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mj12games.com/forum → Starmada → Starmada: Unity Rulebook
So, this is happening... 
So--and I'm saying this sincerely--[b]please sell me on this.[/b]
Around the time the Admiralty Edition first came out, I'd been searching for a rules-lite starship combat game with a cohesive ship-construction system, and Admiralty fit the bill perfectly. So I bought a few books. Then, a few years later, the Star Fleet Battles deal was struck, and I was in heaven. Official Trek content for Starmada? SIGN ME UP! So, I bought more books.
Buuuuuuuuuuut then Nova hit, and I felt like everything I bought was now worthless. Now, if that's not the case, maybe I just blew my Perception roll. Or, maybe the Starmada crowd simply likes learning and playing new rules. That's OK if that's your thing--but it isn't mine. (This is, what, the third edition in a decade?)
So, I like what you did before, and am intrigued enough to ask: why I should give Starmada another go? What does this edition do better than any other? Am I missing something about the different editions? And most importantly, what's the future for Starmada?
I plan to give some more details on what this new edition means in terms of gameplay in a day or two, but let me try to address the larger question now:
Why Unity?
The short answer is, "Because Nova happened."
Personally, I never grasped the "new edition invalidates what came before" viewpoint. Then again, until Nova was released, no one else brought it up, either. Those around the game long enough will remember that there were two major editions prior to Admiralty, also within the decade: what would eventually be collected in the Compendium was released in 1999, while Starmada X came out in 2004. It's just the speed with which the game was evolving.
However -- and this is ultimately where I erred -- I did not take into account what would happen when I announced Nova. Previously, there was nothing to "invalidate"; anything beyond the rulebook was player-generated and specific to individual gaming groups. Nothing tied the larger Starmada community together outside the core game. When X was released, or even Admiralty, people could take it or leave it depending on preference. Players who chose to stick with an older edition weren't "missing anything" because nothing else was coming.
But with Admiralty, I started releasing supplements -- and then the Star Fleet Universe deal came along. Suddenly, a change to the rules meant changes to the supplements. The stakes were raised, and I failed to appreciate that. So when Nova was released, a split appeared in the player base. At the request of ADB, I continued releasing Admiralty versions of the books; I think that was a good idea, I'm not complaining at all, but it did mean perpetuating that split.
The goal of Unity is to heal that schism.
I think it does so extremely well. Again, more discussion on that in the days to follow. I don't want to say "never", but it's very unlikely there will be another wholesale revision to the game. With Unity I have addressed all of the things that still nagged me about the game.
As to the future of Starmada, my hope is to put some more focus back on non-SFU adaptations. To that end, the new rulebook includes 48 ships representing 14 separate fleets from five separate universes.
Sample Unity SDS.
Will we have faceted shields as an optional rule?
Yes. Both standard shields and screens (what Nova called "armor") can be divided into four defensive arcs: forward, port, starboard, and aft.
Yes. Both standard shields and screens (what Nova called "armor") can be divided into four defensive arcs: forward, port, starboard, and aft.
Nice. Will faceted shields be the standard for Star Fleet Armada?
Faceted (i.e. "directional") screens, yes.
Will there be any kind of options for a more complex damage system? Not talking too detailed here -but more than just, essentially, the 4 systems + hull in Nova?
Damage resolution is governed by the four tracks on the card: Hull, Engine, Weapons, and Shields.
When the Hull track is completely marked off, the ship goes boom. (Like in every other version of the game.)
The Engine and Shield tracks indicate the loss of speed and defenses, respectively. (Like in Admiralty.)
The Weapons track is new: the number on the track indicates how many individual weapons remain operational. As these boxes are checked off, the ship must eliminate the appropriate number of weapons. For example, when the Coronation BC checks off two weapons boxes, it must lose five weapons (17 - 12). Equipment (indicated by damage bubbles) are considered "weapons" for this purpose. The numbers in parentheses are "loss limits" and prevent players from choosing all of the weakest weapons first.
Ugh. Not another edition. I just re-bought everything in Nova after having gotten into Admiralty originally. And, presumably, all of the SFU stuff will also have a complete new set of editions to buy?
When does the treadmill stop?
Please read above for answers to the whyanother edition question.
As far as having to buy new SFU books, ADB is offering a free upgrade to Unity.
Damage resolution is governed by the four tracks on the card: Hull, Engine, Weapons, and Shields.
When the Hull track is completely marked off, the ship goes boom. (Like in every other version of the game.)
The Engine and Shield tracks indicate the loss of speed and defenses, respectively. (Like in Admiralty.)
The Weapons track is new: the number on the track indicates how many individual weapons remain operational. As these boxes are checked off, the ship must eliminate the appropriate number of weapons. For example, when the Coronation BC checks off two weapons boxes, it must lose five weapons (17 - 12). Equipment (indicated by damage bubbles) are considered "weapons" for this purpose. The numbers in parentheses are "loss limits" and prevent players from choosing all of the weakest weapons first.
Cool. Enough detail that system loss matters, but not enough to bog the game down.
Daniel, could you tell us the 5 universes that are used? Imperial Starmada is a given and maybe some SFU ships but I'm not sure of the others.
1) The Starmada Universe
2) Contact: 1939 (from Ad Astra Games)
3) Star's Reach (based on new miniatures from Twilight Game Designs)
4) [SECRET SURPRISE]
5) Playing With Fire (by MurtalianConfederacy)
Damage resolution is governed by the four tracks on the card: Hull, Engine, Weapons, and Shields.
When the Hull track is completely marked off, the ship goes boom. (Like in every other version of the game.)
The Engine and Shield tracks indicate the loss of speed and defenses, respectively. (Like in Admiralty.)
The Weapons track is new: the number on the track indicates how many individual weapons remain operational. As these boxes are checked off, the ship must eliminate the appropriate number of weapons. For example, when the Coronation BC checks off two weapons boxes, it must lose five weapons (17 - 12). Equipment (indicated by damage bubbles) are considered "weapons" for this purpose. The numbers in parentheses are "loss limits" and prevent players from choosing all of the weakest weapons first.
I like it! Here's my money! Give Me! Give Me! Give Me! Give Me!
I liked Admiralty Edition. It did had a few problems, choosing anything other then a 4 for any stat either made it too powerful or too weak. And there were a lot of overlapping abilities. Also Catastrophic, extra hull damage and Increased Hits was nuts!
Nova Edition was interesting in a lot of ways. It was easier, faster damage resolution and the basic movement rules didn't require a PhD to understand (I'm exaggerating there, but they were really difficult to gasp for a first time player). But I never liked Nova's shipyard spreadsheet. I like page size sheets so I can put them in a clear page protector and use a grease pen. Also I like designing ships as inspiration hit, then saving it as a pdf. And I really didn't like having to copy and paste bits to make the sheets, I'd always loose interest.
So I'm really interested in this new edition.
I've been around with Starmada since I printed the "original" text version off the "internet" back in my late 90's college years. I have collected every product for my "Starmada" Collection througth it all. I am really, REALLY happy to see growth and future expansion with the product line. Starmada, in my humble viewpoint, remains at the top of the class for options, ease of play, and ability to customize. I just wanted to say thank you for aligning everything. At the end of the day, Starmada still remains as one of the best. It was the icing on the cake the day we got "offcial" star trek type rules with ADB.
5) Playing With Fire (by MurtalianConfederacy)
And this is one of the reasons I re-released PWF as an Admiralty-edition supplement. So, y'know, thank/blame Dan as appropriate...:)
Do you have a release date in mind? I've always been a pretty casual follower of Starmada, and found the whole Admiralty/Nova split a bit confusing, so unifying strikes me as a grand idea!
Still hoping the PDF will be available by the end of this month, with print copies available shortly thereafter.
Really looking forward to Unity. AE really sat well with our group, until we got carried away with the min/maxing. Based on what I've read in the other thread, seems like we won't have the same issues with AE, but still will have the flavour!
Nova was smooth and streamlined, but ultimately I think its best served in Grand Fleets - a game where the weapons/defenses are similar, but where there is a great number of combat modifiers. The way the combat effectivness of each weapon is distilled down to a couple of parameters makes it easier for Captains to make decisions.
For space games the decisions are often based on where there are degraded defenses to exploit or weapons that counter certain types of defenses (or trying like hell to destroy a ship that is currently exploiting those on your own fleet!).
I like having the defender choosing where to apply the weapon damage - simplifies things!
Index page.
Any chance for updated brigade models stats
Any chance for updated brigade models stats
I know I did them for Nova (2nd page, Bourbaki Basin Nova at the time of this post), and will most likely do them again for Unity.
I actually got out of Starmada for a while, yes the whole Armada/Nova thing actually divided me internally. *hangs head in shame* I've actually been dabbling in other systems. But I have hopes for Unity, and as long as Daniel doesn't tell me no, I'll crack open my files and convert them once again.
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