The Starfire Design Studio (SDS) was originally created by Task Force Games
to promote and advance the Starfire gaming system. In 1997, TFG has agreed to
sell the Starfire Gaming system to the Head of the Starfire Design Studio,
Marvin Lamb
. For a while, TFG continued to sell the remaining Starfire products and then
it basically collapsed. Meanwhile the Starfire Design Studio took a different
route with new products via Electronic Publishing.
The route of Electronic Publishing was a difficult choice to make but the sales
of Starfire did not justify printed products for a while (and certainly not for
a start-up company). In 1997 and 1998, a number of number products (both
printed and electronic) were released. These included Sky Marshal #2, a printed
revision of the tactical rules (3rdR), and ISW-4: Arachnids (David Weber's last
offical product). Also Electronic Communique began. Slowly but surely the use
of the World Wide Web is allowing Starfire to recapture old players.
New players also need to be recruited so that us veterans have other players to
play against. To this end the Starfire Design Studio plans to simplify many
parts of Starfire so that it is easier to play, teach, and learn. The campaign
system of Imperial Starfire will always remain a large product but, as Galactic
Starfire and Sky Marshal #2 show, much simplification can be done and still
keep the game enjoyable.
Note: It is the policy of the Starfire Design Studio not to use any sort of
releases dates. Please do not ask for such. Starfire Design Studio is made up
of part time members who have jobs in the "real world"; thus, consist
work on products is difficult at times.
The Starfire Design Studio are ready and
willing to help with queries about the game system. The team are:
Starfire Newslist
Interested in some lively discussion? Join the Starfire
newslist! There are now two versions of this list, which you can subscribe to
very easily. Just send an e-mail to majordomo@csua.berkeley.edu,
and, in the body of your message, include the words "subscribe
Starfire" to subscribe to the regular list, or
"subscribe starfire-digest" to
subscribe to the digest version. Try it - you'll like it! (Note: this list is
maintained by Matthew L. Seidl,
whose efforts are sincerely appreciated.)
Questions about the game system are best asked on either the E-Mail list or the
Starfire Game Forum at http://forums.delphi.com/starfiredesign.
This is so that everyone can get a chance to see the answer and allow Marvin to
work on new Starfire stuff.
Stephane Le Cornec
Real Life:
French-Canadian born in Montreal during Expo67. Two bachelor degrees from
Sherbrooke U: Physics and Computer Sciences. Mac software "engineer"
currently working for a pre-press software company. Managed to find a
comprehensive significant other and kept her for 8 years and counting.
Hobbies:
Avid S-F reader, favorites include the Dune cycle (6 times), THHGTTG, some
Heinlein, Zelazny, Pournelle, McCaffrey, Barjavel. Also Clancy. Strong interest
in Japanese, including anime from the '80s like KOR and Urusei Yatsura. (forget
DragonBall-Z or that Urusokidouji thing)
Wargames:
I started in the '80s with D&D but quickly grew out of it because many were
playing better RPGs. I switched mostly to SFB by the end of the decade, with
some Ogre/GEV, Car Wars, Battletech, Interceptor, Air Superiority, Blue Max,
Space Hulk and Nuclear War sidesteps. I've also followed other in Diplomacy,
Civilisation, WiF, etc. when unable to find a better brain stimulation. But
while I enjoy those, I do not excel at them. I've always preferred tactical
systems where each unit was well defined to strategic systems where combined
operations are necessary.
Since finding opponents who have some time to spare has always been the gamer's
curse, most of my energies were redirected to design. I spent those evenings I
didn't want to read designing vehicules, calculating the optimal metal/plastic
armor ratio in Car Wars, comparing weapon efficiency, etc. first with a pen,
but quickly with Excel. I still have 4-5 sheets with 40-50 vehicule designs per
side for Car Wars and Battletech and a few more for Interceptor.
Fiddling around with vehicules allowed me to find the defect of those games,
like "an Interceptor fighter with level 9 shields cannot be hit".
This brought me to the third level of gaming: designing game mechanics. While I
still lack a certain creativity that would allow me to go past the many
stumbling blocks, and enough practical gaming experience to correctly evaluate
the real values of the various weapons and systems, other than by playing many
scenarios, the theory behind game mechanics is a well travelled road for me.
Since I want the richness of realistic simulation while aiming for minimalistic
rules, I'd say what best describe me is the title of realist theorist.
Starfire:
My interest in Starfire stemmed from its unique breadth that goes from
designing units to full campaign play. There certainly are better games at
tactical combat, or more playable ones for campaign play, but none that combine
these two extremes so throughly. The philosophy of simplification and
optionalization of the more complex rules when it doesn't skew realism too
much, that philosophy started in SM#2 is shared by many who prefer playing to
administration, while still wanting to add a few options to suit their needs. I
can feel a bright future for this game. Hope you can believe in it too!
Motto: "You can get complex results from simple rules."
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