
- BGG rank
- BGG #6,590
- BGG rating
- 6.5
Stellar Conquest
- 2–4 players
- 240–480 min
- Complexity 3.0/5
- 1975

Rules assistance for Starleader: Assault! – A Futuristic Man-To-Man Combat Game
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.
Starleader: Assault! – A Futuristic Man-To-Man Combat Game is a board game released in 1982 for 2 players, 60 minutes per game, and ages 10 and up. It was designed by Howard Thompson and its main mechanics are Role Playing and Hexagon Grid.
Microgame #21 in the Metagaming Microgames series is a wargame module meant to be the character-combat engine for a "Starleader" RPG that was never produced. It concerns combat in the "30th century of the Space Era (SE)" between defenders and attackers aboard a "Kyrathan 'Royal' class warp yacht" named (conveniently enough) the "Trek Heaven." It's a hex-and-counter game, but has character sheets; players can allocate resources to create characters as they would in an RPG. The official rules offer four scenarios, designed to ease the players into increasing complexity and role-playing elements: "The Rescue of Princess Rulian" (one rescuer trying to save the kidnapped princess vs. one terrorist), "Krotic's Treasure" (one rich guy and three thugs vs. four pirates), "Random Piracy" (three crew and one die worth of passengers vs. eight or fewer pirates), and "Random Raids" (all conditions GM- or player-designed). Approximate playing time is very fuzzy -- obviously the "Rescue" scenario will play much more quickly than a complex user-designed "Random Raid" with lots of role-playing. The maximum number of players isn't necessarily 2, but all of the official scenarios assume only 2 sides or factions. To support more players, teams or special user-designed scenarios would be called for.
Starleader: Assault! – A Futuristic Man-To-Man Combat Game 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 Starleader: Assault! – A Futuristic Man-To-Man Combat Game 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 Starleader: Assault! – A Futuristic Man-To-Man Combat Game 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.
Starleader: Assault! – A Futuristic Man-To-Man Combat Game has a complexity rating of 3.0 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.
Starleader: Assault! – A Futuristic Man-To-Man Combat Game belongs to these categories: Wargame and Science Fiction. Its main mechanics are Role Playing and Hexagon Grid. 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 Starleader: Assault! – A Futuristic Man-To-Man Combat Game are: Howard Thompson. 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 Starleader: Assault! – A Futuristic Man-To-Man Combat Game 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.