
- BGG rank
- BGG #3,554
- BGG rating
- 6.9
Star Fleet Battles
- 2 players
- 180 min
- Complexity 4.2/5
- 1979

1979
Rules assistance for Asteroid Zero-Four
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
For 2 players

What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Asteroid Zero-Four is a board game released in 1979 for 2 players, 60 minutes per game, and ages 12 and up. It was designed by Stephen V. Cole and its main mechanics are Dice Rolling, Hexagon Grid, and Simulation.
The premise of this two-player SF wargame is that the US and USSR have established competing well-armed mining operations in the asteroid belt when a period of massive solar flares makes manned space travel inside the orbit of Mars impossible. A nuclear war between the two mining bases then begins, featuring both missiles and spacecraft; the winning power will dominate mining operations in the belt (and Earth's manufacturing economy) for years to come. The playing time is optimistically marked as one hour, but the game actually says "one to four hours." This is Task Force Game #2 (also #1002), one of Task Force's series of microgames.
Asteroid Zero-Four supports 2 players according to the catalogue. This is the publisher’s listed player count, so the game is designed for exactly that number of participants. Variants for other group sizes, if any, are described in the rulebook of your edition, so check it before setting up a different configuration.
The listed playing time for Asteroid Zero-Four is 60 minutes. This is the publisher’s estimate for a full game. The actual duration depends on the group, the player count and familiarity with the rules: first sessions usually run longer, while experienced groups often finish faster. Setup and teaching time are not included in this estimate.
The catalogue lists Asteroid Zero-Four for ages 12 and up. This is the publisher’s recommendation and reflects reading demands, rule complexity and small components rather than theme alone. Younger players can often join with help from an adult, so check the age guidance on your edition and consider your group’s experience with board games.
Asteroid Zero-Four has a complexity rating of 2.6 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a medium-light game. The rating reflects how much rules knowledge, planning and decision-making a typical game demands. Expect a longer first teach for heavier games, and use a preparation guide before game night.
Asteroid Zero-Four belongs to these categories: Wargame and Science Fiction. Its main mechanics are Dice Rolling, Hexagon Grid, and Simulation. Categories describe the theme and setting of a game, while mechanics describe what players actually do on their turns. Each mechanic links to a catalogue hub with similar games, which helps when you want something comparable.
The credited designers of Asteroid Zero-Four are: Stephen V. Cole. These credits come from the published game data and name the people responsible for the game’s design, not its illustrators or publishers. Designer pages on MeepleRules collect other titles by the same designers, which helps when you enjoy a game and want to find similar ones.
The catalogue lists Asteroid Zero-Four as a base game. It can be played on its own with the components in the box and does not require any other title. Expansions, if any exist, add new content or rules on top of it and are listed separately in the catalogue with a link back to this base game.