Firestorm Taskforce

[Ruckdog]

It's going around Facebook that SG has a new space naval game set in the Firestorm universe:





These appear to have been leaked, and no official announcements have been made so far. There is an unconfirmed report that these minis share the same scale as FSA.

[Landlubber]

So, what...like a skirmish-level game, or something like that?

[Ruckdog]

Your guess is as good as mine at this point! It seems like it is going to be almost a "skirmish" version of FSA, given the apparent lower model count indicated by these SKUs. However, the "Taskforce" subtitle suggests that this might be a large fleet action game (more akin to HALO). Spartan Neil has mentioned the desire to do such a thing years ago.

[Landlubber]

A little more info on their Facebook page...

Apparently this is meant to be a faster, easier, and cheaper way to get started in the Firestorm universe, but with models that will still be useable in Firestorm Armada. They'll be sold in boxes of two factions, can't remember the breakdown, and I didn't see a price.

I'm guessing this means there will be some sort of modified rules to play Taskforce? They say it's meant to be played in 30-60 minutes. I guess you could trim some time off the game length by reducing the number of weapons systems each ship has and reducing the size of the game board (maybe this is meant to be played on a 3x3?), but beyond that I'm not sure.

Anyway...if nothing else, we're getting some new models for the core 6 factions that will be useable in regular Firestorm Armada, and new models is always a good thing. I'm liking the look of the Directorate...

[Stephan]

I wonder if this is a bridge to the Planetfall or Halo rules set.

[Dakkar]

If you look at the FB posting, all the new ships are variants that don't exist in current FSA: Light Cruisers, Cruiser-Carriers, Light Frigates, or Gunships for races that don't have them yet.
So its a great way to add new ship options for the main game while crafting a new intro game. Price point is the big question mark.
If this is meant to compete with X-WING and ATTACK WING, then you need a starter below $100. But I can't see that with all the ships included.
Whatever it is, I'll have to budget that much as my starting Adepticon shopping :-)

I'm just sad this probably means no Relthozan-Sorylian Box Set for the core game. But new Relth and Sorylian ships overall is awesome!

And yeah, this might be the bridge getting the Firestorm rules closer to HALO. To me so far, it feels like if GW had released BATTLEFLEET GOTHIC first, then added SPACE FLEET.

[Landlubber]

... Price point is the big question mark.
If this is meant to compete with X-WING and ATTACK WING, then you need a starter below $100. But I can't see that with all the ships included.
...

I don't know. Right now, the Directorate starter box is about $75--battleship, three cruisers (with options to make them standard or heavy cruisers), and I think 9 frigates. And the Directorate battleship is a big hunk of resin, as are all battleships from the core 6 factions. If the price for that box is $75, I would think these would be in the $45-$55 range. But that's just a guess; I'm no business man!

[Landlubber]

HA, I called it. 

Reinforcement sets are around $45, the two-player starter sets are around $56.

http://shop.spartangames.co.uk/SearchResults.asp?searching=Y&sort=13&cat=2099&show=10&page=2

Shipping end of February!

[Ruckdog]

Nice! There is more details about this new variant of FSA on the SG Blog. Text below in spoilers (to avoid a wall of text):

[spoiler]What can you do in 30 minutes? You could order a pizza, get a haircut or… Play Firestorm Taskforce!

We here at Spartan Games are very excited to introduce Firestorm Taskforce, our first fast-action space combat game, set in the war-torn Firestorm Armada Galaxy.

Firestorm Taskforce was born from customer feedback which asked us to:

• Speed up game-play and reduce gaming space
• Lower the cost of play for gamers
• Remain fully compatible with all current Firestorm Armada models
• Work alongside the Firestorm Armada 2.0 Core Rules

“It all started at Gen Con 2015,” explains Neil Fawcett, Creative Director of Spartan Games. “We had a fantastic time talking in detail with a large number of our Firestorm Armada fans. We got a clear message that folk wanted us to make it even easier for new gamers to start playing in our sci-fi galaxy. Well we’ve delivered on that, but we’ve gone even further!”

Firestorm Taskforce Ships

Above: Six of the new Firestorm Taskforce modular models

Having defined how a fast-play set of rules would work, our designers set about “pulling the stops out” and have come up with some of Firestorm’s coolest spaceship designs ever. This is a fantastic opportunity both for current fans and new ones alike to embrace our vision of a war-torn galaxy.

At the heart of this announcement are three new Two Player Box sets, encompassing all of our core six races:

• Terran Alliance vs Dindrenzi Federation
• Aquan Prime vs The Directorate
• Sorylian Collective vs The Relthoza

Inside each Two Player Box come the components to play a 30-minutes plus game:

• Two Starter fleets (7 models in each)
• Firestorm Taskforce Rulebook
• D6 Dice
• Punch-Out Token Sheets
• Acrylic Movement Templates

The contents will allow anybody to quickly and easily start playing, whether they are an experienced gamer or a new player looking to start playing space combat.

These new models are also the first to embrace a modular build design, and this is something gamers will see become pervasive across the future Firestorm model ranges.

For existing Firestorm Armada 2.0 players, individual Reinforcement Sets, sold by race, are also available, containing Cruisers and upgrade components, Light Frigates and the necessary Flight stands.

DESIGNING THE GAME

Our model makers have created new designs that maintain the earlier aesthetic of races, paying homage to popular designs, whilst moving forward the physical models both in terms of overall detail and design.

“Being allowed to go back to our core races and come up with a set of enhanced designs was pretty exciting,” explains Chris Peacey, Firestorm Taskforce lead designer. “From the start we had clear goals behind the models: increase detail, improve overall aesthetic, embrace modularity and repurpose the vision of what future Firestorm fleets will look like.”

Sitting at the entry point of Spartan Games’ space game family, Firestorm Taskforce is aimed at both existing and new players. As a set of rules, it is intended to service a need for quicker game-play and smaller gaming space, whilst providing a fantastic addition to the rich universe of Firestorm Armada. As game designer Derek Sinclair explains, “Taskforce isn’t a replacement for Firestorm Armada 2.0, rather an easy and very affordable introduction to exciting space battles, whilst providing a smooth upgrade route for when they want more from the Firestorm Galaxy.”


Whether you want to play in your lunchtime, squeeze two or three games into an evening with your friends, or introduce the game more easily to a newbie, Firestorm Taskforce is a perfect choice for fast-action space combat, with all the richness of a full game, and less of the time constraint![/spoiler]

http://www.spartangames.co.uk/firestorm-taskforce-arrives

[Quickdraw]

Sounds interesting. New ships are pretty cool. We'll just have to see where this goes.

[Ruckdog]

Spartan Neil had this to say on the FSA forums:

[spoiler]Hi All,
 
Firstly, apologies for not getting the Taskforce video done. I've been a bit of a wuss and off with a nasty bout of cold. or man flu as my wife calls it. Even worse Beth, she who is in charge of the video and is looking after social media for Spartan, has sided with my wife, so I'm getting hit from all sides on this!
 
I just wanted to give a quick breakdown of what Taskforce is before the video:
 

1) The rules are fast and simple. This is an introductory set of rules to get folk to the tabletop quickly and cost effectively. Derek Sinclair describes them as a gateway product, with the ultimate goal to get folk into playing Firestorm Armada 2.0 and then into version 3.0. I don't see current FA players transitioning to Taskforce, that's not the intent. But they can easily append Taskforce to their gaming sessions to deliver short, snappy games, or lunchtime games or to help demo to folk.
 
2) I created the rules after I came back from Gencon 2015. While I was there I was asked a lot about simplifying entry to the Firestorm Galaxy, about how players could have a simple way of showing potential new players how cool Firestorm is. Get the models on the table, show folk how to roll dice and kill stuff and give a flavour of what comes from the full rule set, aka Firestorm Armada 2.0.
 
3) As my guys were looking at a new generation of models it became clear that this gave us a perfect opportunity to hand the rules out in a set of 2-player boxes that pitted the cool new modular models against each other and provided the bits and pieces needed for a quick game. Hence Taskforce. So we put dice, tokens and templates in the box. The 32-page rulebook delivers the basics for a game: fleet selection, move, shoot, roll dice, kill, explode, laugh, mock the enemy etc.
 
4) For current FA gamers we then made six reinforcement boxes that deliver the models to them. They already have a set of rules they play with, so they can elect to ignore Taskforce and keep rolling dice using FA 2.0. They can then just enjoy our new and exciting models.
 
5) The models are cool and I am sure players will enjoy adding them to their fleets. My guys went away and put a lot of thought into how we can improve the FA models that we create for you. Magnets and modularity were the top of the list. We don't provide the magnets, but we have factored their use into the designs and 'holes' are located in the models for folk to use or ignore. Not everyone likes magnets, so it's not like we are forcing you to use them. We're currently working on larger models using the same approach. Today I was signing off a new Terran Alliance Battleship that starts life as just that, a Battleship, but by swapping parts and adding a new piece of superstructure it turns into a bitching Battle Carrier. Gamers can magnetise the parts and have a dual function model in their armoury if they feel so inclined, or just glue together the model they want to field. Lots of choice for the customer.
 
6) Don't worry about the scale of the models. The whole idea is to keep choice at play here. FA and Taskforce use the same models; they'll always use the same model scale. So a single investment in models can be played anyway a gamer wants to. Your fleets, your choice. Not for Spartan to tell you what to do with your toys.
 
7) So why make a new set of rules? Simple answer is why not. We're fully committed to FA 2.0 and we'll be enhancing this product in version 3.0. I've commissioned a large amount of background and scene-setting writing for the 3.0 rulebook which will properly pull together all aspects of our sci-fi galaxy – taking 6+ years of info and compositing it into a core set of documents. I am informed by Spartan Alex that rule enhancements and amends are in the works courtesy of the Firestorm Focus Group, so I look forward to being briefed on those soon. Instead of trying to twist FA 2.0 into a trimmed down 32-page book that would simply confuse folk I instead took the decision to make a very simple engine that could look upwards to FA 2.0 and offer, to use Derek's word here, a gateway to the hugely exciting gaming world that is FA 2.0 and beyond.
 

That's it for now guys. I am going to go and take another Lemsip and wuss about my home office. I'll delve into the game more next week and show more models off in the flesh. I'll try to push the new Terran Battleship through quickly to show you all as I am loving the direction of this bad boy.
 
Keep well,
Spartan Neil[/spoiler]

Very excited about the modular nature of these minis. The fact that they will have spots for magnets cast in is AWESOME!
 

[Ruckdog]

Spartan just posted a 35 minute long video about Taskforce on YouTube :

http://youtu.be/Dt7K3CLvm2U

[Dakkar]

I can't decide whether to buy one of these sets, or a DW giant robot while they're still on sale...

[Dakkar]

I missed the Robot Sale, so a Relthoza Vs Sorylian set is wending its way to me now.

And I'll be trying to talk Stephan into splitting a Directorate vs Aquan set in May I think :-)

[Dakkar]

Taskforce Stats for Armada are up. Impressions follow.

-- Definitely feel like playtest stats, most factions seem mix of good/bad
-- Light Frigates are strong across the board, no one got screwed. Directorate are oddest/worst, but still 4/6 from the front. Overall they raise the issue of why take regular Frigates?
-- Some definite racial trends are showing that may portend future mass revisions - Dindrenzi with Scatter instead of gunracks? Sorylian with sizeable Fore Kinetics? Relthoza with Shunt Matrix across the board?

Rundown:
Terrans => Harpoon is insane (70 pt 6AD Spook Cruisers with 3! Shield at 3+ !?!), Perseus lame

Sorylian => Lucern Lt is kinda awesome (120pts for 3 cruisers throwing 14D fore and broadsides in RB2), Gunship kinda lame

Aquan => Both Escort Carriers and Light cruiser are amazingly solid for the pts (40 each base). More decisions between Shields or Difficult Target...

Directorate => Champion Cruisers - AWESOME. So many choices! Escort Carriers - SUPER CHEAP

Dindrenzi => Escort Carriers INSANELY GOOD (5/8 with 5HP, 18" Bombers threat, and 10d Torp Salvo for 150pts for 3!), Light Cruiser - just a cheaper version of the one they already have.

Relthoza => Virulence Gunships MIGHT make a very frustrating Beam base, constantly jumping to keep stealth range. BUT Fore Fixed is utterly useless when doing Shunt Jumps. And until they fix squadron shunting to one roll, too unreliable.
Iramon Light Cruisers? Ridiculously cheap for solid firepower while shunting around more effectively than the gunships
Erugone Frigates could be very frustrating in Systems network with a battleship, tossing 10-14d Torp salvoes while under Cloak.

Something to love and hate for everyone!