I've had a good poke around inside SFC 1 and there seems to be a lot of unfinished work inside it. A few incomplete features, such as ADD, etc. that are just dormant. Obviously they couldn't make it work in time for the relaese date, and so disabled it.
The Special Sensors, in SFB, are mainly an intelligence gathering facility in game and, having tested them against the rules in SFB Volume.III., they do seem to work in this capacity. A lot of properties, like mine sweeping abilities, are missing (would be so useful!!).
Actually MSB (Mine Sweeping Beam) would hae been simple to include.
I convert SFC OP and SFC 2 ship modles to SFC 1. The difference is the way in which hardpoints are tagged onto the models. It is easy to detach a model from the hardpoint tags and embed SFC 1 hardpoint tags, then position them where they should be.
As for the shiplist, I use Ship Edit and transcribe SSDs over from SFB rules. I also transcribe any modifications and upgrades. Some are just as bad as described in SFB conversions, such as the Kzinti FH and FH+, which just do not have enough power to 2 x Dis2 mounts.
We play the "What Ifs" in our LAN games, play some of the SFB mini-campaigns such as the "Red Wyn Express" and try out some of the ship designs people post up on ship schematic sites, books and in battleclinic, just to see how they'd really work out. Some really do suck!!
The "General War" didn't happened in our timeline.
I set up a custom models folder and SFBSFC13.TXT file for the LAN campaigns, which can take weeks to prepare. I'm the only one with the patience to trawl the web or create models, convert things, etc.
All SFB ships are the correct 1970's/1980's SKYTREX miniatures and not the stock game ships. Lyrans look as they should, as do the Klingons, Feds, Gorns, Romulans, etc.
We run combined SFB and FASA ships. L9s suck even more in SFB then they do in FASA!!
The FASA ships fill in some of the gaping fleet holes in the Klingon SFB Order Of Battle very well and vice versa.
I'm contemplating making models and creating/incorporating a new race that was the principle villains in a short Sci-Fi story in a book published in the late 1960's, the Sleen.
These were nomadic molusc type creatures resembling giant snails, about juvenile Elephant sized. Their shells mounted, what for a humanoid, would be classed as a heavy weapon. Four mounted to cover 360 Degree arcs and all controlled from a helmet. They were also pretty thick skinned/shielded and immune from hand energy type weapons in the story. Basically living tanks.
They travelled through space seeking out Class M worlds and stripped them of 80% of their vegetation and then move on. When the world has recovered after maybe a century or so, they will return and "harvest it" again. If anyone lives there or has colonised the world, tough luck, they are eliniated one way or another. Argarian colonies are another prime target on their hit list.
They have no regard for any lifeforms standing between them and the next meal.
Their ships were massive well armed and armoured and move in a fleet numbering thousands.
In the short story, an Earth science party, who are guests of a flying humanoid race, are caught up in defending the planet from a Sleen "harvesting". Human cunning finds a way of driving them away in the short story.
Now the Sleen would make for an interesting new race in SFB and SFC. Could plan a whole mini campaign around them.
At the moment I'm still figuring how best to model an illiustration of a Sleen ship. It is definately interestingly different and unique. No idea of colour schemes as the illustration in monotone.
Anyway, this'll the a subject for another post and discussion.
As for SFC OP and SFC 2, finding the game here in the UK and Europe is difficult. All the game shop chains here don't have or have never carried it.
At the moment I'm also busy fixing bikes as my priciple bike decided it was a good time to throw a big end bearing, just when I've everything else in my garage up on the benches undergoing major surgery. sh*t happens in salvoes sometmes!!
Topic: So there's these Lyrans (Read 9887 times)