includes 15 new Federation Commander ships, 3 new weapons: Hellbores, fusion beams, expanding sphere generators, Stinger fighters, the first time fighters have appeared in the Federation Commander game system, and they are significantly different from what you saw in SFB, Two new map panels: Gas Giants Planets, and six new scenarios.

1/17/2008 - Now available to stores and shipping mail orders on the 21st, is Federation Commander: Line of Battle. It includes extra copies of those huge double-size full-color laminated battleship cards plus three special battleship scenarios.

Also available on the same day is Captain's Log #36. For Federation Commander, CL36 it includes three new scenarios, seven new ships, Basic Battleship Tactics, 3 new Command Notes, and the new Tournament Rules plus the regular features of a Captain's Log.

7/30/2007 - Federation Commander Booster Packs #16, #17, and #18 are shipping to wholesalers today and to preorders to individuals on August 6th. These boosters for Battleships Attack contain 8 laminated control sheets like other boosters but unlike other boosters that have only one or two new ships not available anywhere else, these boosters contain 4 or more new ships not available in any other sets.

FC Booster #16 - Alliance Dreadnoughts contains 5 new ships, #17 - Gods of War contains 7 new ships, and #18 - Titans of War contains 4 new ships.

6/26/2007 - Shipping on July 2nd for an Origins release is Federation Commander: Battleships Attack, the new supplement that adds massive battleships to the game. Included in this product are a 16-page rulebook; 8 scenarios 8 full-color double-size double-sided laminated ship cards. 2 asteroid maps (new designs) and 148 full-color die cut playing pieces.

5/28/2007 - Federation Commander: Academy is now available through distributors at your local store as a starter set with everything you need to get starships battling at a lower initial cost. Federation Commander: Graduation is also available directly from ADB so they can move up from FC: Academy to the full version of the game.

Also released was Captain's Log #35 with FC content of tactics, four new ships, two new scenarios, new rule (scouts).

3/29/2007 - A new entry into Federation Commander is coming. Federation Commander: Academy will be released in May 2007 for $24.95 as a low-cost way to try out the Federation Commander system without investing in one of the more expensive border boxes. FC: Academy will include four classic starships: Federation heavy cruiser, Klingon D7, battlecruiser, Romulan King Eagle, and Gorn battlecruiser. Also included are 216 half inch counters and markers, a weapons reference card, a map, and a complete copy of the rulebook from Federation Commander: Klingon Border.

With Federation Commander: Academy players have the game rules they need to use Booster Packs #0 through #12, dozens of ships in the Communique downloads, or even Klingon Attack, Tholian Attack, and Romulan Attack. A later release, FC: Graduation, will provide everything needed to convert Academy into Klingon Border.

2/26/2007 - New products were released today. The big one is Federation Commander: Tholian Attack which includes the Tholians (once overlords of the M81 galaxy) and their former Seltorian slaves (who followed the last surviving Tholians to the Milky Way to wipe them out), Rules for the web generator, web caster, web breaker, particle cannon, shield cracker, and snare, eleven scenarios including the Death Probe, a new monster, two new hard-mounted full-color double-sided map panels (webs), 15 full-color laminated double-sided ship cards and a weapons reference card, plus 40 one-inch Counters and 108 half-inch markers.

Squadron Box #14 (Neo-Tholians) and Squadron Box #15 (Tholians) are also being released along with the Base Station miniature and the Tholian NDD and NFF miniatures.

Of special note is the release of the Juggernaught miniature kit. This classic monster ship is cast in resin and pewter and includes brass parts.

2/1/2007 - There have been problems with the masters of the Seltorian minis so Squadron Box 13 (Seltorians) and the Seltorian Fleet Box will be delayed to probably mid-May.

1/24/2007 - A free demo version of Federation Commander called First Missions is available here. The 34-page downloadable pdf file includes enough of he rules and charts to have a Klingon D7 Battlecruiser battle a Federation Heavy Cruiser and see what the game is about. The download includes a hex map panel but you can use any hex-map you might have. Also include are tabletop rules for a hexless world plus counters and ship cards.

Captain's Log #34 is now available. In this 120 page supplement it includes fiction, 8 new ships for Federation Commander and lots more.

10/6/2006 - Booster Packs #10, #11, and #12 are now available. The new ships available only in these packs are the Federation New Fast Cruiser (#10), Gorn Fast Battlecruiser (#11) and the Romulan Fasthawk (#12).

Here is the planned release schedule for future Federation Commander products:

SCHEDULE FOR 13 NOV 06
* Federation Commander: Border Box #4, SKU 4404, $99.95. 24 pewter starships
SCHEDULED FOR 27 NOV 06
* Captain’s Log #34, SKU 5734, $18.95

SCHEDULED FOR FEB 07
* Federation Commander: Tholian Attack, SKU 4103, $29.95
* Federation Commander: Squadron Box 13, SKU 4313, $34.95
* Federation Commander: Squadron Box 14, SKU 4314, $34.95
* Federation Commander: Squadron Box 15, SKU 4315, $34.95
* Starline 2400, Orion War Destroyer + Double Raider, SKU 0818, $14.95
* Starline 2400, Seltorian Fleet Box, SKU 1500, $39.95

SCHEDULED FOR MARCH 07
* Federation Commander: Booster Pack #13, SKU 4213, $9.95
* Federation Commander: Booster Pack #14, SKU 4214, $9.95
* Federation Commander: Booster Pack #15, SKU 4215, $9.95

SCHEDULED FOR APRIL 07
* Federation Commander: Border Box #5, SKU 4405, $99.95

SCHEDULED FOR JUNE 07 (Origins Releases)
* Federation Commander: Battleships, SKU 4104, $29.95
* Federation Commander: Squadron Box #16, SKU 4316, $34.95
* Federation Commander: Squadron Box #17, SKU 4317, $34.95
* Federation Commander: Squadron Box #18, SKU 4318, $34.95
* Federation Commander: Border Box 6 (Battleships), SKU 4406, $99.95

An expansion for ROMULAN BORDER, this product will also work with KLINGON BORDER.

This product adds 16 new ships (Ore Carrier; Fed Strike Cruiser, and Battle Frigate; Romulan King Eagle, Snipe, KC9R dreadnought, KF5R destroyer, SparrowHawk Light Cruiser, FireHawk heavy cruiser; Gorn Light Cruiser, Heavy Battlecruiser, Heavy Destroyer, Medium Cruiser, Strike Cruiser; and the Space amoeba which isn't really a ship but let's not be picky) and several more scenarios (Surprise Reversed, And to the Republic, Art of Duty, Encounter at Denebola, Yefimov's Anabasis, Magnificent Panzers, Morkedian Death March, Shield of the Federation, Practice Practice and THEN what?) to the game system.

Contents include 16 page ship-scenario guide, 40 one-inch and 108 half-inch counters, two map panels (asteroids!), and sixteen new ship cards (listed above).

Also released were Squadron Boxes #10, #11, and #12. Squadron Box #10 includes miniatures of a heavy freighter, a Gorn CL, a Federation Battle Frigate, a Romulan Snipe, and a Federation Strike Cruiser. Squadron Box #11 includes miniatures of the following Gorn ships, Medium Cruiser, Strike Cruiser, Heavy Battlecruiser, Battle Destroyer, and Heavy Destroyer. Squadron Box #12 includes miniatures of the following Romulan ships, KC9R dreadnought, SparrowHawk, FireHawk, King Eagle, and KF5R Destroyer.

Armed Priority Transport, Large & Small Auxillary, Ore Carrier, Federation CC, Federation CC saucer, Federation CS, Federation CVF, Orion OK6, Orion DW, WYN Shark. The Fed CC saucer came from a computer 3D model and includes the grid lines. It is used on the Command Cruiser and Strike Cruiser minis but is available separately if gamers want to use it with minis they have previously purchased. Images of these minis are on the Star Fleet Battles page.

7/11/2006 - Now available is the second boxed set of the series, Federation Commander: Romulan Border:

The cloaked Romulans are raiding the Federation Border, while the Gorns remain an enigma. (Will the dinosauroids become friends, or enemies?) Includes six mounted map panels, 40 full-color one-inch playing pieces, 216 full-color half-inch game markers, 16 laminated full-color double-sided ship cards, plus rules, dice, marking pencil, and play aids. This product includes the complete (and updated) rules for the game system.

5/6/2006 - Federation Commander: Booster Zero is now available, this is the Threat File on such dangerous foes as the Romulans, Gorns, Lyrans, Hydrans, ISC and WYN. This booster pack has 6 cards and sneak preview rules for these dangerous and deadly opponents.

3/30/2006 - Now shipping is Federation Commander: Klingon Attack, an expansion to the Klingon Border boxed set with 16 new ships (full color CGI graphics 1" counters, full color laminated ship diagrams) and several new scenarios including the return of the Juggernaut, the very first "monster" ever published for the Star Fleet Universe and the opening shot of the General War with The Mighty Hood Goes Down. Plus two new map panels with full color planets are included.

Also released were Squadron Boxes #4, #5, and #6 are also now available and include miniatures for the ships in Klingon Attack.

Squadron Box #4 consists of miniatures of the Federation, Kzinti, and Tholian ships found in Klingon Attack! For Star Fleet Battles players, this squadron box has the Kzinti NCA, a new ship never before cast in pewter for the Star Fleet Universe, plus one bonus ship!

Squadron Box #5 brings the Klingon Armada your gaming table with pewter miniatures of the E4, D5, and D5W (the latter a brand new miniature of the most common Klingon cruiser of the late war era), this Squadron Box also includes the fickle Orion Pirates, and a bonus ship!

Squadron Box #6 has 5 Kzinti from their massive dreadnought to the agile war destroyer.

3/25/2006 - Federation Commander: Boosters #1, #2, and #3 are now available, they have extra laminated control sheets from the Fed Com box set plus and new ship or two. #1 is the Federation Task Force pack with 2 light cruisers, 2 frigates, a Heavy Cruiser, a Freighter, plus the Federation Command Cruiser, #2 is the Klingon Harassment Squadron pack with the bonus ship being the Klingon D7C Command Cruiser, and #3 is the 'Border Patrols and Mercenaries' pack and it includes more Kzinti and Tholian ships including the Kzinti Command Cruiser and the Tholian Heavy Cruiser.

Also check out Communique #3 available from ADB's Commander's Circle. It includes a preview control sheets for the Federation Destroyer and a revised Klingon C7 Heavy Battlecruiser.

2/13/2006 - ADB has released Captain's Log #32, their series of supplements detailing the history, tactics and communications of the Star Fleet Universe.

In addition to the usual Star Fleet Battles articles, highlights of this 112-page issue include fiction by Randy Green, the first tactics for Federation Commander: Klingon Border, a walkthrough of a two turn game for Federation Commander, highlighting the tactical decisions made by both captains, and a sneak preview of Federation Commander: Romulan Border with the plasma torpedo rules, and four sample ships armed with these deadly weapons!

Here is the latest schedule of Federation Commander products and miniatures:

TO SHIP 13 FEBRUARY 2006
* Deluxe Space Battle Maps, SKU 5310, $29.95; a complete 22x34 eight-panel space battle map set, mounted on 80-point board (about like a Monopoly board but in separate pieces so you can arrange the battle like you want and leapfrog unused panels in front of moving ships), printed with full-color space views (Hubble Telescope) on both sides (1.25" hexes on one side, 0.625" on the other side).
* Federation DNG Dreadnought, Starline 2400 pewter scale miniature

TO SHIP 27 FEBRUARY 2006
* FEDERATION COMMANDER: BOOSTER #1 - Includes 8 laminated full color ship diagrams. Booster #1 includes more of the Federation ships in the Klingon Border boxed set, plus one entirely new ship.
* FEDERATION COMMANDER: BOOSTER #2 - Includes 8 laminated full color ship diagrams. Booster #2 includes more of the Klingon ships in the Klingon Border boxed set, plus one entirely new ship.
* FEDERATION COMMANDER: BOOSTER #3 - Includes 8 laminated full color ship diagrams. Booster #3 includes more of the other ships in the Klingon Border boxed set, plus two entirely new ships.
* FEDERATION COMMANDER: BORDER BOX #1 - Miniatures designed to match ship diagrams in Federation Commander: Klingon Border.

TO SHIP 27 MARCH 2006
* FEDERATION COMMANDER: KLINGON ATTACK - An expansion to the Klingon Border boxed set with 16 new ships (full color CGI graphics 1" counters, full color laminated ship diagrams) and several new scenarios plus two new map panels with full color planets!
* FEDERATION COMMANDER: SQUADRON BOX #4 - This box includes pewter miniatures of the Federation, Orion, and Tholian ships from Federation Commander: Klingon Attack
* FEDERATION COMMANDER: SQUADRON BOX #5 - This box includes pewter miniatures of the Klingon ships from Federation Commander: Klingon Attack

* FEDERATION COMMANDER: SQUADRON BOX #6 - This box includes pewter miniatures of the Kzinti ships from Federation Commander: Klingon Attack

* FEDERATION COMMANDER: BOOSTER PACK ZERO - Formatted like the other FC Booster Packs (5.5 x 8.5 inches, spectacular full-color starship cover, contains seven laminated full-color double-sided ship cards plus some rules sheets). The sub-title on this one is "intelligence briefing" and it will include one ship each from the Romulans, Gorns, Hydrans, Lyrans, WYN Star Cluster, and Inter-Stellar Concordium, plus a master weapons card and the preliminary rules for the weapons of these six races. This pack, in effect, is a preview of several future Federation Commander installments including Romulan Border, Distant Kingdoms, and others. Said another way, this gives all of the Star Fleet Battles players enough rules to start flying their favorite empires in the new game system.

TO SHIP 10 APRIL 2006
* FEDERATION COMMANDER: BOOSTER #4 - Includes 8 laminated full color ship diagrams. Each booster includes more of the other ships in the Klingon Attack set, plus one or two entirely new ships.
* FEDERATION COMMANDER: BOOSTER #5 - Includes 8 laminated full color ship diagrams. Each booster includes more of the other ships in the Klingon Attack set, plus one or two entirely new ships.
* FEDERATION COMMANDER: BOOSTER #6 - Includes 8 laminated full color ship diagrams. Each booster includes more of the other ships in the Klingon Attack set, plus one or two entirely new ships.

TO SHIP 24 APRIL 2006
* FEDERATION COMMANDER: SQUADRON BOX #0 - This box includes pewter miniatures of the Romulan, Gorn, Hydran, Lyran, WYN, and ISC ships from Federation Commander: Booster #0

MAY 2006
* CAPTAIN'S LOG #33, SKU 5733, $18.95.
* FEDERATION COMMANDER: BORDER BOX #2 - This box includes 24 pewter starships designed to work with Federation Border: Klingon Attack.
* Neo-Tholian NCL and Tholian Destroyer miniatures
* Klingon D5W Heavy War Cruiser miniature
* Kzinti NCA New Heavy Cruiser miniature

JUNE-JULY 2006 (Release At Origins)
* FEDERATION COMMANDER: ROMULAN BORDER - The Romulan Border is far more dangerous than the Klingon border! The second boxed set in the Federation Commander system, this includes 16 full-color ship displays, full-color one-inch CGI counters, and a 22x24 mounted map board in full color. Every ship display is double-sided (with large-scale and small-scale versions of the same ship) and the mounted map is also double-sided (with small hexes for large battles and large hexes for small battles.
JULY 2006
* FEDERATION COMMANDER: BOOSTER #7 - Additional full-color laminated ship diagrams for Federation Commander: Romulan Border.
* FEDERATION COMMANDER: BOOSTER #8 - Additional full-color laminated ship diagrams for Federation Commander: Romulan Border.
* FEDERATION COMMANDER: BOOSTER #9 - Additional full-color laminated ship diagrams for Federation Commander: Romulan Border.
* FEDERATION COMMANDER: SQUADRON BOX #7 - This box includes pewter miniatures of the Federation ships from Federation Commander: Romulan Border
* FEDERATION COMMANDER: SQUADRON BOX #8 - This box includes pewter miniatures of the Romulan ships from Federation Commander: Romulan Border
* FEDERATION COMMANDER: SQUADRON BOX #9 - This box includes pewter miniatures of the Gorn ships from Federation Commander: Romulan Border

AUGUST 2006
* FEDERATION COMMANDER: BORDER BOX #3 - This treasure chest of pewter includes twenty-four precision-scale miniatures designed to complete the set of ships in Federation Commander: Romulan Border.

SEPTEMBER 2006
* FEDERATION COMMANDER: ROMULAN ATTACK - An expansion to the Romulan Border boxed set with 16 new ships (full color CGI graphics 1" counters, full color laminated ship diagrams) and several new scenarios plus two new map panels.
(This will be followed by Boosters #10, #11, and #12; Squadron Boxes #10, #11, and #12; and Border Box #4.

11/30/2005 - Federation Commander: Klingon Border is now in stores everywhere along with 3 squadron boxes of miniatures that match the ships included in the game.

11/11/2005 - Federation Commander: Klingon Border ships to distributors today so it should be transporting into stores soon. Here is a picture of the contents of the box:

9/10/2005 - Federation Commander coming out on November 7th and there are plans for a big Rollout Weekend on November 25-27th in gamestores everywhere they can find people to demo the game. I have included a few of the ship sheets that are still a work in progress and the final versions may be different but you can get an idea on how they will look, both Fleet and Squadron scale. For more control sheets and background information on the developments, check out the discussion on the Starfleet Universe Discussion Board - http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/ under the 'New Product Development/Current Schedule/Federation Commander' topics.

Here is the press release just sent out which should answer all your questions about the game:

Memo: 29 Sept 2005
From: Amarillo Design Bureau, Inc.
To: Wholesalers, retailers, and gamers
Re: Federation Commander launch date.

Drum roll, please!

We here at Amarillo Design Bureau, Inc., are incredibly excited to be able to tell you about our new space combat game system, which will ship on 7 Nov 2005. You’ve heard rumors and seen vague listings in our production schedule for months, and now it’s time for some hard facts.

Federation Commander is the new "fast play" starship combat game from Amarillo Design Bureau, Inc., the people who brought you the intense (and complex) game Star Fleet Battles, the best-selling starship combat game of all time. Federation Commander is designed for the new markets of the 21st Century, where players expect and demand high production values, rules they can learn in an hour, and games that can be played multiple times in a single evening.

Here is the hard data for your computer.
Federation Commander: Klingon Border
Boxed Game, SKU #4001, MSRP $59.95, Release 7 Nov 05

Allow me to take a moment and apologize that you didn’t have all of this information two months ago. You should have, and if we had been able to send it out, we would have. During the final phases of design we made a terrifying decision to produce Federation Commander to "Eurogame" standards instead of to "1980s wargame standards".

Now let’s talk about the game itself. The box has brilliant cover art by Mark Evans, the artist who did the dramatic cover for Klingons D20. The playing pieces are full color one-inch squares with full-color high-resolution computer images of the starships. The ship diagrams (listing what a ship has, and how much of it has been wrecked by enemy weapons) are in full color and laminated for hundreds of repeat uses. The full-color map board is laminated on both sides of 80-point board, with "open space" on one side and terrain (asteroids or planets) on the other. Players can fight their savage battles in deep space or near their home planets.

Federation Commander invites comparisons to Star Fleet Battles, even if these are not entirely fair. Federation Commander has been called "SFB Lite" and it fulfills the function of that title, but it is far more than a "stripped down’ version of the classic game. It is a new design, built from the ground up for fast play. We didn’t take SFB and made it simpler; we built a new game engine that IS faster to learn, master, and play. For those who want the hard numbers for comparison:

SFB Basic Set has 224 pages of rules (with over two thousand more pages in later products), 32 decision points per turn, two die rolls for every point of damage, takes four hours to fight a one-on-one duel, and uses a tax form to allocate the energy produced by your engines.

Federation Commander has 48 pages of rules (with only a few more pages in all future products), 8 decision points per turn, one die roll for ten points of damage, takes one hour or less to play a one-on-one duel, and handles energy with an on-the-fly system using tokens (or even a paperclip sliding on a numbered scale).

We are aware that Star Fleet Battles started in 1979 as a 48-page book that grew, over 25 years, to over 2,000 pages of rules and over 3,000 starships. We don’t need to reinvent Star Fleet Battles, and have designed Federation Commander to START and REMAIN a fast-paced game with all of the excitement and little of the engineering, accounting, and rules lawyering. Future elements will add scenarios and ships, not complicated new concepts and systems. Future elements will add new empires and a modest number of rules for the weapons of those new empires.

Federation Commander will sell to:
Everyone who ever played Star Fleet Battles and liked it.
Everyone who ever played Star Fleet Battles and thought it was too complicated.
Everyone who plays Full Thrust, Silent Death, Battle Fleet Gothic, A Call to Arms, and Babylon 5 Wars.
Everyone who is a fan of any Star Trek series.
Everyone who plays RPGs and wants a fast space combat system.

Klingon D7 Battlecruiser - Squadron Scale

Major selling points of the system include:
Colorful Eurogame-quality components
Thousands of pre-sold Star Fleet Battles players.
Full miniatures support.
Hex-based and free-form movement systems.
Two game scales to keep the largest battles under four hours.

A major element of our marketing campaign (which has sent advertising to all of the major magazines and other venues) is our Federation Commander Rollout Weekend on 25-27 November. Hundreds of fanatically loyal Star Fleet Universe fans have committed to running demonstration events in their local stores all weekend. Wholesalers already have our full-color flyer to send to every game store.

Federation Commander is a complete game system, designed to maximize player value. By providing the elements that the players want in digestible bites, we will also maximize store profits. Here is what we have planned.
Federation Commander: Klingon Border is the first boxed set. It includes 16 full-color 5x8 inch starship displays and 40 full-color starship playing pieces.

Also available will be three $39.95 "squadron boxes" of Starline 2400 miniatures which exactly match the ships in Federation Commander: Klingon Border. This will be a major up-sell item for retailers ... and remember that those other space games are basically vehicles to sell miniatures.

The mounted double-sided space map will also be available early next year as a separate item, which Federation Commander players will want so they can host larger battles, and which will also sell to any other miniatures and space combat players.

This will be followed in February by three "booster packs" for $9.95. Each booster will provide additional copies of the full-color laminated starship cards from the game so that players who want to play larger battles can use multiple ships of the same class. Each booster will include a command cruiser not included in the original game.

This will be followed in April by Federation Border: Klingon Attack, an expansion with 16 additional ships (none of them in the original FC:KB game) and two additional map sections. Simultaneously, we will release three "boosters" with additional copies of the ships in the Federation Border: Klingon Attack (each booster including one new ship not in the expansion).

This will be followed in June by Federation Commander: Romulan Border and its three boosters and three squadron boxes, followed two months later by the Federation Border: Romulan Attack and its three boosters.

Obviously, we will add exciting new expansions (that do not clog up the game system) for years to come, and our multiple lines of RPGs are an exciting opportunity for cross-marketing.

Additional information about Federation Commander can be found at www.starfleetgames.com/fc if you want to check out some sample components.

4/7/2005 - The ideas for a simplified tactical starship combat game in the Star Fleet Universe that had been called Star Fleet Action or Star Fleet Squadrons are now being playtested and Federation Commander is due for release in mid 2005. I received the following information from Steven Cole of ADB:

FEDERATION COMMANDER
A simpler form of Star Fleet Battles which retains the excitement of the original with less clutter. Designed for faster play, not just as a "lite" set of rules. We will retain the ability to use SFB SSDs inside the new game system so players can easily go back and forth.

Sequence of play will be streamlined by leaving out many rules. There would be no historical timeline in the sense of progressing technology (slow drones, medium drones, fast drones, refits, etc.) but we might introduce this in one of the more advanced modules. Energy allocation will be handled by tokens rather than written records. Count your power at the start of the turn, get that many tokens, and spend it as you go along.

Movement system: Similar to SFB but with 8 impulses. Will use "impulse power to move and warp power to fight" to be compatible with what modern trekkers expect to see.
Combat system: Weapons would work the same (power cost, range, damage, die rolls, charts). New Damage Allocation system allocates ten damage points to various systems with a single die roll. Might have a leaky shield rule (every 10th point?).

Firing arcs and shields as per SFB. Damage repair. Counters: megahex type, 1" with full color starships. First product is to be FEDERATION COMMANDER: KLINGON BORDER and will be followed in time by
FEDERATION COMMANDER: ROMULAN BORDER
FEDERATION COMMANDER: THOLIAN BORDER
FEDERATION COMMANDER: PIRACY PATROL
FEDERATION COMMANDER: WAR AND PEACE
Each module will add new races and weapons, a new terrain type and a new monster, but no additional rules. SFB fans will find this a faster way to play larger battles.