Starfleet Operations book announced (with cover shot)

[Ineti]

Looks great; Mid-March release!

Check it out here.

[Capt. Chris]

Looks good, I am looking forward to getting it and the other books ,O so long ago promised.

It is nice to see Decipher really getting the RPG stuff out finally.

[erhershman]

Cool! EIGHT NEW SPECIES! I can get species abilities for the Bolian character in the SB619 game!

[C5]

Cool ! Hope the expanded rules for unarmed combat are there as promised too...

Can't wait can't wait can't wait
poiiinng poiiing poiiinng

Erm... sorry, got carried away .
Now, is that T'Pol on the cover ? Strange for a StarFleet Ops book...

[Cochrane]

Why Scotty and Spock, but no one from TNG or DS9?

[Jesse Heinig]

Yes, there are expanded rules for armed and unarmed combat. You can now learn and use special maneuvers like the famous hammer punch or the flying smash, as well as some boxing, aikido, and fencing stuff -- among others. (Including an alien weapon style, with this hint: It's not a Klingon one.)

J.H.

[Balok]

Very nice cover. I was somewhat surprised to see no TNG folks on there, but I think the choices were appropriate.

Is this cover pattern likely to be maintained (i.e. a few stars and a sort of primary color, in this case yellow). I see why it was done here, because this book complements the PG and NG -- but you might run out of stars and colors if you keep to this scheme...

[Sea Tyger]

Originally posted by Jesse Heinig
Yes, there are expanded rules for armed and unarmed combat. You can now learn and use special maneuvers like the famous hammer punch or the flying smash, as well as some boxing, aikido, and fencing stuff -- among others. (Including an alien weapon style, with this hint: It's not a Klingon one.)

J.H.

Yess!!!! The return of the Kirk Flying Butt-Check!

I look forward to the fencing stuff, so I can expand on the Caitian/Regulan Rakun two-blade style.

[Phantom]

Originally posted by Sea Tyger
Yess!!!! The return of the Kirk Flying Butt-Check!

I look forward to the fencing stuff, so I can expand on the Caitian/Regulan Rakun two-blade style.

I know this isn't exactly the place to ask this, but what the hell. Can you expand on the C/R Rakun two blade style?

[First of Two]

Hm. Nice-looking book.

Mid March isn't TOO far away from February. Tolerable.

Now, if they can just get it in the Decipher store by Mid March as well...

[qerlin]

Originally posted by First of Two
Now, if they can just get it in the Decipher store by Mid March as well...

There's the rub...

[PGoodman13]

::makes a pointed effort not to get involved with some of the griping::

What I'm wondering has nothing to do with shipping times. It's this: Why put a 96-page book in hardcover? What's the point of putting a book that small (comparatively speaking) in boards? Jesse, could you explain the logic behind that one to me, if in fact you were privy to the discussion?

[Sea Tyger]

Originally posted by Phantom
I know this isn't exactly the place to ask this, but what the hell. Can you expand on the C/R Rakun two blade style?

Here's what I wrote on the Rakun. You can find more on my take on Caitian Hx/Culture below:

http://forum.trek-rpg.net/showthread...&threadid=4184

--------------------------
Caitian Rakun
The Rakun, or "matched pair," is the traditional weapon of the Caitians. The two blades, called the rakgr'n and raksir, are forged from the same piece of steel, separated, then shaped into the sword-and-dagger combination that forms the core of the Caitian fencing art of Rakun.

Rakun hilts are always inlaid with a stone or wood that identifies the owner's clan. Members of Clan Fekiista Kalir (Karlinarsti's clan), for instance, can be identified by their flint-handled Rakun. Honored offworlders are allowed to have a sword made, using a jade-like stone that is native to Cait.

Rakgr'n
Specifications: 75-80 cm long, 1.5 kg
Description: A traditional Caitian fencing weapon, the rakgr'n is often seen matched with a raksir.
Parry Modifier: -1 (+2 when used in conjunction with a raksir in the Rakun fencing art)
Damage: 2d6+2

Raksir
Specifications: 20-23 cm long, 0.1 kg
Description: A traditional Caitian fencing weapon, the raksir is the second weapon of the Rakun "matched pair." This weapon is often concealed in the fur of a Caitian's forearm
Parry Modifier: -2 (+2 when used in conjunction with a raksir in the Rakun fencing art)
Damage: 1d6+2

Armed Combat -- Rakun
Rakun is a fast-moving, flowing art similar to Terran fencing. Always performed with the rakgr'n and raksir (also called the Rakun when used together), the art emphasizes thrusts, feints, parries and ripostes and flourishes of steel and fur that are designed to confuse an opponent's defense. Two Rakun masters engaged in swordplay often appear like a blur to the untrained eye.

When a Rakun practitioner has both his raksir and rakgr'n free, he receives a +2 parry modifier, instead of the modifiers of the individual weapons.
-----------------------------

I have also developed the framework of the Caitian language, including a couple of pages worth of vocabulary, grammar and syllabic rules, numbers and script.

[Balok]

Originally posted by PGoodman13
What I'm wondering has nothing to do with shipping times. It's this: Why put a 96-page book in hardcover?

I can only guess, of course, but looking at the cover illustration and coloring, I'd say that Decipher considers this book a "third core rulebook", at least informally. That being the case, publishing it as a hardcover seems the right course of action.

[Don Mappin]

Originally posted by PGoodman13
Why put a 96-page book in hardcover?

In the hobby and games industry hardcover books tend to sell better than softcover ones. You can guess as to the reasons as well as I but the general consensus is that hardcover books are perceived as more "valuable"--hence they sell more copies, even after one considers the price differential. Oh, also, the manufacturing cost to do a hardcover versus a softcover is negligible; however the publisher can mark up the MSRP by $5 simply because it is a hardcover. Sell more units with a greater markup--easy business decision to make.

I don't know if it is the reasoning by Decipher, but it's a very common practice in the industry today.

Besides, it helps us fat and lazy gamers get in better shape lugging all these books around.