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Starmada Core Rulebook $8.99 $6.75
Average Rating:4.5 / 5
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Starmada Core Rulebook
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Starmada Core Rulebook
Publisher: Majestic Twelve Games
by Victor D. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 04/22/2020 10:26:36

This is the ruleset that introduced me to Starmada & it's a good set to start with. The printed book used to be available from Lulu but I wasn't able to find it & ended up settling for the pdf =(

Whilst some might not like the stark b/w art & 'lack' of colour in the rulebook, I think it suits the game and looks good - no distractions. The layout of the rules is very good, well organised and pretty logical. The games features ...

  1. Hex map play - but it can easily be converted to table top
  2. Game play uses d6 exlclusively - to-hit, defence (expressed as 'Shields') penetration, damage, it's all done on 1d6
  3. Pre-plotted inertial movement - this is a good thing, but the rules are little unclear and led to a friend & I disagreeing as to correct interpretation
  4. Ship record sheets are simple to understand and use - and look good printed cheaply in b/w
  5. If the basic rules are good, the optional rules are excellent and widen a players choices enormously - this is the bit where SM:AE exceeds most other similar space games
  6. Ship contruction rules are included which are thorough and flexible - and you can design your own weapon systems too (but see below for problems!)
  7. You can also 'build' your own Fighter squadrons using some inluded fighter construcytion rules - this was a nice touch (but it can cause real problems, see below)
  8. An Excel ship construction program was available from the MJ12 site - hard to get a copy unless you know someone with a copy already, I got a copy off a friend

OK - that's the good stuff. And it IS good ...

However, there are some problems ...

  1. It's not easy to design a ship withpout the Excel builder unless you're Einstein & can work out the basic Hull/SU equation of "Total Space Units = Hull1.3 x 100" - neither my friend or I were able to make this equation come to the totals given on the Hull size table on page 28
  2. The points value system as given works OK as long as you don't make your own designed weapons too complicated, but once you start to create more radical weapons the PV system quickly breaks down to the point where forces equally matched by PV aren't even remotely equal forces - it is possible to create weapons that can end a battle in 1 or 2 shots
  3. The fighters that can be created with the builder can be created VERY powerful and a min/max'ed carrier can carry more than a few of them - anyone who's played SFB & had their D7 overwhelmed by 4 Hydran Stinger II fighters will understand what I mean ...
  4. These two issues mean that game play really needs to be regulated by player self-restraint - if you're not playing with any limits then the game will provide plenty of space for those of us who are min/max'ers to flourish ...

Despite a few niggles, Starmada:AE is a good introduction to Starmada and a pretty nifty space war game in it's own right. The rules themselves are worth a 5 star, but the lack of builder availability means it's gonna be a 4 instead.



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
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Starmada Core Rulebook
Publisher: Majestic Twelve Games
by Joaquim F. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 01/13/2009 14:36:58

It seems impossible, but this game is always keeping better. As for other games, that the 3.5 edition doesn't add a lot, or the 4th edition is only a way to make us spend more money, the handyvcraft made in the AE is suberb. The movement rules have the simple elegance of a math equation. Congratulations, Mr. Daniel Kast, you have here perhaps the best tactical spaceship wargame I ever played. And I have played a few...



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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Starmada Core Rulebook
Publisher: Majestic Twelve Games
by parduz z. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 11/27/2008 18:00:03

I need to do some premises: 1) i'm italian, so pls forget my poor english 2) I want to review "The core rulebook", not the game itself: i've read tons of other game/rules reviews before buying this "book", all better than the one i can write here. 3) So, I've not played the game before writing this review. 4) Also, i've not read the related forum: i want to pass my first, "pure" impression. We all will have time to go to the forum and ask. 5) I'm just an occasional wargamer. So it can happens that i may say something that is obvious or dull for the experienced wargamer. This is why i'm writing this review: to help another occasional player to better understand if this game is what he was searching for. 6) Last, as the only starship game i have is Silent Death (and an old version, too) i will make some comparison with it.

Enough blabbing

RULES EXPLANATION: I can (as non english speaker) read and understand the rules without reading three time the same thing. This means that the rules are well written and/or easy to learn. The only BIG MESS seems to me to be the Movement "Thrust requirements" computation. I have understood what the rules says, but i still have to figure how to compute them "in the field" without a costant bookkiping. I'll go to search in the game forum soon.

THE PDF: The b/w version is really an ink saver, thank you for that. The book is clear, written with a "big" font (readers around his 40 years may know how this becomes more important each new year). The only problem is that the PDF is built for "letter size" pages. Here we use the A4 size, so i'm forced to print it with the "shrink" and "center the page" options. Pages are drawn to have a bit more of space for the binder, so i've lost this "space" resulting with the binder holes pretty close to the text. Not a big problem, but designing the book to be contained in both the Letter-Size and the A4 pages is a better way to go. Also, i'd liked to have the chapter title written on the external side of the pages: this helps when you "fast flip" the pages to search somewhat.

ART: The rules are well illustrated when a picture helps to understand a rule. But i'm talking about the pictures that just add "ambience" to the rules. There's a picture at the beginning of each chapter, showing various combat scenes. They're made using some 3D rendering software, which is a good choice for a "sci-fi environment" like this. While i see some efforts in them, i don't see so much talent. The starships are all built using simple solids (you can look at the cover). This may be a matter of style, i can accept them. But drawing a good texture for a 3D model is somewhat mandatory, and these ships really needs a better texturing. Also, the Ship Cards (where you write how the ship is built and score hits) are just simple tables. In Silent Death the "ship card" is well pictured and each thing crearly says what is. You just need a fast look to find what you want. Here you just have a table of numbers, and if you're a beginner you have to read each time to find what you want.

PRO: Is a great product for a great game. While i've not played it yet, i see a lot of fun in it. The PDF price make it a great deal.

CONS: This game (or this book) deserve a true artist that add some nice touch to the game book, both for the "flavour" and for the "easy play". Some insignificant issues on the book layout.

I'd like to give 4.5, but i can't, and i feel that a full 5 should be give to a PERFECT product... so i go for a score of 4.

Again, sorry if this review is a pain to read: it is really hard for me to write in english, but this game deserve my efforts.



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
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Starmada Core Rulebook
Publisher: Majestic Twelve Games
by Ralf S. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 06/06/2008 10:06:06

The rulebook for Starmada AE is very well laid out, clearly written and very easy to pick up. We had no problems with consctructing a few ships (thanks to the spreadsheet available online), assembling two small fleets (scratch-built) and playing a fun 2-2.5 hour game. Good work and well worth the money!



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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Starmada Core Rulebook
Publisher: Majestic Twelve Games
by Ian B. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 05/23/2008 02:07:36

This game squares off with FULL THRUST in the battle for the most versatile set of generic starship combat rules. The result is a very good game, but not without some quirks.

Lets just say the designers appear to be of the "design for effect" school and if you accept that thinking then the game systems make sense. If you can't get that through your head then this game may be real confusing!

Movement: Not a vector-based system, but not cinematic either. Does a decent job of making the user watch speed...too fast and manuevering becomes impossible. I like this - the DESIGN EFFECT forces you to think about manuvers. The system does take some getting used to, and a bit more math than usual ("absolute difference"??? Where is my daughters math help book...).

Combat: A little quirky. First off, the firing arcs are NOT your "traditional" 60 degree hexes, but rather offset by 30 degrees. A ship straight ahead is in both the A and B arcs. For an old grognard like myself this took some getting use to. The use of Accuracy and Impact ratings allows for "table-less" combat actions but some rules, like Minimum/Maximum Rolls

Ship Design: This is really the heart of the system, and my biggest gripe. First off, you have to accept (and really buy into) the "design for effect" philosophy here, which is not necessarily a bad thing, just takes some real thinking. For instance, the designers point out there are no POINT DEFENSES but if you want the EFFECT of POINT DEFENSES then just use SHIELDS and rename it. These leaps in logic are not too hard, but still need to be consciously made to get real enjoyment. But that is minor; the biggest problem I have with the design rules is the need for a scientific calculator to do anything. When the first formula presented is (Total Space Units = Hull Size to the 1.3 power x 100) well, I can't do that in my head. Fortunately, Majestic 12 Games provides an excel spreadsheet on their website that can do all the calculations for you and makes the design process very simple; but at the cost of not really understanding the process. Some (many?) will be comfortable with that, but I'm not one of them since the design system is supposedly the HEART of this game.

In the end, I like STARMADA: THE ADMIRALTY EDITION CORE RULEBOOK but just cannot award it a full 5 stars. I have to withhold one star for the "overly mathmatic" design system. I almost want to withhold a second star because the design system is what makes it attractive as a generic system that can be dropped into whatever universe you have, and if there was no online resources (like the excel spreadsheet) then I would of.

Buy it? Yes, but be ready for some thinking. FULL THRUST this is not. I feel SAE does not replace FT, but does deserve a place on your bookshelf.



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
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Starmada Core Rulebook
Publisher: Majestic Twelve Games
by Tim L. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 03/10/2008 12:21:25

I think it is better than Full Thrust (FT is a great game!) There are maybe two reasons: - You play it on hex. I don´t like to mesure every rage etc.

  • The ship-rooster are easyer to read. You don´t have to remember what every symbol mean. Shields (and not some obscure triangel) stands for shields.

And it is much better than ACTO. You can create every ship you want... Okay it is not so easy and Astro tech etc. (the old Battletechgame) had much more realism, but half the fun.

Maybe the best star game on the market today (still waiting for Wormhole...) As you can read my english is bad. But I understand every rule, so the must really easy!



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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Starmada Core Rulebook
Publisher: Majestic Twelve Games
by Abraham F. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 02/16/2008 11:25:38

The revisions are wonderful and the Starmada system one of the easiest to use. I also purchased the ISS setting and look forward to playing Starmada for years to come.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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