
- BGG rank
- BGG #17,787
- BGG rating
- 6.3
Bug-Eyed Monsters
- 2 players
- 90 min
- Complexity 2.1/5
- 1983

1979
Rules assistance for Vector 3: Tactical Space Combat in Three Dimensions
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.
Vector 3: Tactical Space Combat in Three Dimensions is a board game released in 1979 for 2 players. It was designed by Greg Costikyan and its main mechanics are Dice Rolling and Hexagon Grid.
Two-player SF wargame positing a space war in the "Gilgamesh Cluster" between the "humano-cetacean civilization" and the "Xandri-Bratcom Coalition." The war is fought with modular Vector 3 ships that can carry an assortment of pods: lasers, torpedo launchers, defensive-screen generators, and tractor/pressor beams. Ship movement is Newtonian and three-dimensional: (X,Y) and (X,Z) position charts are used to track where the ships are at any given time. Players spend ship points to buy ship components and technology points to buy improved technologies; victory points are earned for destroying pods and ships and for being the last player to have ships in play. When all of one player's ships have been destroyed or warped out, the player with the highest victory point total wins. Four scenarios are suggested with differing allowed technologies and different numbers of starting ship and technology points. The approximate playing time is a guess; it will depend on the chosen scenario. This is Space Capsule #4, the fourth in SPI's series of science fiction microgames.
Vector 3: Tactical Space Combat in Three Dimensions 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.
Vector 3: Tactical Space Combat in Three Dimensions 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.
Vector 3: Tactical Space Combat in Three Dimensions belongs to these categories: Wargame, Print & Play, and Science Fiction. Its main mechanics are Dice Rolling 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 Vector 3: Tactical Space Combat in Three Dimensions are: Greg Costikyan. 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 Vector 3: Tactical Space Combat in Three Dimensions 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.