| nvdoyle | 26 Nov 2017 12:42 p.m. PST |
I first encountered Starfire in the third edition – big boxes, lots of rules. I'm looking to get back into it, but at a simpler level. The 1st and 2nd editions are available in PDF from Wargame Vault, but I'm not sure which one to go with. Thoughts? (I'm also open to suggestions for other build-your-own, fleet-level, hex based spaceship games. I've got a nice felt mat with 3 & 5 inch hexes, and I'd like to put it to use. I looked at Starmada, Make It So, and others, and…well, the 'no stacking' rules kinda put me off. And I really liked the simplicity of the Starfire stat line…) |
| SBminisguy | 26 Nov 2017 1:35 p.m. PST |
I think Starfire 2nd edition would be better because it collects all the first edition booklets into a single set of more cohesive rules. You would also probably want the New Empires campaign book for 2.0 |
| Dynaman8789 | 26 Nov 2017 1:36 p.m. PST |
I'd go with Starfire 2nd edition. It cleans up a couple of needlessly complex items from 1st edition and made starfighters less powerful. The one thing I remember for sure was that half hits were gone from the system and I think that a 2nd Starfighter movement phase was removed. |
| IrrationalDesigns | 26 Nov 2017 3:27 p.m. PST |
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| Hey You | 26 Nov 2017 3:56 p.m. PST |
2nd Edition. I have several other editions, but come back to 2nd edition more often than not. |
| Wackmole9 | 26 Nov 2017 4:14 p.m. PST |
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| Narratio | 26 Nov 2017 8:05 p.m. PST |
And another for 2nd edition |
| charles popp | 27 Nov 2017 7:53 a.m. PST |
2nd edition,stay away from anything past that |
| nukesnipe | 27 Nov 2017 8:30 a.m. PST |
Second edition. Purely a tactical game. |
Tgerritsen  | 27 Nov 2017 11:05 a.m. PST |
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| Polaris Games Dave | 27 Nov 2017 5:33 p.m. PST |
I like 1st Edition, but mostly for the nostalgia aspect… My dad and I played the hell out of it. :) Overall, 2nd Edition is probably the best. As to other rules in the same vein, take a look at Warcosm. I'm currently fiddling with it, and it's quite good. There's also a supplement (Warcosm Assault) that adds boarding actions, and a neat little ship design program (Warcosm Shipyard) that you can use to design your ships. The program can also be modified to add custom weapons and ship systems. I'm currently working with it to design Star Trek ships. |
| nvdoyle | 28 Nov 2017 9:52 a.m. PST |
Thanks, everyone – went ahead and bought 2nd, and it looks good! New Empires and Gorm-Khanate War are on my list… |
| nukesnipe | 29 Nov 2017 7:48 a.m. PST |
Been a long time since I played New Empires. While I like the detail of the strategic/campaign aspects of Starfire Ultra and Solar, it's really, really crunchy. I've been studying Victory By Any Means for use as a strategic overlay for the Starfire tactical rules. Has anyone given that a try? Regards, Scott Chisholm |
updates a squad to the new edition of the rules.