THE STORM CLOUD
DESIGNER NOTES
The Storm Cloud is an idea for a New Galaxy that I had which is very much still in the Concept Design Stage. It has a lot of potential, but must be developed and tested properly.
The Storm Cloud is an intense area of space which is hostile and dangerous to “standard starships.” Within the Storm Cloud, “standard starships” cannot use Fire Control, Shields, Warp Drive, Phasers, achieve a Lock On, and their Heavy Weapons/Devices will not function. They cannot even “see” one hex in front of them. Lethal “Lightning” repeatedly shoots down from the dark, ominous Storm Cloud, sometimes splitting a starship in two with a single hit. Heavy “Winds” can move a starship an entire hex. The deadly Storm Cloud also features many other miscellaneous environmental hazards which are perilous for a starship. Vicious Creatures call the Storm Cloud home and eagerly attack any helpless starship that drifts close to its lair.
Despite all of this, there are planets full of strange species that are native to the Storm Cloud. These species have found other unique, creative, and inventive ways to travel through the Storm Cloud. Key to their “starships” is a special generator which can harness and store the “Lightning” from the Storm Cloud. This generator also powers their weapons and defenses which will work (to a limited degree) within the Storm Cloud. They have found ways to pierce the thick darkness of the Storm Cloud that prevents visibility, allowing them to “see” 3-5 hexes in front of them. They can achieve a Lock-On within this limited area of visibility. They have also found ways to resist and harness the turbulent “Winds” of the Storm Cloud. Their “starships” can move about within the Storm Cloud, but only a limited number of hexes per turn.
To simulate the limited visibility within the Storm Cloud, a variation of the (G13.61) Advanced Cloaking Hidden Movement rules or the (OG13.42) Dimensional Phasing Treatment of a Phased-Out Ship rules will be used. This will include removing all players’ counters from the board unless they are within the “limited scope of visibility” of enemy vessels. All movement within the Storm Cloud will have to be Plotted Movement (which my group greatly dislikes) with detailed notes and tracking. This will turn off some players, but it is necessary to properly simulate the Storm Cloud.
Some of the species within the Storm Cloud have found ways to “ride” the deadly creatures which make their home within the Storm Cloud. These species will end up with “ships” similar to the Alunda and Branthodon, but tailored to fit the Storm Cloud and its unique starships.
To provide yet another adversary for the residents of the Storm Cloud, there will be empires which exist external to the Storm Cloud. These empires use “standard” starships. Each of them will greatly seek and prize a rare, coveted resource only found within the Storm Cloud. This prompts each of the empires to repeatedly send “regular” starships into the Storm Cloud to collect the resource. Some of these “regular” starships even have special modifications which help them to survive a bit longer within the Storm Cloud.
It is essential to maintain the correct goal when developing the Storm Cloud. The intent is to create a unique environment for Star Fleet Battles where strange, odd starships engage in combat where unorthodox Tactics and Strategies are necessary to be victorious. In other words, even with the Limited Visibility Rules and the Removal of Counters from the Map, along with all the other unique combat rules pertaining to the Storm Cloud, it must be necessary to properly implement Tactics in order to win. Starships should not close until they can “see” each other and then “close and hose” until one of them is destroyed. In fact, tactics in the Storm Cloud should be opposite to this, because of the difficulty and cost in constructing and maintaining starships that can actually exist within the Storm Cloud.
As previously stated, the Storm Cloud has a lot of potential to provide a unique Star Fleet Battles playing experience, but it must be developed slowly, properly and thoroughly playtested along the way.
