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BattleTech Compendium: The Rules of Warfare
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Rules assistance for Starmada: Iron Stars
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 2–8 players
- 60 min
- 10+
- Complexity 3.0/5
Rules assistant for Starmada: Iron Stars
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Starmada: Iron Stars is an expansion for Starmada: The Admiralty Edition released in 2009 for 2–8 players, 60 minutes per game, and ages 10 and up. It was designed by Daniel Kast and its main mechanics are Variable Player Powers, Dice Rolling, and Simultaneous Action Selection.
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About the game
From the website. Queen Victoria died in January, marking a literal and symbolic end to the 'Victorian' era. Two new powers - the United States and Japan - were entering the world stage, even as many in the old guard began to creak under the weight of their own might. Communism, in the person of Vladimir Ilych Lenin, had begun to rear its head in Czarist Russia. Technology and the industrial revolution were changing everything, including the weapons of war. And while the "Boxer Rebellion" in China was easily quashed, the incident demonstrated growing resentment of European dominance. Starmada: Iron Stars reveals a world in crisis. Recovery from the Martian Invasion is slow, and its effects will be felt for decades to come. Hopes that the extraterrestrial threat would result in a new spirit of cooperation and coexistence have been quickly dashed, with the Great Powers scrambling to take advantage of technological tidbits left behind by the invaders. While recent conflicts have been thankfully limited in scope, it seems only a matter of time before Humanity is engulfed in a new conflagration, this one of its own making. This supplement is a unique "crossover" project, combining two of our most popular gaming systems. The intent is to introduce fans of the Iron Stars universe to the Universal Game of Starship Combat, while at the same time exposing those Starmada players who may have been reluctant to jump into a different environment a glimpse at an alternate Earth in which the Martian Invasion really happened. Outside of the thrills of Edwardian space combat, there is plenty in these pages to expand any Starmada setting, including new options like: * Faceted shielding * Crew-killer weapons * Etheric movement * Critical damage And more! Starmada: Iron Stars is not a stand-alone product; ownership of the Starmada: The Admiralty Edition Core Rulebook is required.
Designers
Publishers
- Majestic Twelve Games
Questions and answers
Starmada: Iron Stars supports 2–8 players according to the catalogue. This range comes from the publisher’s listed player count, so the game can be set up for any group size within it. Some setups, rules and scoring details may still vary by player count, so check your edition’s rulebook for the exact configuration.
The listed playing time for Starmada: Iron Stars 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 Starmada: Iron Stars 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.
Starmada: Iron Stars 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.
Starmada: Iron Stars belongs to these categories: Wargame, Miniatures, and Science Fiction. Its main mechanics are Variable Player Powers, Dice Rolling, and Simultaneous Action Selection. 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: Iron Stars 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: Iron Stars 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.