"Best Space Combat or Starship Combat Game" Topic

Which one should I buy? I want fun, not overly complex and not to long of a battle with several ships involved. I have considered BF Gothic, & Federation Commander. I don't know of any others.

I'm banking on the upcoming Spartan Games one! Looks fantastic!

Sounds promising for I've read much here about how awesome Uncharted Seas has been.

Full Thrust
Full Thrust
Full Thrust

Elegant, intuitive, and really fun.
(oh yeah, and free)

Online at the GZG website.

Why buy, Full Thrust rules are available as a free download. They're worth a look before you commit to another system.
link
Guiscard types faster

Even though it's going OOP next month, my vote it for Babylon 5 ACTA. It ranks high on the fun meter and allows you to play lots of ships. In fact we're gearing up to play it again starting tonight.

After playing Spartan Games Uncharted Seas, I'm suspecting their space game, Firestorm Armada, to be similar. If that's the case, it will be a simplier version of ACTA.

Federation Commander is a bit more simulation than ACTA but far less than Starfleet Battles. Because of which it ranks way higher on the fun scale than SFB, but I think it still trails behind ACTA.

Haven't played BFG, but from what I've seen, it's similar to ACTA.

Full thrust for fleet battles . and the price is right . And you can use thiers or any ships.

As for Babylon 5 A Call To Arms, the Babylon 5 version is going out of print, but Mongoose has plans to release a generic version of A Call to Arms later that isn't tied to Babylon 5. I do like it alot.

Battlefleet Gothic, although it came out before ACTA, is much like ACTA, but in my experience is a lesser game. I've played lots of both games and enjoyed them both none the less.

I have down loaded and looked at Full Thrust. I haven't gotten around to playing it but it looks really good. I plan to try it out some day.

Battlefleet Gothic and Full Thrust both have the benefit of being free. The current version (2nd) of A Call to Arms will set you back a little (not as much if you buy the pdf version), although the 1st ed revised boxed set can still be found fairly easily. The 1st edition also has the benefit of coming with counters to use until you find the fleet you like and want to buy miniatures. The Babylon 5 miniatures will be pretty hard to get ahold after the end of June though.

Battlefleet Gothic can be gotten here.

link

Full Thrust can be gotten here, sorry I can't give a direct link right now. My work proxy is blocking their site.

groundzerogames.net

Power Projection: Fleet – Full thrust for the Traveller crowd.

I vote for "A Sky Full of Ships."

The basic rules are FREE, and my game group has had lots of fun with it.

We find it is easy to pick up, fun, and lends itslef to getting beginners into space gaming.

Full Thrust is a classic. Even if you don't wind up playing it, you owe it to yourself to download and read it.

Starmada is another great game of similar detail level. Google around a bit and you can find free introductory rules that can give you the flavor of the game.

And for a more light-hearted experience, try out the free "Launch Fighters!", which you can find at launchfightersgame.com . It's quite abstract and won't tickle your tech head nerve (Ships have Attack/Defense/Movement, and weapons available are Cannons/Launchers/Fighters), but gives a very enjoyable and fast game with super-easy ship design rules.

For anywhere from 1 to about 2 dozen ships per side go with Starmada. Been around forever with the most balanced design/points system. There are also a load of various genre's ships rated up for it. If you are looking for a large Fleet level game then go with A Sky Full of Ships. Lots of stuff rated up. Easy to learn and very flexible. I've enjoyed Full thrust. However, the design system can be min/maxed too easily giving unbalanced games. Threshold rolls can also bring a game to a screaming halt (in larger battles).

Thanks,

John

For small fighters --> Silent Death
For Large fleet actions --> Full Thrust

another for starmada. customizable to infinity!

Another vote for Starmada.

The current version (2nd) of A Call to Arms will set you back a little (not as much if you buy the pdf version), although the 1st ed revised boxed set can still be found fairly easily.

I picked mine up on ebay for only several dollars. Great buy. I don't care if folks find the fighter rules a bit hinky. I can handle them until the generic version is released.

Ultimately, what do you want? I like ACTA because it handles a small force well, free-form movement (not hex), alternating activations (not pre-plotted), easy mechanics, and is fun.

Full Thrust.Nothing compares to it, simple for the design capability.
Instead of just picking a pre-made models with stats out of a book, you can actually design your very own spaceships within certain logic parameters.

Really hope Jon comes out with the third edition VERY soon.

Starmada if you like Hexes, Full Thrust if you don't.

Also, Starmada has an AWESOME Design widget/excel spreadsheet that let's you crank out designs with control sheets in 30 seconds or less (Complete with custom weapon systems).

My vote is for Warcosm

G.O.B.S for capital ships and Silent Death for starfighters.

My favorite is Full Thrust. It hits that right mix of detail and action for me.

Silent Death is a load of fun too.

I wish Hard Vacuum had gathered more of an audience.

i've recently dug star warriors and star trek tactical out of the loft….played star warriors last weekend and everyone had a good time…used the wizkids collectable models for figures on a silent death mapsheet….

G.O.B.S.!, or Generic Outlandishly Big Spacefleets!

thegobspage.com

But then I'm biased.

--- Howard Shirley, creator of Generic Outlandishly Big Spacefleets!

P.S. It's fast, flexible, fun and free.

I vote for Starmada

for fleets A Sky Full of Ships

for one on one starship duels Fed Commander.

A Sky Full of Ships!

Starmada here.

Full Thrust for the big dawgs, and Silent Death: The Next Millennium for fighter dogfightin' action.

Leland R. Erickson
Metal Express
metal-express.net

Also Wormhole from WorldWorksGames worldworksgames.com

Whatever I can get someone else to play…

Fighters – silent death
cap ships – starmada.

Both excellent

Phil

Full Thrust – in both it's TuffleyVerse and Traveller Formats…. on tabletop or hexsheets…

Silent Death – best SF combat rule system ever for fighters. Later versions, especially the gunboat ones – got a bit too long winded for my tastes. But give me a late model Seraph and I'm a happy man.

Big ship stuff, loved the ORIGINAL Star Fleet Battles – when it came in a zip lock bag with counters. I like hex games and hate measuring ships on the table and – try as I might (and love Jon Tuffley dearly, as I do) – I can't get on with non hex Full Thrust (though I have played the hex variant).

But when Star Fleet Battles morphed into the Captain's Edition, "17 different sorts of phaser" version, it was time to leave…

John

Parzival's game is pretty cool, I forgot about GOBS.

:)

Thanks for all the info! There are several well liked rules out there. For now I downloaded the Full Thrust Lite rules and will give them a go this weekend using those new Hot Wheels brand Star Trek ship displays found at Wal-Mart.

Starfire. Simple & fun.

Or I am I the only old bloke on here ?

Luddite,

you're not the only old fart here--played plenty of Starfire back in the '80s, but as a fleet game, it's a little too "deterministic" and not quite as interesting for a battle. For a campaign game, on the other hand, its just about right.

Rob

Twilight Imperium ARMADA. Flawless.

"Silent Death – best SF combat rule system ever for fighters. Later versions, especially the gunboat ones – got a bit too long winded for my tastes. But give me a late model Seraph and I'm a happy man."

Actually, gunboats are found in the core rules; they're analogous to a blend of WW2 PT boats or S-boats and heavy bombers. Like fighters, they utilize a single hex flight stand..

The complicated 'big dawgs" you're thinking about are the "Warhounds," which are covered in the supplement of the same name. These are two-hex stand brutes that are escort-class warships, corvettes, frigates, and cruisers, with weaponry to match (well, the later model ones, anyway, but that's another story).

Cheers!

Leland R. Erickson
Metal Express
metal-express.net