Starfleet Wars Expansion

I don't know if Starfleet Wars could be considered a hit, but it was successful enough that publisher Superior Models put out a whole bunch of new spaceship minis and expanded rules to cover the additional units.  The imaginatively named Starfleet Wars Book 2 appeared in 1980, the same year as The Empire Strikes Back.  According to BoardGameGeek, the creators are the same as for Book 1: Wayne Smith and Ron Spicer.

The sequel featured a number of new ship classes: Starbombers, Star Armored Pursuit Ships, Galactic Transports, and, of course the Super Galactic Dreadnought (an example of which, the Terran Victory-class, is depicted above in the name of this blog).  The interesting thing about the SGDNs is that they get a little extra power boost: once the player allocates the vessel's offensive and defensive factors like normal, he or she adds the specified bonuses to those factors.  "The additional offensive and defensive factors reflect the increased capabilities of these super dreadnoughts over earlier ships," the rulebook states.  In other words,  "This one goes to eleven!"  To tone things down a bit, the rulebook suggests "limiting each power to a maximum of two SGD in any one battle in the interest of playability.  More than this number may dominate the battle and decrease your enjoyment of the game."  Probably a good idea.

In addition to the new ship types, the book contained rules for modular Starfortresses (in space and on the ground) and for Captive Towed Tactical Missiles (CAPTACs).  It also offered a special damage chart for when a ship gets reduced to 20% of its starting strength. 

Unfortunately, since I acquired my copy via an online minis purchase, I don't have the entire ruleset--just pages 3-10 from the middle of the book.  A look over at the Starfleet Wars Book 2 entry on BoardGameGeek.com, however, reveals there are rules for damage control as well as details about the Starfortress modules, including life support, communications, and, of course weapons.

Of particular interest to obsessives like myself is the fact that the second book changes the stats for the Entomalian Mantis-class Galactic Dreadnought.  I recently learned from the Galactic Knights Yahoo Group that the original Mantis was cast in multiple pieces with two separate turrets; the replacement was a single-piece model.  I'm guessing the reason for the change was economical, and had to do with the logistics of casting a three-piece mini vs. a single-piece model.

Although I haven't read the entire rulebook, it looks like Book 2 was a good effort in rounding out the game and providing game stats for the additional models available.