Re: FLEET BOOK (REVIEWED)

>Here is my review of the Fleet Book, all comments are meant to be
>constructive, this is a great piece of work JT!

Thanks, Tim - hope you don't mind me making just a few comments on your
review..  :)
>
>
>This is a must have for any FT player. A very nice simple design system
>Some much needed changes to the core rules. For 8 quid this is
incredible
>value for money.
>
>Contents
>========
>
>Real Thrust movement system
>
>Mega weapons phased out

Not really phased out - just comments on how not to let them unbalance
things....
>
>60 degree fire arcs
>
>Rolling manoeuvres
>
>Changes to the damage track
>
>Penetrating damage system
>
>Critical system hits
>
>New fighter rules - greater range and endurance and fighters as PDS
>
>Beam weapons now have numeric size designation
>
>Pulse torpedoes - upgraded
>
>Needle beams - upgraded
>
>PDAF -> Point Defence System (PDS) - upgraded
>
>ADAF changed to a special fire control
>
>Hull Armour
>
>No level 3 screens
>
>Fire control has to be paid for in design system
>
>Crew factors and Damage Control linked to damage track
>
>New turn sequence (like MT)
>
>Salvo Missile System (SLM) - new very powerful offensive system
>
>Super new mass based design system
>   No class breakpoints
>   Hull strength system using percentage of mass
>   Some beam classes get free arcs
>   Screens get expensive
>   Multi arc pulse torpedoes
>   Percentage mass system for main hull components
>
>Fleet Designs
>=============
>
>This is a brief design synopsis of the 4 fleets in the book
>
>NAC - Fast speed, beams, pulse torpedoes, few SLM's, heavy screens,
medium
>armour, and PDS/ADS
>
>NSL - Medium speed, beams, few SLM's & pulse torpedoes, no screens,
>heavy armour, PDS
>
>FSE - Fast speed, SLM's, beams, few sub-munitions, no armour,
>medium screens and PDS
>
>ESU - Fast/Medium speed, beams, few SLM's, strong hulls, heavy screens
and PDS
>
>How these play? I'll trust the playtesters. Everyone has lots of PDS as
the
>SLM's are dangerous. The 4 fleets are different as if they are using
various
>doctrines.
>
>Lack of anything but standard sensors?

For the moment. Sensors is an area we want to look at more later.
>
>No ECM or MT missiles.

For ECM, see comments above. MT missiles can still be used as per
original
rules.
>
>The crew levels on the ships are incredibly low, compared to say the
>contemporary wet navy. I think
>this reflects the high level of automation
>in the future perhaps?

Yes, as explained in the background section.
>
>Aliens to be in Volume II
>
>Graphical Design
>=================
>Overall I preferred the look of MT but I suppose
>the changes are to emphasise the differences...
>
>Goodbye digital title font, modern chunky sans replacement

The digital font was very "eighties" - a change was overdue!
>
>Small sans main text font (8pt?) so lots of information packed in
>the 48 pages. I found it small and would have preferred something
>a bit bigger ( the font size has got progressively smaller from FT, MT
to FB )

Lots to get in - a 20,000 word manuscript!  Twice the font size means
twice
the page count, and almost twice the price.... :)
>
>Nice clean look cover - black/silver/red
>
>Each of the main fleets has a 1/3 page intro
>
>New look SSD, systems aligned on a grid. No ship outline diagram, as
its
>replaced by the 3d ship view. New system icons for firing arc's, SLM's,
>critical systems, armour,
>crew factors
>
>Nice isometric drawings in pen of fleet ships, direct replicas of the
>miniatures, grouped with SSD
>and blurb boxes about 2 per page giving about 28 pages of ship designs
for
>the 4 main fleets and
>merchants ( 1 pp).
>
>Good background blurb boxes for each ship, service
>details, technical specification and design history
>
>Few bitonal counters for new systems, not too inspiring but
>adequate

There will be better ones when we do FT3. These were a bit of an
afterthought to fill the leftover space!
>
>Usability
>==========
>Generally really very good, the new rules are introduced then the
design
>system and then the
> designs. So it takes you through the required steps. I only had a
couple
>of minor issues:
>
>SML's salvo specifics are mentioned in the point defence rules on pp 7
>before the SML rules are
>actually introduced on pp 9

A problem of writing everything in chunks and then having to juggle it
around when typesetting...
>
>The section on how to interpret the SSD's (pp 41) comes after the
actual SSD's
>I managed to not find it for the first 2 hours as I expected it to
precede
>them
>This explains what TMF and NPV are on the SSD's.

Layout reasons. The ESU fleet left half a page over, and this was the
best
way to fit it in.
>
>pp 9 Salvo Missile Systems
>Doesn't explain the range of enhanced range (ER)
>salvos (this - 36 mu - is found buried in a summary later on pp 12 )

OOPS!  :)
>
>Addenda
>=======
>I noticed a few funnies:
>
>pp 3 Thruster Pushes
>2nd para - '6 manoeuvre points' should be 3

Yes, should read 3.
>
>pp 7
>Area-Defence Fire Control
>(Fighters, SMB's etc) whats an SMB? (SML maybe?)

Yes, SML (or SMR) - SMB is a hangover from the test drafts, I thought
I'd
caught them all! (Was Salvo Missile BATTERY, SMB).
>
>pp 19
>Ark Royal class fleet Supercarrier
>Crew factor star next to PDS system

Able Spacehand Funk is hiding again....  ;)
>
>There are quite a few discrepancies between the SSD and the
>technical specifications. In these cases which is correct the
>SSD or the technical specification, its important to know to stop
>disputes in a canonical source.

Have double-checked these, and in all cases the SSD is correct - they
were
assembled from the design worksheets, whereas the text box was pasted
and
modified from one ship to the next (which is where I think the errors
crept
in).
>
>pp 17
>Majestic class Battlecruiser
>SSD has no area defence fire control but in technical
>specification

SSD correct.
>
>pp 25
>Szent Istvan class Battledreadnought
>SSD has 4 PDS but 3 in technical specification
>
SSD correct.

>pp 33
>Jeanne D'Arc class Fleet Carrier
>SSD has 7 fighter bays but 3 in technical specification

SSD correct.
>
>pp36
>Volga class Super Destroyer
>SSD has 2 PDS but 1 in technical specification

SSD correct.
>
>Tibet class Light Cruiser
>SSD has 2 fire controls but 1 in the technical specification

SSD correct.
>
>tim jones
>-----------------------------------------------------------------------
--------
>-

Thanks for the review!

Jon (GZG)