
Squadron Strike!: Ship Book 1
- 2–12 players
- 120 min
- 2010

2008
Rules assistance for Squadron Strike!
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.
Squadron Strike! is a board game released in 2008 120 minutes per game. It was designed by Ken Burnside and its main mechanics are Paper-and-Pencil, Hexagon Grid, and Simulation.
"Building off of the streamlined 3-D movement engine of Saganami Island Tactical Simulator, 2nd Edition, Squadron Strike lets you build any ship, from any setting, in full 3-D glory—and then pit them against each other, in titanic battles for the fate of galaxies." "Squadron Strike takes between 5 and 10 minutes per turn with 6 ships per side, and combines fast play with more tactical depth and scalable detail than any other 'construction ready' space combat game. It’s suitable for Ages 12 and up." "In Squadron Strike, ships move in one of three movement modes, named for the number of Newton’s Laws being obeyed; with these options you’re not stuck with whatever movement mode the game designer liked - you can pick the one that works best for the setting you’re trying to run in. You even have optional fuel rules (for both interstellar and tactical movement) to simulate the setting or TV series to whatever degree you like. You decide what reality level is appropriate for your level of fun." "You can design nearly everything in the game, from missiles, to beams, to fighters, to torpedoes. An original setting includes pre-built ships and weapons for people who don’t want to get deeply into the customization process, but if you want it, you have complete control." "Automated tools do complete SSD generation for you, in Excel format, or with higher end features via web applications." "Squadron Strike comes with a complete, integrated campaign system, including web apps that automatically generate campaign maps, victory decks, and system maps. Just enter the campaign turn in the web app and the positions of the planets on the system map update automatically!" "The boxed game will have two map sheets, a bag of tilt blocks, two bags of stacking tiles, box miniature sheets, a rulebook, an SSD book and a setting book. The ship design tools are available as a free download in Excel; the web applications (including a nicer ship design tool set, and campaign support) are behind a subscriber login."
The listed playing time for Squadron Strike! is 120 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.
Squadron Strike! has a complexity rating of 3.7 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a medium-weight 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.
Squadron Strike! belongs to these categories: Wargame, Miniatures, and Science Fiction. Its main mechanics are Paper-and-Pencil, 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 Squadron Strike! are: Ken Burnside. 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 Squadron Strike! 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.