
- BGG rank
- BGG #7
- BGG rating
- 8.6
Twilight Imperium: Fourth Edition
- 3–6 players
- 240–480 min
- Complexity 4.4/5
- 2017

Rules assistance for Starmada: Fleet Ops
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.

What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Starmada: Fleet Ops is an expansion for Starmada: The Admiralty Edition released in 2011 30 minutes per game and ages 12 and up. It was designed by Daniel Kast and its main mechanics are Hexagon Grid.
Starmada: Fleet Ops is a "fleet-scale" game using the same database as Starmada: Admiralty Edition science-fiction starship combat game. S:FO is very similar to S:AE in many respects, but Starmada: Fleet Ops' flow is intended to be faster-moving and more abstracted. Game scale is "grand tactical", each ship is a single counter on the map, and its statistics (damage level, weapons, and so on) are tracked individually, although not in as much detail as Starmada: Admiralty Edition. (Any ship you can build using Admiralty Edition's ship design rules can be represented in Starmada: Fleet Ops, making the two games highly compatible).Construction rules are included, and also guidelines on converting Admiralty Edition ships to Fleet Ops statistics. An entire fleet of ships can be represented on a single standard sheet of paper. Play is simultaneous. Each player takes turns giving orders to his units by placing a marker on top of one ship to indicate the orders it has been given. Once all ships have orders, initiative is determined. The player losing initiative moves all his ships first (giving the non-moving player an advantage), but then fires first in the subsequent fire phase (gaining an advantage). Movement and firing are both simplified and sped up from Admiralty Edition, reducing the amount of record keeping and the number of die rolls. Mechanics new to the Starmada system are introduced, including morale and command ships. The product is available as either a download in Adobe .pdf format, or as a print-on-demand saddle-stitched book (44 pages). Additional material, including printable colour counters and map sheets, is available for free download from Majestic 12 Games' website for purchasers of either format.
The listed playing time for Starmada: Fleet Ops is 30 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 Starmada: Fleet Ops 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.
Starmada: Fleet Ops has a complexity rating of 2.0 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.
Starmada: Fleet Ops belongs to these categories: Wargame and Science Fiction. Its main mechanics are 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 Starmada: Fleet Ops are: Daniel Kast. 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 Starmada: Fleet Ops as an expansion for Starmada: The Admiralty Edition. Expansions add new content, rules or scenarios to the base game and usually cannot be played on their own, so you need Starmada: The Admiralty Edition to use it. Check that your edition of Starmada: The Admiralty Edition is compatible, as some expansions were revised between editions.