SFSFW FT Tournament

Mornin' All (or afternoon, evening, whatever suits your location)

Back on the list again after several weeks off it (holidays etc). Hope I
haven't missed too much - sensors were one of the topics of discussion
when I left and I notice they are still on the agenda as I return !

As some will know, the SFSFW is holding its annual Bifrost gaming show /
con in Birmingham, UK on the 14th of November (http://www.bifrost.org.uk
for details). Part of the proceedings this year will be an FT
tournament. Entries are still open, if you want to have a go then
contact John Wilson <john@wilsonclan.prestel.co.uk> who's organising it
but isn't on this list. He has asked me to post details of the tourney
to the list for discussion / feedback, so if anyone has any comments
I'll pass them on to him. I've already pointed out to him that I
disagree with his statement that "few players ... actually use it [the
vector thrust movement system]", he seems to have based this opinion on
just his own gaming group !

Transmission follows ....

Cheers,
Tony

------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------

OPERATION: HEIMDAL
==================
INTRODUCTION
------------
When ideas for Bifrost '99 were being discussed, I raised the point that

there were no science-fiction/fantasy tournament games taking place at
gaming shows. After a bit of discussion by the Bifrost committee, they
said: "Good idea. Let's have a Full Thrust tournament. You can organise
it."

Alright, it wasn't quite like that. But you get the idea.

I find the idea of most wargames tournaments anathema. Rows of players
hunched over their terrain, each maneuvering to get that extra bonus on
the dice with no thought to the survival of their forces - merely to
beat the daylights out of their opponent. Not my idea of fun.

I decided that the SFSFW FT tournament would be different. Instead of a
series of meaningless battles, the tournament would revolve around a
theme. Players would be rewarded for fulfilling objectives with minimum
losses, rather than merely defeating their opponents. However, the
tournament would have to be capable of coping with a large number of
players, with differing styles and preferences.

"Operation: Heimdal" was born. It would be an operation that would cover

an entire stellar system as two (or more) opposing forces would battle
against each other to achieve stategic supremacy. Whilst players would
have to carry out the objectives of their commanders, the ultimate
success (or failure) of the campaign would rest upon their shoulders.
Survivors would be able to participate further in the battles and
increase their chance of winning the tournament.

No wasting of "low value" units in this game.

The exact format of "Operation: Heimdal" still has to be decided. Until
I know what people are bringing along, I can only plan the generalities.

Even so, this represents over two-thirds of the work. By the time the
players turn up on the day, "Operation: Heimdal" will have been
finalised and the sealed orders can be opened. After that, it's out of
my hands.

SITUATION
---------
Extracted from "Alone Amongst Stars", by Adam Stapledon. Published
101TC.

"By 2184, the war between the NAC and the ESU was spreading to encompass

the other major power blocs. As the diplomats negotiated, the military
planners realised that the key to the coming space war was the ability
to move forces freely between the Core Worlds and the Frontier. If the
flow was stopped, in either direction, any military campaigns would
collapse due to lack of resources.

"While the TK drive allowed ships to Shift from point to point, there
were still key areas that had to be defended if freedom of movement was
to be retained. The most important of these to the NAC was the Lamba
Aurigae system - an essential waypoint on the Anglian Arm.

"Realising this, the NAC and its allies mobilised a force. Its goal was
to secure the Lamba Aurigae system against ESU intrusion. The RSN had
learnt its lesson from the EC blockades of the Centaurus system.
However, they were not the only ones with an interest. The Lamba Aurigae

system was a well-known weak point. Whoever controlled it could control
traffic throughout NAC territory.

"It seemed that everyone had a stake in what came to be known as
Operation: Heimadal."

OBJECTIVE
---------
The objective of Operation: Heimdal is for players to help secure the
Lambda Aurigae system against intrusion by opposing forces.

ORGANISATION
------------
Players will be directly under the command of their Fleet Admirals. They

shall be given objectives to fulfill to the best of their abilities. In
order to fulfill these objectives, it may be necessary (at times) for
players to be grouped together to form larger battlegroups. However,
within these battlegroups, each player will be responsible for the
command of their own vessels.

FORCE AVAILABILITY
------------------
Players will only be allowed to use those vessels detailed in the Full
Thrust Fleet Book: Volume 1 or those vessels detailed on the Brigade
Miniatures website.

Players may construct a force of up to 1600NPV in value.

RULES & CUSTOMS
---------------
The rules used in the tournament shall be those published in the Full
Thrust Fleet Book: Volume 1. The full rules set shall be used, with the
following exceptions:

	*	The Vector Movement System shall not be used.

The standard written orders system shall be used. All movement orders
shall be written before movement commences. Records must be available in

the event of a dispute.

Any dispute must be brought to the attention of an umpire as soon as it
occurs. The umpire's decision is final and binding.

THE REASONS WHY
---------------
We decided to use Version 2.5 of the Full Thrust rules (those in the
Full Thrust Fleet Book) as these are the most up-to-date version of the
rules. They give a standard set which are clear, unambiguous and agreed
upon.

The Vector Movement System, while interesting, was left out as very few
players that I know of actually use it. Besides, inertial combat is a
pain to calculate.

As we were already using Version 2.5, we decided to use the vessels
listed in those rules. However, to prevent a "Jon Tuffley" monopoly, we
decided that it would be a good idea to allow other, SFSFW recognised,
vessels into the game. The only vessels that we know of that fit into
the default Full Thrust universe are those manufactured by Brigade
Miniatures.

The points limit of 1600NPV was set to allow the players to construct
realistic, but manageable forces. In theory, each player could have a
"high value" unit, such as a carrier or dreadnought, with about five
large escort vessels, and still have points left over for fighters, etc.

In combination with the Core Systems rules, this would be self limiting.

A large fleet of small vessels would be possible, but would suffer huge
losses. A small fleet of heavy vessels, while seemingly invulnerable,
would suffer disproportionate losses if a Core System was hit.

HOW TO TAKE PART
----------------
Anyone who is interested in taking part in the SFSFW Full Thrust
tournament at Bifrost '99 should put together a fleet (remember the
limits!) and contact me with the details at
john@wilsonclan.prestel.co.uk. I shall keep competitors informed of what

is happening with regard to the FT tournament (and Bifrost '99 in
general).