# Starfleet Battles, anyone? (Tabletop version) **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Tags:** board-card-word-game\ **Created:** [December 27, 2021, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/starfleet-battles-anyone-tabletop-version/956750 "2021-12-27T23:49:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Tripler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripler/32/21807_2.png) [@Tripler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tripler)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2021, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/starfleet-battles-anyone-tabletop-version/956750/1 "2021-12-27T23:49:51Z")
Throwing a line in the water to see what nibbles. Cleaning out one of my old totes in my closet, I came across a box set of [Starfleet Battles](http://www.starfleetgames.com/starfleetbattles.shtml) with a binder of the 2012 SIlver Anniversary ruleset (printed out from the PDF). The thing is, I picked it up _years_ ago with the intent of playing, but never did. I signed up for SFB Online today, and am interested to see if anyone else out in Cecilspace has/is playing, so I might learn to play. Tripler I hoard boardgames. I really do. . . ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2021, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/starfleet-battles-anyone-tabletop-version/956750/2 "2021-12-28T00:36:17Z")
I never played but a buddy of mine owns it. ---
**Author:** ![Capn\_Carl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/838e76/32.png) [@Capn\_Carl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capn_Carl)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2021, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/starfleet-battles-anyone-tabletop-version/956750/3 "2021-12-28T00:47:18Z")
I played that, back in the early 1980s. It was fun. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2021, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/starfleet-battles-anyone-tabletop-version/956750/4 "2021-12-28T00:53:45Z")
I played hundreds and hundreds of hours of SFB back in the '80s. I still have all my stuff, too. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2021, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/starfleet-battles-anyone-tabletop-version/956750/5 "2021-12-28T01:03:40Z")
I played lots in the 80s, I loved it. But I have nothing left of it. ---
**Author:** ![Mollie\_Magill](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mollie_magill/32/20882_2.png) [@Mollie\_Magill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mollie_Magill)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2021, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/starfleet-battles-anyone-tabletop-version/956750/6 "2021-12-28T03:05:50Z")
I played it some back in the 80s, but not in the last 35+ years. ---
**Author:** ![Tripler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripler/32/21807_2.png) [@Tripler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tripler)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2021, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/starfleet-battles-anyone-tabletop-version/956750/7 "2021-12-28T22:20:28Z")
Sweet. I thought I was the only nerd around these parts. Tripler Hooray retro games! ---
**Author:** ![Retzbu\_Tox](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/retzbu_tox/32/11829_2.png) [@Retzbu\_Tox](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Retzbu_Tox)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2022, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/starfleet-battles-anyone-tabletop-version/956750/8 "2022-01-05T00:43:53Z")
A friend had the game, and a group of us played it many times. I was a Larry Niven fan and was amused that the Kzinti made it into the game. My recurring strategy was to use the big Kzin ship and launch a jillion drones. The Federation players eventually came up with the notion to lurk in minefields so the drones would blow themselves up before reaching their targets! Sthondat monkeys! ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2022, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/starfleet-battles-anyone-tabletop-version/956750/9 "2022-01-05T20:57:00Z")
> [@Retzbu\_Tox](#): > > I was a Larry Niven fan and was amused that the Kzinti made it into the game. That’s because Larry adapted one of his short stories for an episode of _Star Trek: The Animated Series_. Since then, the species is part of series canon, although they have only appeared 6 times, and always in animated form. Twice in the original cartoon, and four times in Lower Decks (so far). [![](https://64.media.tumblr.com/954cf89e9cf222458d41aae5457fbe47/0296279a4acfe402-8a/s1280x1920/ad63c5f85708a8fdca8dfd34d5ad7c8ae322cf56.jpg) ](https://64.media.tumblr.com/954cf89e9cf222458d41aae5457fbe47/0296279a4acfe402-8a/s1280x1920/ad63c5f85708a8fdca8dfd34d5ad7c8ae322cf56.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2022, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/starfleet-battles-anyone-tabletop-version/956750/10 "2022-01-05T21:05:34Z")
> [@Tripler](#): > > I signed up for SFB Online today, and am interested to see if anyone else out in Cecilspace has/is playing, so I might learn to play. I used to play SFB frequently in the late 80s and early 1990s but not at all in the last 25 years. I just read some of the other replies in the thread and it looks like a lot of us haven’t played it in 25+ years. A buddy of mine I used to play the game with gave me all his books, photo copied ship sheets, maps, and tokens in the late 1990s and I accepted them with the intent of finding people who wanted to play. I got close in the early 2000s but I haven’t found anyone else who plays the darn game. It’s a very good game, but it takes a long while to complete one battle. Back when I was a teenager I had all the time in the world to play games like SFB, Car Wars, Supremacy, Ogre, BattleTech, Renegade Legion and others. But it’s harder to find people these days willing to sit down for 4+ hours of the same game. ---
**Author:** ![Retzbu\_Tox](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/retzbu_tox/32/11829_2.png) [@Retzbu\_Tox](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Retzbu_Tox)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2022, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/starfleet-battles-anyone-tabletop-version/956750/11 "2022-01-06T00:06:43Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > That’s because Larry adapted one of his short stories for an episode of _Star Trek: The Animated Series_ . I was aware of the Kzinti existing in the first animated series, which I watched in the 70’s. I was not aware that they appear on Lower Decks. Interesting. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2022, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/starfleet-battles-anyone-tabletop-version/956750/12 "2022-01-06T00:11:37Z")
> [@Odesio](#): > > I used to play SFB frequently in the late 80s and early 1990s but not at all in the last 25 years. I just read some of the other replies in the thread and it looks like a lot of us haven’t played it in 25+ years. A buddy of mine I used to play the game with gave me all his books, photo copied ship sheets, maps, and tokens in the late 1990s and I accepted them with the intent of finding people who wanted to play. I got close in the early 2000s but I haven’t found anyone else who plays the darn game. > > It’s a very good game, but it takes a long while to complete one battle. Back when I was a teenager I had all the time in the world to play games like SFB, Car Wars, Supremacy, Ogre, BattleTech, Renegade Legion and others. But it’s harder to find people these days willing to sit down for 4+ hours of the same game. This is pretty much me, as well, only I played SFB a little earlier – I discovered it when I went to college in 1983, and played with a couple of friends fairly often for a few years. I likely still have the boxed game which I bought in '83, somewhere in a box in the basement, but I don’t think I’ve played since around 1987. In the past few years, I’ve supported the Kickstarters for the relaunches of both Ogre and Car Wars, and I have the big boxes of those games in my game room. As you note, they’re still fun games, but they require some dedicated time to play. I got to play Car Wars with a few friends over Thanksgiving, and playing one novice-level game did take us about 3 hours (though we were also re-learning the rules as we went). ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2022, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/starfleet-battles-anyone-tabletop-version/956750/13 "2022-01-06T00:54:31Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > This is pretty much me, as well, only I played SFB a little earlier – I discovered it when I went to college in 1983, and played with a couple of friends fairly often for a few years. I likely still have the boxed game which I bought in '83, somewhere in a box in the basement, but I don’t think I’ve played since around 1987. My absolute favorite ship was the Romulan Killerhawk. It was basically a heavy cruiser hull packed with way more weapons than it should have been packed with. The group I played SFB with absolutely hated cloaking devices so I always got a 15% decrease in the points cost. There was one Federation ship that only cost 100 points but I can’t remember what it was called. I referred to it as the Lemon because that’s what it looked like on the datasheet. > [@kenobi\_65](#): > > In the past few years, I’ve supported the Kickstarters for the relaunches of both Ogre and Car Wars, and I have the big boxes of those games in my game room. As you note, they’re still fun games, but they require some dedicated time to play. I got to play Car Wars with a few friends over Thanksgiving, and playing one novice-level game did take us about 3 hours (though we were also re-learning the rules as we went). I don’t know if it’s the length of time it takes to play versus how tedious it all seems. I played a game of BattleTech in December 2019 for the first time in approximately 20 years. It was pretty much how I remembered, but it was a slow grind as we continued to damage one another and we were playing with light mechs. I had a Locust for God’s sake and it felt like a grind. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2022, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/starfleet-battles-anyone-tabletop-version/956750/14 "2022-01-06T15:05:11Z")
> [@Odesio](#): > > I don’t know if it’s the length of time it takes to play versus how tedious it all seems. ^ This! ^ I will _never_, never forget the feeling and mind-blowing realization I had the first time I played _EverQuest_. I made my character, logged in and made my way out of the starter city I was in to go kill some rats or goblins or orcs or whatever and with the first strike of battle, it all crystallized for me: I was playing Dungeons & Dragons but would never have to open a rule book, would never have an argument about the rules, would never have to write anything down or draw a map. It was like being in paradise… ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2022, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/starfleet-battles-anyone-tabletop-version/956750/15 "2022-01-06T15:11:54Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > I was playing Dungeons & Dragons but would never have to open a rule book, would never have an argument about the rules, would never have to write anything down or draw a map. It was like being in paradise… There was a computer version of SFB that did the same thing: > **[Star Trek: Starfleet Command](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Trek:_Starfleet_Command)** > > Star Trek: Starfleet Command is a computer game based on the table-top wargame Star Fleet Battles. It was developed by 14° East and Quicksilver Software and published by Interplay Entertainment. It was released in 1999 for Microsoft Windows. It simulates starship operations, ship-to-ship combat, and fleet warfare in the Star Trek universe. An expanded version was released in 2000 titled Star Trek: Starfleet Command - Gold Edition. It includes the latest patch and all the missions that were downlo... I played it back then, and liked it. I wonder if I could find a version now… ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2022, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/starfleet-battles-anyone-tabletop-version/956750/16 "2022-01-06T15:18:55Z")
I never did give that a try back in the day. Steam still has it but only for older operating systems. Spoilered because I don’t know how to remove the “purchase” link; this should just take you to the page, tho. [https://store.steampowered.com/app/364820/Star\_Trek\_Starfleet\_Command\_Gold\_Edition/](https://store.steampowered.com/app/364820/Star_Trek_Starfleet_Command_Gold_Edition/) ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2022, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/starfleet-battles-anyone-tabletop-version/956750/17 "2022-01-06T20:51:28Z")
GOG has it too, but I also see people reporting that it has problems on Windows newer than 7. Still, those reports are from 2015, they might have fixed it by then. GOG usually does a great job making old games compatible with new OSes. Starfleet Command III on GOG reportedly works in Win10 but you have to manually delete a DLL or it will crash on loading. Otherwise it is fine. ---
**Author:** ![Tripler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripler/32/21807_2.png) [@Tripler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tripler)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2022, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/starfleet-battles-anyone-tabletop-version/956750/18 "2022-01-08T16:40:48Z")
I have a copy of it floating around the house here somewhere. I played it for _hours_ but got frustrated with it because I could never get past the “Planet Killer” mission (where you have to ram a Fed/CC down its mouth and live). I haven’t tried loading it onto my Win 10 desktop, but if I find it, and I can’t get it to work, I’ll drop you a PM if you want it. And then I just read @Snowboarder_Bo’s post. It may not run anyways. I’m willing to set up a Discord server, if anyone’s interested in pick-up games. I really want to learn to play, if someone’s willing to have patience with me. There is a [StarFleet Battles Cadet Module](https://vassalengine.org/wiki/Module:Star_Fleet_Battles_Cadet_Training_Manual) for the [Vassal Engine](https://vassalengine.org/) for “over the Inter-tubes” play, but it’s been awhile since I set up a Vassal game. Tripler Going full “reto-nerd” this month. ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2022, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/starfleet-battles-anyone-tabletop-version/956750/19 "2022-01-08T22:49:18Z")
> [@Tripler](#): > > I haven’t tried loading it onto my Win 10 desktop, but if I find it, and I can’t get it to work, I’ll drop you a PM if you want it. I just installed it from the Steam site. There’s a tutorial available there about how to make a few simple changes that will let it run under Win10, which seemed to work for me. I ran some of the tutorial missions to remember the controls, and the first mission, and it seemed fine. > **[Steam Community :: Guide :: How to get Starfleet Command to run on Windows 10](https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=837445398)** > > Since I've been a child, I've always LOVED this game. I'm sure there are, without a doubt, quite a few others that are out there who feel the same. Now that this game is on Steam, people have gotten a