babylon 5 - A call to arms...

[xriccix]

Is this still around? never got into it when it first came out! realy intrested in it now! (ever since i re watched some of the TV show)

[threewolftats]

well rules can probably still be found........ but mongoose are re-releasing the ruleset with all new races/ships......
(mostly due to B5 IP owner wanting far too much money..... for the miniatures license)

more info here: http://www.mongoosepublishing.com/

TWTs

[xriccix]

i presume you mean A Call to Arms: Noble Armada?

[emperorpenguin]

No it is no longer supported as Mongoose didn't extend the license for Babylon 5 a few years back.
I have all the books for it and Centauri, Narn and League fleets but no longer play it.

[mughi3]

It is out of production, i personally prefer mongooses world war 2 game-victory at sea for that style of play. for babylon 5 i still roll with my agents of gaming babylon 5 wars second editon stuff
B5 wars is alot more complex and favors more of a skirmish game instead of huge fleet engagements like ACTA but it adds a great deal more flavor to the universe IMHO.
fee achives and downloads here-
http://b5warsvault.wikidot.com/

[emperorpenguin]

I wouldn't agree with B5Wars having more flavour (though I will admit to being biased due to my work for ACTA).

It is indeed a couple of ships skirmish game in comparison to ACTA's fleet focus.
I also felt VaS was better than ACTA though! (Though paradoxicaly it was a poor WW2 ruleset)

[mughi3]

I see it as more flavor given that JMS himself approved it and assigned a continuity editor so it really flushes out the universe. additonally the damage done to the ships is far more interestring given how it effects key systems in a big way.

You can do large fleet engagements in B5 wars, it just takes alot longer....unless of course your facing ancients

[threewolftats]

i presume you mean A Call to Arms: Noble Armada?

yep thats the one..... ruleset looks to be almost un-changed.....

[AndrewGPaul]

I see it as more flavor given that JMS himself approved it and assigned a continuity editor so it really flushes out the universe.

"flushes"? Rather appropriate, given some of the stuff that came along later on. By the time it got to "this races only uses plasma weapons, and this one uses lasers and this one..." it seemed like it was getting a bit stale to me. Never could get into the rules, either - too much like Battletech, but with even more little boxes.

[mughi3]

"flushes"?

Yes you could use the terms fluff or background i suppose but the inherit meaning iwas going for was this-
flush2    /flʌʃ/ Show Spelled
[fluhsh] Show IPA

–adjective
4. abundant or plentiful,

I also love battletech so the complexity of the systems made it all that more interesting to me. it was the fans who wanted mroe ships and bigger battles. unfotunately that came at the very end fo the licence and the fleet supliment never got off the ground and niether did GROPOs (although i did buy all the books)

But we are getting off tangent here ACTAs is an OK space game i see it as an attempt to streamline the complex B5 wars with elements of battlefleet gothic. as i play both B5 wars and BFG it really doesn't hold my interest as much as the original. the tweaks they did with Victory at sea (and my unabashed love of history) are much improved over B5 ACTA. it makes mongoose's system enjoyable for a fast blue water naval type historical game.

[Zond]

All this talk of ACTA... must resist new Mongoose game... always ends in tears...

[emperorpenguin]

I see it as more flavor given that JMS himself approved it and assigned a continuity editor so it really flushes out the universe.

Some of their ideas were poor though eg Centauri with lasers

. unfotunately that came at the very end fo the licence and the fleet supliment never got off the ground and niether did GROPOs (although i did buy all the books)

the tweaks they did with Victory at sea (and my unabashed love of history) are much improved over B5 ACTA. it makes mongoose's system enjoyable for a fast blue water naval type historical game.

Mongoose were going to do their own version of GROPOS to have been called "War Without End". It never got beyond basic playtesting unfortunately though I did see the Centauri models (I wish I had got some!)

I found VAS to be a very good WW1 game, except it's designed for WW2

All this talk of ACTA... must resist new Mongoose game... always ends in tears...

Yup their track record on games isn't great unfortunately