Novastar Game Company

[MarkFroio]

In the mid 90's Novastar game company produced and sold a ton of Steel Panthers scenarios. I found the ones that I purchased along with the newsletters they sent out with the scenarios.

I was wondering if these scenarios made it on the the current SPWaW game. If so I can probably toss these floppy discs. If not, are they worth anything to anyone?

Like I said, they're on floppy discs and I have about 50 the discs along with a like amount of newsletters.

[Kuokkanen]

Term is "floppy disk". Disk refers to magnetic media while disc refers to optical one. It's written at least in Wikipedia.

I recall reading the scenarios can work in WinSPWW2 after some conversion process (game should come with it). To get the scenarios working in SPWAW, map needs to be converted from WinSPWW2, and rest of the scenario (units & their placements, objectives etc.) needs to be recreated from the scratch. Best to play with WinSPWW2.

I myself have few of the scenario floppies. I guess Novastar is the creator, though I'm not sure. What I'm sure though, is creator is Finnish, and disks I got are about Winter War (named Cold Will), SS Viking, and Stalingrad (campaign).

[MarkFroio]

Thanks for the education about disc vs disk. [8D]

I was just wondering if anyone wanted any of these items. Otherwise I'm going to toss them.

[demyansk]

Mark, don't toss that stuff, I am sure someone would want it. I have a bunch of 1990-91 newsletters as well including a bunch of Run 5 magazine. Are the items in 3.5"? I just started my 2004 computer running xp

[alexcan]

Hi is there anyone out there that still has The Wargame Construction Set 2 scenario disks issued by Novastar in the mid 1990s. In particular I am after scenario disks 8 11 and most importantly 20 with the Cassino scenario.

Also I am missing the Wild Bill Wilder Classics 1 - 6 . Not sure how those scenarios were issued.

Can anyone help' or even advise where I can obtain these scenarios?
Is there anyone left who worked on these Novastar scenarios?

Alex

[RyanCrierie]

In the mid 90's Novastar game company produced and sold a ton of Steel Panthers scenarios. I found the ones that I purchased along with the newsletters they sent out with the scenarios.

I was wondering if these scenarios made it on the the current SPWaW game. If so I can probably toss these floppy discs. If not, are they worth anything to anyone?

Like I said, they're on floppy discs and I have about 50 the discs along with a like amount of newsletters.

Don't TOSS THEM!

You may have a near complete collection of Novastar Scenarios!

[Zovs]

Yeah its too bad most of those old Novastar files might be lost, I used to have quite a few of the floppies and the paper newsletters that came with them. I might have a few in storage, but not sure.

[alexcan]

Hey Zovs, did you find any of those Wargame Construction set 2 Tanks disks. Will BUY ALL.

Alex

[Zovs]

No I can't seem to find them yet.

[alexcan]

Hi there yet again. I am still after Novastar scenario disks and newsletters for the games Wargame Construction set 2 Tanks, Wargame Construction set 3 Age of Rifles, Steel Panthers 1 and 2, Empire 2, Battles of Napoleon, and the Newsletters Warzone etc

Pease contact me if you have any of these products especially WCS2. TOP PRICES PAID!

Alex

[alexcan]

Wanting to buy Novastar Scenario disks and Newsletters. Top prices paid for Wargame Construction set 2 Tanks and 3 Age of Rifles as well as Steel Panthers etc. Also Empire 2.

Alexcan

[RyanCrierie]

A significant amount of NovaStar Scenario Disks ended up in the "Official SSI SP scenario discs"

For example:

Novastar SP Disk 11 - The North African Campaign - 1942 (Steel Panthers Campaign Disk #1)
Novastar SP Disk 20 - Barbarossa Campaign (Steel Panthers Campaign Disk #1)

For Novastar SP Disk 09 - BIG GAINS IN THE PACIFIC, this was the scenario breakdown:

Reach the Beach!
The Thousand Yard Stare
New Beach, New Hell! (Not in CDROM Scenario Disks)
Trouble in Small Places (Not in CDROM Scenario Disks)
Guam Through the Maze
Airborne Samurai (Not in CDROM Scenario Disks)
Tinian - “Coming Again!"
Split Down the Middle
A Step Closer to Japan
Tanks! They Got Tanks!

Several "unpublished" scenario disks were used in CDROMs -- for example:

SP08 Unpublished Disk Used in SP Scenario Disk #2
SP27 Unpublished Disk Used in SP Scenario Disk #2

[alexcan]

Hi Ryan, yes you are right. The SSI Steel Panthers scenario Discs consisted of scenarios exclusively from Novastar that had previously been released by them on their scenario Disks. SSI states this on the back of the campaign scenario boxes.

For those interested Novastar had listed 54 scenario disks of SP scenarios. Not sure if every one was released. I have 43 but It seems some of the numbers were just allocated for future releases and not filled. Therefore It is quite possible my SP collection is complete with magazines too!

Steel Panthers scenarios were also to be found in the Steel Panthers Newsletters of which there was 8 issues and the short lived Novastar General purpose newsletter called the Warzone. They only had 5 issues of this newsletter. The Steel Panthers Newsletter had about 4 scenarios on the disks and the Warzone Newsletter just 1.

The Warzone newsletter had 1 scenario for each individual special interest group including:

Wargame Construction Set 2 Tanks
Wargame Construction Set 3 Age of Rifles 3
Empire 2
Steel Panthers 2

The Earlier Battles of Napoleon special interest group was not catered for in the newsletters, but 12 scenario disks were issued.
No SP2 OR SP3 were catered for either as the last Warzone magazine was issued in November 1996.

The collapse of Novastar was totally unexpected as there was no indication in the Newsletter that it was winding up.

I have put the Novastar SP scenario pack data on a spreadsheet, but I have yet to put on data from the Newsletters. Should have that done soon.

I am still after Wargame Construction set 2 Tanks scenario disks and newsletters. If anyone has any please contact me. Also after Empire 2 as well.

I intend to do a spreadsheet for Wargame Construction set 2 Tanks too!

Alex

[alexcan]

Hi Ryan, following on from my previous text I have 46 of the 54 Novastar SP scenario disks. The 9 numbers missing are ;
8, 14, 27 34,37,38 42, 52, 53. Should I assume these disks were never published by Novastar?

Also how did you find out the SP scenarios from the Steel Panthers cd were from Novastar Disks 8 AND 27?

Alex

[RyanCrierie]

Hi Ryan, following on from my previous text I have 46 of the 54 Novastar SP scenario disks. The 9 numbers missing are ;
8, 14, 27, 34,37,38 42, 52, 53. Should I assume these disks were never published by Novastar?

This is a listing I made for NovaStar SP Scenario Disks based off the last known version of the NovaStar website I could recover via the internet archive:

Novastar # - Name - Bundle
? - Kampf der Titans II - Bundle #4 Eastern Front

SP01 - Dnepr Nacht - Twilight of German Power - Bundle #4 Eastern Front
SP02 - British in Normandy - Bundle #6 Western Front I
SP03 - Okinawa: The Final Island - Bundle #10 Pacific War
SP04 - Fox Hunting: Patton in North Africa - Bundle #3 Rommel v. Patton
SP05 - Pacific Disk 1 - The First Steps (Solomon/Gilberts) - Bundle #10 Pacific War
SP06 - Stalingrad Campaign - Bundle #1 James Young's Campaigns
SP07 - Tank Aces I - Bundle #2 Tank Battles
SP08 - Unpublished Disk - Used in SP Scenario Disk #2
SP09 - Big Gains in the Pacific (Marshall/Marinas/Philippines) - Bundle #10 Pacific War
SP10 - Tank Aces II - Bundle #2 Tank Battles
SP11 - The North African Campaign - 1942 - Bundle #1 James Young's Campaigns
SP12 - Iwo Jima / Okinawa - Bundle #10 Pacific War
SP13 - Tiger Tales - Battles of Otto Carius - 1944 - Bundle #4 Eastern Front
SP14 - UNKNOWN - UNKNOWN
SP15 - 1940 Norwegian Campaign - Bundle #8, European Theatre 1940-42
SP16 - UNKNOWN - UNKNOWN
SP17 - Final Victory Series II - Bundle #7 Western Front II
SP18 - Kampf der Titans I - Bundle #4 Eastern Front
SP19 - U.S. Forces in Normandy - Bundle #6 Western Front I
SP20 - Barbarossa Campaign - Bundle #1 James Young's Campaigns
SP21 - Market Garden - Bundle #7 Western Front II
SP22 - Medal of Honor - Bundle #9 Italy/Sicily/Malta Classics
SP23 - Battle for Metz - Bundle #6 Western Front I
SP24 - Battle for Lorraine - Bundle #6 Western Front I
SP25 - Completing the Mission (Final Victory Series III) - Bundle #7 Western Front II
SP26 - Battles of Anzio and Rapido River - Bundle #9 Italy/Sicily/Malta Classics
SP27 - Unpublished Disk - Used in SP Scenario Disk #2
SP28 - Battles of Guadalcanal - Bundle #10 Pacific War
SP29 - Cold Will - Bundle #8, European Theatre 1940-42
SP30 - Battles of the 5th SS Wiking - Bundle #2 Tank Battles
SP31 - Movie Classics - Bundle #9 Italy/Sicily/Malta Classics
SP32 - Cracking the Wall (Final Victory Series I) - Bundle #7 Western Front II
SP33 - Force X - Assault on Gela - Bundle #9 Italy/Sicily/Malta Classics
SP34 - UNKNOWN - UNKNOWN
SP35 - Blitzkrieg Battles - Bundle #8, European Theatre 1940-42
SP36 - The Desert Fox - Bundle #3 Rommel v. Patton
SP37 - UNKNOWN - UNKNOWN
SP38 - UNKNOWN - UNKNOWN
SP39 - Bridge Battles - Remagen/Antwerp/Stavel - Bundle #6 Western Front I
SP40 - Panzer Evolution - Bundle #2 Tank Battles
SP41 - U.S. In North Africa I -
SP42 - UNKNOWN - UNKNOWN
SP43 - Dien Bien Phu - Bundle #11 Vietnam & Kursk
SP44 - The Iron Cross - Bundle #9 Italy/Sicily/Malta Classics
SP45 - Blood & Guts I - Bundle #3 Rommel v. Patton
SP46 - Operation Hercules (Invasion of Malta) - Bundle #9 Italy/Sicily/Malta Classics
SP47 - Blood & Guts II - Bundle #3 Rommel v. Patton
SP48 - Birth of a Legend - Bundle #3 Rommel v. Patton
SP49 - Hell on Wheels: 2d Armored Div (US) - Bundle #2 Tank Battles
SP50 - Tank Battles Around Bastogne - Bundle #2 Tank Battles
SP51 - Showdown on New Guinea - Bundle #10 Pacific War
SP52 - Unknown - Unknown
SP53 - Unknown - Unknown
SP54 - Provhorovka - Bundle #11 Vietnam & Kursk

Also how did you find out the SP scenarios from the Steel Panthers cd were from Novastar Disks 8 AND 27?

A flier that was in the Steel Panthers Campaign Disk 2 box:

[RyanCrierie]

Steel Panthers scenarios were also to be found in the Steel Panthers Newsletters of which there was 8 issues and the short lived Novastar General purpose newsletter called the Warzone. They only had 5 issues of this newsletter. The Steel Panthers Newsletter had about 4 scenarios on the disks and the Warzone Newsletter just 1.

Nobleknight games on ebay

https://www.ebay.com/str/gamesfromnobleknight

has:

With Paper
Steel Panthers December 1995 Newsletter (Zitadelle I / Zitadelle II / Breaching the Meuse II)
Steel Panthers March 1996 Newsletter (Sand Search / Tiger Fire Brigade at Narva / Grossdeutschland at Stonne)
Steel Panthers January 1996 Newsletter
Steel Panthers April 1996 Newsletter
Steel Panthers February 1996 Newsletter

Disk Only
Steel Panthers May 1996 Newsletter
Steel Panthers June 1996 Newsletter
NovaStar WarZone October 1996 Newsletter
NovaStar WarZone November 1996 Newsletter

They also have many Novastar Campaign Disks.

But they're asking like $28/each for them.

The collapse of Novastar was totally unexpected as there was no indication in the Newsletter that it was winding up.

The business of mail order scenarios was declining due to the internet and places like the FIRST iteration of the Wargamer and their scenario depot making it possible to download scenarios for free. But what really killed NovaStar abruptly was a tragic accident at a waterpark involving David Landry's daughter. She apparently was trapped underwater; was put on life support and died a few weeks later.

The bills from that + general stress caused David's wife, Martha to have a stroke, and David decided to hang his hat up at that point.

[RyanCrierie]

This EBAY listing for TANKS!

LINK

contains the November 1995 Newsletter, which has:

TANKS v1.30 (revised)
[TANKS] Modern Database v1.30
Bruneval
Tank Ace
Nampo

[CReynier]

Hi from France !

I'am back in my old days and play Steel Panthers actually.

Is there a way that you share with me your Novastar disk ?

I have campaign disk one. I'm looking for the second one (and the third if it exist ?)

Charles

[RyanCrierie]

I just ordered a copy of Steel Panthers 1 off Ebay that has a bunch of Novastar scenario disks + booklets. Will let you know when it arrives in a few weeks.