For the last few months we have had a BOARDGAME in development, entitled SHIP TO SHIP: An Introductory Boardgame of 3D Space Combat and Command in the Firepower Pass Universe. The main difference between the miniatures game Firepower Pass and its Boardgame brother-to-be Ship To Ship - besides that the latter as a boardgame will therefore be complete, straight out of the box - is the streamlining and reduction of the number of Actions permitted, and the re-designing of the combat system into a d10 dice-pool system, for faster play. None of the unique aspects of Firepower Pass will be sacrificed in Ship To Ship, though Firepower Pass will retain a deeper level of detail and tactical options for your ships and their escorts. Components will include (and samples are below):

• A full-color 22x34 mapsheet
  
• 270+ wooden playing pieces, with stickers for double-sided counters and markers
  
• Scaled as an introductory game, scenarios will be limited to a maximum 3 squadrons a side, each squadron consisting of from 2 to 5 ships in a squadron. However the game will easily adapt to the addition of more squadrons for larger scenarios.
• A redesigned and streamlined attack chart with all modifiers on the chart. No need to look elsewhere during combat resolution except your Ships' Logs!
  

Designers' Note: Incidentally, the Firepower Pass combat system started out as a d10 system a many years ago, and was number-crunched into the the current master Combat Results Table. Ship to Ship will use percentiles (d100) and mutliple d10s to the same effect. With new Ship's Logs that will be available for download for free when available, those who prefer the Ship To Ship combat system will easily be able to adapt their Firepower Pass games to it.

BTW along with a cyberboard gamebox of Ship To Ship, we will be offering a gamebox for a relatively new live-play-by-internet tool (also free like Cyberboard) called ZunTzu (http://www.ZunTzu.com). The gameboxes will be available for free download on the respective games' FREE Tabs, once the Ship To Ship section of the website here is officially launched.

There is no target date for Ship To Ship as yet, but our wish list put its at the end of 2008. If it is sooner we will most definitely post it here! Questions about it and our progress? Email us!

We've got free samples of the PDFs!

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Description

Designed to easily control 15-20 capital ships a side (which can be 4-5 squadrons), while concentrating on squadron level tactics, Firepower Pass uses a unique command oriented system that allows units to attack as individual ships (i.e. at a tactical level) yet defend and maneuver in 3D as squadrons. Octagonal 3D movement tiles easily and elegantly depict the 2D vector of 3D movement.

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Features

• Individual capital ships; the capabilities of the capital ships are expanded by attaching LAC wings and escort groups for use in point defense or for launching independent strikes
• Individualized damage location tables right on each ship log
• Twenty(20) minute turns, but a side may hold the initiative for a variable number of turns (called an initiative impulse).
• Streamlined Formation displays reflecting the current Combat Commitment Level of the Squadron: a combination of staff pre-planning, tactical intelligence and analysis of that intelligence.
• Emphasis on prioritizing command resources during a turn
• Electronic Warfare influences every attack and defense
• Detection, Targeting Solutions (nick-named "Lock-ons") and Sensor Ghosts
• Rules for the influence of combat commanders on ship and squadron operations
• Gunnery and faster-than-light missile combat, LAC wings, escort groups, interdiction of missile strikes, boarding actions, and more!

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Game Contents

The downloadable Zip file (or you can order a CD) contain PDFs for all the files, including:

• Full color Rules
• Comprehensive Examples of play
• 11 original 3D Ship designs, depicting everything from Terran Cruisers and LAC Carriers through giant Procyonese Base Ships, rendered in Wings3D and Bryce.
• 140+ Plan View Ship pieces you can print and cut apart, named and ready for action; 100+ more with no names so you can Name Your Own!
• Templates for 3D movement Octagons, essential to play. Print them on cardstock and cut apart, you only need approximately 18 to play any scenario (3 printouts). We are looking into clear plastic octagons as well as wooden ones for purchase separately, watch the accessories area to the left!
• Sheet of "Terrain" Octagons including Planets, and moons, Asteroid Belts and Ion Storms
• Seven (7) suggested scenarios, including the two issued as .pdfs after the initial Nov 2006 release ; complete with text detailing the progress of the war and following a series of officers on both sides who are promoted and demoted as the war see-saws between victories and defeats. Each scenario builds on the storyline of the previous, and each is rated for its overall complexity.
  Scenarios include:
  • Scenario Description
  • Table set-up map and approximate space needs to play
  • Tables of organization for both sides
  • "Historical" scenario result
  • Pre-filled Ship Logs, no need to print out & fill out, just print and play! Included in all versions in the download archive or on the accompanying CD, but also printed in the deluxe version.
• Ship logs are placed 4-up on a letter-sized or A4 page, one page per ship type, lined for cutting apart for play, a minimum of data needs to be filled in to use them (just the Ship Name, and crew values for the Ship, LAC Wings and Escort Group, provided in each scenario and on an overall Crew Rating table).
• Front and back Template for a 50 card Event Deck combining 4 of the major game tables, which prints on regular 10-up "clean-edge" Avery business card stock, or a lined version if you want to put it on cardstock and print it yourself; or alternatively if you do not wish to make an Event Deck, there is an equivalent Event Table included. (I like the deck, it is actually much more convenient in play, you place a card directly next to the Squadron affected by it.)
• Charts and tables including: Combat Chronometer Chart (i.e Time Track), Combat Results table, Damage Tables (what the results mean for different targets), Leader Casualty Results, Leadership value determination, Critical Hull Damage, Concussive Damage, Event Card Codes, Damage Definition Tables (how to mark damage)

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Regular Hardcopy version of the Rulesbook

Paperback edition 104 pages printed with full-color covers, coil-bound. Also includes a complimentary copy of the CD-ROM (above) for convenient printing of the components for play like logs, counters, markers etc; mailed separately.

In the book are:

• Complete full-color Rules & Examples of play
• 7 Scenarios
• Charts and Tables

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Deluxe Hardcopy version of the Rulesbook

AVAILABLE NOW!

Paperback edition 257 pages printed with full-color covers, coil-bound. Also includes a complimentary copy of the CD-ROM (above) for convenient printing of the components for play like logs, counters, markers etc; mailed separately.

This book is made from ALL THE PDFs, including

• Complete full-color Rules & Examples of play
• 5 Scenarios including pre-filled ship logs
• Charts and Tables
• Event Card Templates
• Terrain & Movement tiles
• Ship logs
• Ship Counters
• Markers
• Design-Your-Own Squadron kit including: Name Your Own Ship counters & overall Crew rating Chart for completing ship logs, varied by nationality, faction, and crew experience.