robertsb%Berkeley@ttidcb.UUCP (07/02/84)
Frederick Paul Kiesche III recently made a reference to the Task Force Games products, _Star_Fleet_Battles_ and _Federation_Space_ which provide a gaming version of the Star Trek universe. These products, designed largely by a gentleman by the name of Stephen V. Cole have always provided a much more rational handling of the Star Trek universe than have the series or films. For one thing, when he designs ships he makes them much more sound engineering. For another, the games weapon systems are more consistent and the tactics correct than we've seen in series or film. The only thing I've ever taken issue with the game was the introduction of the Kzin race but that's not Cole's fault but rather Larry Niven's for adapting one of his short stories from a Known Space story (The Soft Weapon) into a Star Trek one; and what Kzin and Slaver Empires are doing in the Star Trek Universe, nobody knows. There is a major error that few people pick up on; and that is that the Star Trek ship designs do not take into account the three dimensional characteristics of space battle. The Enterprise ( and all Klingon designs ) have immense angles through which they cannot fire their weapons. The photons (which moved from the upper saucer surface to the hull pylon between the Five Year Mission and _Star_Dreck_The_Boring_Picture_ ) fire almost straight forward. There is no phaser system capable of firing to below-rear at all. In fact, the only 3-D battle we've seen is in STII and it was a bit silly. Instead of attempting to approach the Reliant from an unexpected angle, ( remember everyone was on visual ) Kirk just moves straight "down" for a bit ( "3rd Floor - Vulcan underwear, Klingon sexual devices, Romulan marital aids ") and then back "up". Not really my idea of 3-D thinking. Believe it or not, the most thought out space tactics I've seen comes from E.E. "Doc" Smith's _Lensman_ series. Flying Cone tactics and cylinder formations. Robin D. Roberts TTI - Citicorp AT&T (213) 450 - 9111 x 2916 vortex!ttidca!ttidcb!robertsb aka Buskirk the Valerian Death to Tyrants ! Death to Boskone ! This has been a service of the Galactic Patrol News Service.