Old Spartan Games Fan FINALLY Picks up FA

[MadDrB]

Last week I took a 90-minute drive to a game store where I'm planning to run a DW tournament soon, mostly to see the store, make sure I could find it, etc.  I also met some of the local players and introduced myself to a guy running demo games of Firestorm Armada.  After asking him how it differed from the other Spartan Games, I decided, while driving home (and taking a route which went past my FLGS), that if the lone 1st edition FA rule book which had been sitting on the shelf for at least a year now was still in the store... (a likely possibility) then I would buy it and complete my Spartan Games collection.

I also picked up a deck of STAR cards!

I've been interested in the game and the fleets for some time now, and some of the newer models released have caught my attention, but I've been putting all of my attention into Uncharted Seas and Dystopian Wars.  Well, now I'm starting a Sorylian fleet, and I'm thinking about a second fleet so I can run demo games of this one; although this might be a Spartan Game I only play since there seems to be a good group already playing to the south of where I live.   I've also been interested in Battlefleet Gothic; but the Spartan models are readily available, reasonably priced, and I may actually find some opponents to play.  Also, I must admit, the "gothic" part of BFG still doesn't appeal to my sense of aesthetics.  I prefer my startships to look sleek and fast rather than pockmarked with weapon bays, antennae, and equipped with a bow ram.

[Andrewchristlieb]

If you have bfg players in your area I would imagine they wouldnt have much problem playing with you using your FA fleet to represent a 40k race. Ive seen a few people do this, also seen some attempting to convert the FA races to BFG stats which looks quite intersting .

[Ruckdog]

Hee hee, if you had ever wanted a demo, all you had to do was ask! I'm glad you are finally taking the plunge, though. The game is a lot of fun, and the new edition of the rules really tightened things up quite a bit. It is interesting how different each of the Spartan games feel given that they share the same movement and shooting mechanics.

As for BFG, that was my first love! You can easily use the FA models as proxies if you don't want to come up with your own rules for the Spartan minis; I've been tossing around doing some rules like that for a couple of years, but I have yet to get around to it! The biggest change is that you will need to use the correctly sized round bases for BFG; the actual GW stands aren't too hard to come buy, as they are also used in 40k. Corsec also makes the right sizes if you prefer to go that route.

[Andrewchristlieb]

http://corseceng.com/omni-stand/ indeed they have all the most common bases and theyre pretty cheap.

[MadDrB]

Thanks for the suggestions and link, guys.  I already picked up a second fleet and intend to start painting some ships soon.  Also, I have all those fighters from the copy of Battleship Galaxies which isn't getting any play these days, since there aren't any actual fighter craft for Firestorm.

I found a site with PDF downloads of all the old BFG material, so I have plenty of reading to do, and I would like to convert my Firestorm ships into BFG stats and maybe even play against some local opponents.  With 6th edition out now there is a bit of a craze for all things 40K at my FLGS, so I should be able to get some opponents and try out the game.

[Ruckdog]

To add to your reading list, here is a link to my old BFG website:

http://www.andysrandomstuff.com/bfg/

I've got a couple of batreps on there you might find interesting .

[Metal Carnage]

I am glad you took the plunge. Let me know when you want a game. I am really excited about the game since the new errata came out that clarifies all the loose ends that weren't addressed in the initial release of the hardback rule book.

[MadDrB]

I really like these new ships coming out for the Syndicate.  Maybe a bit too retro fifties sci-fi, but I still want to paint them:

[Metal Carnage]

indeed they are retro but in the same way that a mint 57 caddy is still cool in this day and age.