Board Game Designers Forum

It's mid 2252, two and a half years since the end of the War of Independence. The outer colonies have just formed the Independent Alliance and face the struggles of establishing a new government. The United Colonial Overwatch, led by the governments of the inner worlds, has been defeated on the battlefield and severed from it's material lifeline and is now in economic and social chaos. Adding to the struggle are numerous pirate bands that have grown strong in the seven-year war and ensuing chaos thereafter. The future of mankind is uncertain. Two governments sit on the brink of total collapse.

Warfleet is a game of combat between large starships in the ten years spanning 2242-2252. The game is played on a large (tabletop size) grid consisting of 1.5” hexagons, each representing an area of space 500 kilometers across. Box-models are used to represent most starships and stations, and counters or markers are used to represent other types of units and terrain (such as fighters, bombers, asteroids, and mines). The game is ideally played with between 2 and 6 players, but could be played with more. It is designed to represent combat between small groups of starships (3-8 per side), but is capable of battles of almost any scale.

The game focusses mostly on combat. Die rolls are used to determine weapon hits, and damage allocation is handled via a 'damage template' that is placed over a schematic diagram of the starship to show which areas have been effected by the weapon.

Other features:

-Point based movement system to allow players great freedom in the maneuvering of their starships. Each ship has a cost to move and turn, and many ship designs have unique degrees of speed and maneuverability. (currently under revision)

-Unique weapon system models inaccurate bombardment at range. Shot variance means players have to choose wisely where to shoot as to maximize the potential to cause damage. Players can use different ammunition types for different situations.

-Firing arcs. Weapons that are very accurate at close range force you to try and outmaneuver your opponent. This makes cruisers valuable for their firepower and escorts valuable for their speed.

-Template-based damage allocation system adds an increased level of excitement to the game without bogging the players down in paperwork or a sea of die rolls. Damage is recorded on a picture of the starship (called a Ship Status Card) showing all of its systems for a visual representation of the damage.

-High on detail, low on record keeping. All relevant information for each starship -damage, speed, maneuverability, weapons- is contained on a single page. Rules are complex in concept but simple in execution, keeping the game moving forward without sacrificing depth and tactical options.

-Unique units. Over 40 classes of starships, stations, and ordinance are represented. Unlike other highly detailed games, Warfleet uses the same flexible framework for each and every starship, meaning that different units are truly unique but do not have additional rules solely for that class of starship.

-In depth background. Nearly 200 years of history sets the background for Warfleet -New Era. A constantly evolving and changing universe will gradually add new ships, technology, and history to provide a large amount of richly detailed content as a setting for scenarios.

-Several factions to choose from: The United Colonial Overwatch is the Earth-based Government that controls the inner colonies and resentful over their defeat in the war. The Independant Alliance is a brand new government established by the outer colonies after they broke away from the Overwatch. The Deep Space Mining Guild is an incredebly large and powerful industrial guild that looks out for its own interests. Mercenary units are established, respected fighters that will work for anyone with the coin (and a moral compass). Harassing all of these factions are the numerous bands of pirates that grew powerful during the seven year war.

Currently I am working on the fourth revision of the manual. I'm hoping this will be the last revision before it is released to the public for playtesting. You can view the website here: http://warfleet.awardspace.com/
Unfortunetly I don't get to update the website as often as I'd like so it is a little bit out of date. From a design perspective I am aiming to keep the game as fast paced as possible while allowing a lot of tactical options to make an interesting experience. The game will be highly scenario based, as I prefer that type of gameplay rather than just "pick a few and fight".