Not despatched yet, but assuming it is, I have a new Star Trek game coming, it is probably time to look at my options and what this means and see how they pass the “Miranda test” (how well they can do the battle in Wrath of Khan).
Attack Wing
This covers nearly every Star Trek franchise apart from Discovery/Strange New Worlds, but that is fine as I do not count Discovery as a thing and Strange New Worlds is basically TOS.
The game play is thematic if a little simplified, but to give it it’s due, this mechanic also powers X Wing and both have had world championship level tournaments, so it is clearly a thing.
Miranda Test; Quite well with some house rules, but can be predictable without these if you stick to only the actual options available. My house rule is to allow the respective captains to take all their possible upgrades (one Captian, one maximum of each other), but be limited to a points pool for what they can choose in a single game. This means all crew, elite and weapon choices are available, but not all at once.
Star Fleet Battles
I have the basic rules, probably will never play them, but they are there. This is the polar opposite to AW. Deep, very deep, rewarding players who delve into tomes of rules and master their fictional space ships to a level second only to their make believe avatars. A lifestyle choice for some and a tiny bit of me gets it, but no time for just one game in my life and who would play it with me?
Miranda Test; Ok tactically, except the actual ships and their capabilities need to change to match the movie.
Many options, but all limited in some form or other.
Federation Commander
SFB “modernised”. Enough for many, too much for some and not enough for others, FC has the un-enviable job of drawing in new players, keeping and converting old ones and generally flying the flag for a niche within a niche a niche. I like it, but still find it a little clunky for my tastes. Energy management is the key as with many Trek games. This has been supported by way too much support materiel, but thankfully, it has other uses.
Miranda Test; As above, but less involved for better or worse.
A Call To Arms Star Fleet
I must admit I am torn with this one. I only have the first book, but I have the metal minis to cover it nearly perfectly (basiclly the same as the first sets of Fed Comm). This uses minis on an open mat, but can be done with counters and/or hexes. The book itself does my head in. So many hard roads and odd oversights when easier ones could have been taken, but it is a vastly simplified and nicely thematic version of FC’s universe. I like this as a WW2 ship combat game, but the ADB processes are clumsily applied with mods negating other mods, when each ship could simply have a better stat sheet designed with mods built in.
Miranda Test; Better than the other SFB based games, but still needs a replacement Miranda.
Starmada Engine
A generic system, like ACTA, properly converted but not as cleanly done. The rules come in the generic form, then you apply the exceptions. If you are only interested in the Trek version, this seems to be a lot of double dipping including changes of terminology you jus learned (Shields > Screens > Shields), but the play can be fast and decisive even with squadrons a side. If you want to go even bigger, I have Fleet Ops, but this has zero conversions, so you need to go from scratch (as does everyone else I guess), which is ironically easier than the learn/unlearn dynamic of Starmada. I intend to re-write the rules for Trek only, learning as I go and having a better share-able resource at the same time. This will also allow me to try some later periods.
Miranda Test; Poor. Not granular enough, needs substitute Miranda and has some non-Trek feeling mechanics.
FASA Star Trek Tactical Simulatior
From their RPG and seamlessly compatible, this is often compared to SFB, coming from the same period, sharing the same style of energy allocation system, but with much simpler mechanics and thanks to a short lived but comprehensive licence, it stick closer to true Trek. The community is active and capable and includes some updates through to the latest movies, so for a more Trek style game, this one kicks goals. I can also do this with AW ships.
Miranda Test; Good to perfect from the ships to the play. This is close to post TOS Trek reality and the RPG element could even add more in.
M-Space
An RPG that has a very flexible ship design system, this one could work, using the above for info.
Miranda Test; Potentially excellent I guess, but specifics will have to be taken on face value.
Star Trek Adventures
The elephant in the room is the newer Star Trek RPG. I am curious how this handles ship battles just as a tactical game. A big commitment if it is too RPG reliant and not an area I am keen to go into.
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Overall I have saturated this genre, but have I actually got what I want?
Can I do Star Trek with the feeling of the genre (AW, ACTA, FASA) and tactical depth to make it absorbing (FC, FASA) and play larger games (Starmada, ACTA)? My hope is to either clean up ACTA or hopefully when the FASA game arrives use that as my primary.
FC also has some house rules that slightly streamline play and you can drop non canon Drones and other bits to stream line play (although some factions would whither on the vine).
Starmada went from a front liner to a reserve with the doubling up of learning the game, then unlearning many aspects and terminology to suit Trek, still no idea why.
I am also looking at a home made game using the bits I like from each, but that is in line with lots of other projects and flies in the face of all this work done by others.