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This page last updated Tuesday, 06-Sep-2005 12:28:23 EDT.
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Role Playing News
Volume 2, Number 3 - April 28, 1995
The Roving Gamer is Mark Christopher. To submit articles contact him at:
The Roving Gamer
21 Claymoss Rd
Apt. 2
Brighton, MA 02135-4202
or e-mail markus@shore.net
Volume 2, Number 3
April 28, 1995
SFB: the Gorn Tournament Cruiser
by Mark Christopher
Nothing is as scary to an SFB player than to be on a closed map against an opponent who uses plasma torpedoes. Thus, the Gorn TC is one of the scariest ships to go up against. It has plasmas facing in all directions, it is tough, and it is fast. This is not to say that they are unbeatable. Indeed, they are unmaneuverable, and it is difficult for them to fire a full alpha strike, as they practically have to centerline their opponents to fire everything. However, they are definitely one of the more feared ships on the board.
The main feature of a Gorn TC is its four plasma torpedoes. With two type-S' and two F's, it can dish out one hundred points of damage at close range, and that's before phaser fire. Now, being on a closed map, this will be somewhat hard to avoid, but it is possible. Speed is obviously the most important factor. You must keep your speed up when facing the Gorn. Never go slower than 24 if you can avoid it. Though I don't normally recommend their use, power a wild weasel or two, just in case, but only use them if you know you will die if you don't. Try not to be put in that position, though. You may very well die afterward. Don't use your phasers on the enemy ship; rather, use them to cut down the plasmas a bit. Obviously, if you can fire through a downed shield, hit the Gorn instead of his plasmas. It's better to cause several points of damage than cut a couple from the plasmas. Lastly, speed! I can't say that enough against plasmas. Don't slow down unless the Gorn is all the way across the board. Even then, don't slow down by much.
The Gorn is a tough ship. It has eight phaser-1's and four phaser-3's. That means it has decent defense against drones, and wonderful phaser firepower to use against ships. All of its weapons, however, are spread all around the ship. To fire all four plasmas at you, it has to centerline you. Not being a very maneuverable ship, this won't be an easy thing for it to do. Make it even harder for him. Snipe, then run away. Come up behind him, and if he HETs, HET yourself away. You can maneuver around him again later. Obviously, don't anchor him unless you know you can hurt him without massive retaliation.
The Gorn is a tough ship to beat, but with some common sense, basic pointers, and practice, he can be just another statistic on your road to glory.
This is the third in a continuing series of articles on Star Fleet Battles tournament ships
Volume 2, Number 3
April 28, 1995
THE AWFUL GREEN THINGS FROM OUTER SPACE
by The Roving Gamer
This is one of the few really good 2-player "beer & pretzel" games I've played in a while. It takes it's inspiration from various B-science fiction movies of the past thirty or so years, most noticeably Green Slime (according to the designer). You will actually feel shades of Alien when playing, though not with quite the same level of tension.
The game is a rather tongue-in-cheek look at aliens-taking-over-the-spacecraft-while-slaughtering-the-crew situation. One player plays the crew of 30 or so beings, while the other plays the Green Things. The crew player puts his beings in there various posts throughout the ship, and the alien player puts his selection of about a half-dozen aliens (in various stages of growth, from egg to adult) in the empty parts of the ship. The crew player moves one of his units to "encounter" an alien, and the game is on.
What makes this game really fun is that no one knows just what will hurt the aliens. There are a variety of items for the crew to try, from stun-guns to syringes to cans of food. However, whenever something is tried, the crew player has to pick an "effect" chit to find out what happens to the alien. These effects range from a decent amount of damage, to causing the alien to grow or even fragment into many pieces that in turn will grow. Yikes!
If the crew finds out that it is getting butchered without really slowing the awful green menace, they can attempt to set the engines to explode and escape in the ship's boats. Then, they have to try to get back to the homeworld, which is a small trip in and of itself. If enough crew survives to get home, they can still win.
Though not a game to be played constantly, Awful Green Things from Outer Space is a very humorous and enjoyable game that should be part of any "beer & pretzels" library.
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