Captain's Log #54

"Captain, we appear to have struck a rift in spacetime . . ." – Bridge of the USS Darwin, 3 August Y195 Captain's Log #54 is one of the strongest issues we have done, starting with "Return of the Darwin" by Gary Carney. Just as the USS Darwin discovers the secret behind the Andromedans' rapid travel, it is sucked into a rift in time. As the history of the Alpha Octant grows bleaker, the Darwin pops out in that future. The desperate battle to save the galaxy goes down to the very last second. Captain's Log #54 includes information for all of our games, including updates, new ships, information about tanks in the Star Fleet Universe, history about disinformation put out by the Klingon Office of Strategic Deception, a report about the Andromedans' Rapid Transit Network, and new scenarios. Star Fleet Battles: This game gains seven new scenarios, two Sapphire Victory articles (one by Peter Bakija and the other by Bill Schoeller), an update on Operation Unity for the simulator empires, a primer about the Zosman Marauders' ships, Proposals Board, Ask Admiral Vanaxilth, Battle Groups, Term Papers, an article on the space tarantula (a deadly new creature), background questions, an article on converting Tholian ships to other empires' technology, and new ships: Kzinti destroyer leader, destroyer minesweeper, drone destroyer, and commando destroyer; Romulan W-Kingbird Command Cruiser and Y-Royalbird Command Cruiser; Neo-Tholian advanced technology destroyer and advanced technology frigate; Federation corvette; Lyran Cheetah-S Frigate Scout; Orion strike cruiser and battle carrier; and the Omega Paravian antiproton heavy cruiser, war cruiser, war destroyer, and frigate. Federation Commander: You will find five new scenarios, Battle Group tactics by players, and a preview of rules for gunboats (which ties into the final scenario). To support the new rules, there are gunboats for the Klingons, Kzintis, Hydrans, and ISC. In addition to those, there are ship cards for the Orion strike cruiser and Klingon B8 battleship. Federation & Empire: This game has Tactical Notes, Q&A, Proposals Board, new rules for shipyards and for balance factors, and a new scenario that switches the location of the Lyrans and Romulans. Starmada: This section includes a look at the new rules for the Vudar (scheduled to appear in 2026's Rumors of Wars), along with two ships for them (the War Cruiser and War Destroyer). Also included are two new Klingon battleships: the B10-T Emergency Battleship and the B8 Combined Dreadnought. A Call to Arms: Star Fleet has a new Call Out Note, a new scenario designed for the Federation and Orion Pirates, and two new ships: the B8 Insolent-class Dreadnought and B10T Improbable-class Emergency Battleship. And there are still more articles: Starline miniatures, Star Fleet Awards, Command the Future, Input Guide, Galactic Conquest, Prime Directive, Star Fleet Marines (a large assault featuring the units in the two Star Fleet Marines titles, Counter-Attack and Counter-Strike), and the creature special event cards (including the space tarantula) for Star Fleet Battle Force. What is especially important in this issue is that the elements we introduce are linked across the game systems. Federation Commander gets the scenarios for the story and battle groups (Star Fleet Battles already had them). Supports Federation Commander, Star Fleet Battles, Federation & Empire, Prime Directive, Star Fleet Battle Force, SFB Galactic Conquest, Starmada, A Call to Arms: Star Fleet, Star Fleet Marines, and Star Fleet Warlord. The colorized SSDs from this issue are sold separately; the Supplemental File (which includes background information) is free.