''StarSoldier'' is a science fiction

board wargame A board wargame is a wargame with a set playing surface or board, as opposed to being played on a computer or in a more free-form playing area as in miniatures games. The modern, commercial wargaming hobby (as distinct from military exercises, o ...

published by

Simulations Publications, Inc. Simulations Publications, Inc. (SPI) was an American publisher of board wargames and related magazines, particularly its flagship ''Strategy & Tactics'', in the 1970s and early 1980s. It produced an enormous number of games and introduced innovati ...

(SPI) in 1977.

Description

''StarSoldier'' is a 2-player game in which one player controls invading aliens, and the other controls StarSoldiers defending the planet.

Components

The game box holds: *22" x 34" paper hex grid map *400 counters *rule book *two Level Record Charts *two six-sided dice

Publication history

In 1974, SPI published '' StarForce: Alpha Centauri'', the first mass market science fiction game. It sold very well, staying on SPI's Top Ten Bestseller list for four years. As a result, SPI created two spin-off games, '' Outreach'' in 1976 and ''StarSoldier'' in 1977. ''StarSoldier'' was designed by Tom Walczyk, with artwork by

Redmond A. Simonsen Redmond Aksel Simonsen (June 18, 1942 – March 9, 2005) was an American graphic artist and game designer best known for his work at the board wargame company Simulations Publications, Inc. (SPI) in the 1970s and early 1980s. Simonsen was consi ...

. When both ''Outreach'' and ''StarSoldier'' proved popular, SPI packaged them and ''Star Force'' in one box as ''StarForce Trilogy''. ''StarSoldier'' debuted on SPI's monthly Top 10 list at No. 9 two months before its release due to pre-publication orders. When it was published in January 1977, it immediately rose to No. 1, and stayed on SPI's Top Ten list for the entire year, either on its own, or as part of the ''StarForce Trilogy''.

Publication history

According to Shannon Appelcline, "''The Space Gamer'' #6 ( June/July 1976) asthe first issue to offer up substantial articles on other publishers' games — including discussions of McEwan Miniatures' ''Starguard!'' (1974) and SPI's then-forthcoming ''StarSoldier'' (1977)."

Reception

In Issue 6 of '' The Space Gamer'', Amber ap Llychlyn did not like the rationale for the game, pointing out that in the game, civilians are put to sleep using a psychic field to avoid conflict, and thought this made soldiers, and therefore the entire game, unnecessary. In Issue 32 of '' Moves'', Phil Kosnett compared ''StarSoldier'' to ''

Starship Troopers ''Starship Troopers'' is a military science fiction novel by American writer Robert A. Heinlein. Written in a few weeks in reaction to the US suspending nuclear tests, the story was first published as a two-part serial in ''The Magazine of F ...

'', published in 1976 by

Avalon Hill Avalon Hill Games Inc. is a game company that publishes wargames and strategic board games. It has also published miniature wargaming rules, role-playing games and sports simulations. It is a subsidiary of Hasbro, and operates under the company' ...

. After a lengthy comparison, Kosnett concluded that "''StarSoldier'' is an innovative game and ''Starship Troopers'' is not. ''Soldier'' is science fiction, and ''Troopers'' is just a 20th Century land game with funny silhouettes on the unit counters." In the 1980 book ''

The Complete Book of Wargames ''The Complete Book of Wargames'' by Jon Freeman and the editors of Consumer Guide was published in 1980 by Simon & Schuster under the Fireside imprint. Contents This book comes in both a 285-page hardcover edition and a paperback version. In ...

'', game designer Jon Freeman called this game similar in concept to two other SPI tactical wargames, '' Sniper!'' and ''

Patrol A patrol is commonly a group of personnel, such as Law enforcement officer, law enforcement officers, military personnel, or Security guard, security personnel, that are assigned to monitor or secure a specific geographic area. Etymology Fro ...

''. He noted "Games are fairly fluid as units flit from cover to cover, but most boil down to putting out an overwhelming offense while mainting an adequate defense — a combination few units can manage." Freeman gave this game an Overall Evaluation of "Good", concluding, "the game is usually a race to succeed before one side is devastated to the man."

Other reviews and commentary

*'' Fire & Movement'' #7 *'' The Wargamer'' Vol.1 #3 *''Strategist'' #342 *''American Wargamer'' Vol.5, #1 *''Ann Arbor Wargamer'' #4 *''

Games & Puzzles ''Games & Puzzles'' was a magazine about games and puzzles. The magazine was first published in May 1972 by Edu-Games (UK) Ltd. The first editor was Graeme Levin who recruited a variety of games and puzzles experts as writers and consultant edi ...

'' #69 * '' The Comprehensive Guide to Board Wargaming''

References

{{reflist Board games introduced in 1977 Science fiction board wargames Simulations Publications games Wargames introduced in 1977