''Starguard!'' is a 1974
miniatures wargame
Miniature wargaming is a form of wargaming in which military units are represented by miniature physical models on a model battlefield. The use of physical models to represent military units is in contrast to other tabletop wargames that use ...
created by Michael Kurtick and Jon McEwan and published by
McEwan Miniatures. It is a game of tactical-level ground combat of the future.
The games ''Star War 2250'' (1975) and ''Orilla: 1st StarGuard Supplement'' (1977) were released as strategic companions to ''Starguard!''.
Gameplay
Players can play as various alien forces, each of which have different weapons and
tables of organization and equipment (TOE's).
On a player's turn, they can move and fire and must choose the order these operations. Players have infantrymen, treaded vehicles, and anti-gravity vehicles with different speeds they can use to move around the model map. When firing, a die is rolled to hit the target and a "penetration roll" is made if the shot succeeds, the values of which are referenced to firing charts.
There are a variety of weapons, each of which have different ranges, blast radii, damage, and effects (such as smoke).
The winner is the player who destroys all the forces of the other player.
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)."
{{rp, 214
Reception
Larry Bond
Lawrence L. Bond (born June 11, 1951) is an American author and wargame designer. He is the designer of the ''Harpoon'' and ''Command at Sea'' gaming systems, and several supplements for the games. Examples of his numerous novels include ''Dang ...
and Michael Mornard reviewed ''Starguard!'' in ''
The Space Gamer
''The Space Gamer'' was a magazine dedicated to the subject of science fiction and fantasy board games and tabletop role-playing games. It quickly grew in importance and was an important and influential magazine in its subject matter from the ...
'' No. 6. They commented that "In summary, ''Starguard!'' provides a nucleus for creating a single battle or an extended campaign. It can be played fully with the existing weaponry, or it can be expanded to include any weapon imaginable."
References
External links
Articlein Warning Order
Board games introduced in 1974