- BGG rank
- BGG #12,431
- BGG rating
- 6.4
Azhanti High Lightning
- 2–16 players
- 60 min
- Complexity 2.3/5
- 1980
- BGG rank
- BGG #11,832
- BGG rating
- 6.7
Asteroid
1980
Rules assistance for Asteroid
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 2 players
- 120–180 min
- 10+
- Complexity 2.3/5
For 2 players
Rules assistant for Asteroid
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Asteroid is a board game released in 1980 for 2 players, 120–180 minutes per game, and ages 10 and up. It was designed by Frank Chadwick and Marc W. Miller and its main mechanics are Variable Player Powers, Dice Rolling, and Variable Set-up.
Similar games
- BGG rank
- BGG #11,917
- BGG rating
- 6.5
Dark Nebula
- 2 players
- 90–180 min
- Complexity 2.3/5
- 1980
- BGG rank
- BGG #10,086
- BGG rating
- 6.9
Sky Galleons of Mars
- 2–6 players
- 120 min
- Complexity 2.3/5
- 1988
- BGG rank
- BGG #10,462
- BGG rating
- 6.8
Fifth Frontier War
- 2–4 players
- 240–360 min
- Complexity 2.9/5
- 1981
- BGG rank
- BGG #13,529
- BGG rating
- 6.3
Snapshot
- 2 players
- 60 min
- Complexity 2.2/5
- 1979
- BGG rank
- BGG #5,404
- BGG rating
- 6.9
Imperium: Empires in Conflict – Worlds in the Balance
- 2 players
- 180–300 min
- Complexity 2.6/5
- 1977
- BGG rank
- BGG #10,673
- BGG rating
- 6.8
Boots & Saddles: Air Cavalry in the 80's
- 2 players
- 240–720 min
- Complexity 3.5/5
- 1984
- BGG rank
- BGG #13,681
- BGG rating
- 6.7
Their Finest Hour
- 2 players
- 240–360 min
- Complexity 4.3/5
- 1976
- BGG rank
- BGG #10,274
- BGG rating
- 7.6
Dust 1947
- 2–8 players
- 60–120 min
- Complexity 2.7/5
- 2016
- BGG rank
- BGG #8,726
- BGG rating
- 7.0
Last Frontier: The Vesuvius Incident
- 1–2 players
- 120 min
- Complexity 2.9/5
- 1993
- BGG rank
- BGG #601
- BGG rating
- 8.0
Advanced Squad Leader
- 2 players
- 120–480 min
- Complexity 4.7/5
- 1985
- BGG rank
- BGG #664
- BGG rating
- 7.9
Star Wars: Battle of Hoth
- 2–4 players
- 30 min
- Complexity 1.9/5
- 2025
About the game
In Asteroid, one player controls a team of adventurers attempting to destroy a runaway mining asteroid on a collision course with Earth; the other player controls the evil computer brain that runs the mining station. The good guys must overcome the station's defenses (including various nasty robots), turn off the computer brain, set the asteroid to self-destruct, and escape before it blows. Each of the adventurers has unique characteristics, including ranged and melee combat abilities, computer skills, demolition skills, stealthiness, psychic ability, luck and even emotional attachments to other characters. The computer brain player secretly determines the configuration of the modular boards to form a map of the mining station and deploys robots to prevent the adventurers from shutting it down. Victory levels for the adventurers include World Survival Victory, Personal Survival Victory, Common Decency Victory, Romantic Victory and even SPCA Victory (involving the outcome with respect to the dog character, Sasha). One of GDW's Series 120 games, the game includes eight 5.5" x 8.5" maps and 120 tile counters that represent the characters, robots, items, etc. It was resold from Kokusai-Tsushin in 2003.
Categories
Mechanics
Designers
Publishers
- Hobby Japan
- Game Designers' Workshop (GDW Games)
- Kokusai-Tsushin Co., Ltd. (国際通信社)
Questions and answers
Asteroid 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 is 120–180 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 for ages 10 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 has a complexity rating of 2.3 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 belongs to these categories: Wargame, Adventure, and Science Fiction. Its main mechanics are Variable Player Powers, Dice Rolling, and Variable Set-up. 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 are: Frank Chadwick and Marc W. Miller. 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 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.