Starforce: Alpha Centauri
Encyclopedia
Starforce: Alpha Centauri was a board game
published in 1974 by Simulations Publications Inc.
as one of their first science fiction games, a departure from their usual historical wargames
. It was based on a concept by Redmond Simonsen.
) powers enhanced by artificial intelligence
, both from on-board crew members and with the assistance of fixed Star Gate
installations. Space combat was relatively non-violent, mostly based on telepathic disruption of the enemy's crews.
The space volume on the map represented real astronomical data, designed to allow players to become familiar with the layout of nearby stars.
playspace covering a radius of approximately 20 light years from Sol. "Semi-hidden" movement allowed players to display their horizontal location while keeping their vertical position concealed.
games were developed.
StarSoldier covered "super-infantry" combat on the worlds and objects of the StarForce universe, and included rules that allowed it to be used to resolve planetary actions during a StarForce game. It also used pre-plotted simultaneous turn resolution. StarSoldier could also be played as a "link game", in which Starforce was played as the primary, or strategic game and StarSoldier was used for the "tactical resolution" of battles, using game counters called "Strike Commands" representing 100,000 individual soldiers transported by a single StarForce. The playing time required was typically many times that of either game alone, 8–12 hours of continuous play being an average.
Outreach took the game to a galactic scale, covering centuries of time, and describing massive movements of huge civilisations across a large part of the Milky Way
galaxy.
took their name from one of the StarForce power groups.
Board game
A board game is a game which involves counters or pieces being moved on a pre-marked surface or "board", according to a set of rules. Games may be based on pure strategy, chance or a mixture of the two, and usually have a goal which a player aims to achieve...
published in 1974 by Simulations Publications Inc.
Simulations Publications
Simulations Publications, Inc. was an influential American publisher of board wargames and related magazines, particularly its flagship Strategy & Tactics, in the 1970s and early 1980s...
as one of their first science fiction games, a departure from their usual historical wargames
Wargaming
A wargame is a strategy game that deals with military operations of various types, real or fictional. Wargaming is the hobby dedicated to the play of such games, which can also be called conflict simulations, or consims for short. When used professionally to study warfare, it is generally known as...
. It was based on a concept by Redmond Simonsen.
Concept
StarForce described a future history of humanity reaching out into local interstellar space, and making first contact (and war) with a number of alien species. FTL (faster than light) travel was based on "telesthetic" (teleportationTeleportation
Teleportation is the fictional or imagined process by which matter is instantaneously transferred from one place to another.Teleportation may also refer to:*Quantum teleportation, a method of transmitting quantum data...
) powers enhanced by artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence is the intelligence of machines and the branch of computer science that aims to create it. AI textbooks define the field as "the study and design of intelligent agents" where an intelligent agent is a system that perceives its environment and takes actions that maximize its...
, both from on-board crew members and with the assistance of fixed Star Gate
Interstellar teleporter
An interstellar teleporter is a hypothetical technology appearing in science fiction, typically in hard sci-fi, which teleports people and/or other objects over interstellar distances instantaneously...
installations. Space combat was relatively non-violent, mostly based on telepathic disruption of the enemy's crews.
The space volume on the map represented real astronomical data, designed to allow players to become familiar with the layout of nearby stars.
Mechanics
Unlike most board games, StarForce used both pre-plotted simultaneous movement, and a 3DThree-dimensional space
Three-dimensional space is a geometric 3-parameters model of the physical universe in which we live. These three dimensions are commonly called length, width, and depth , although any three directions can be chosen, provided that they do not lie in the same plane.In physics and mathematics, a...
playspace covering a radius of approximately 20 light years from Sol. "Semi-hidden" movement allowed players to display their horizontal location while keeping their vertical position concealed.
Spin-offs
Two spin-offSpin-off (media)
In media, a spin-off is a radio program, television program, video game, or any narrative work, derived from one or more already existing works, that focuses, in particular, in more detail on one aspect of that original work...
games were developed.
StarSoldier covered "super-infantry" combat on the worlds and objects of the StarForce universe, and included rules that allowed it to be used to resolve planetary actions during a StarForce game. It also used pre-plotted simultaneous turn resolution. StarSoldier could also be played as a "link game", in which Starforce was played as the primary, or strategic game and StarSoldier was used for the "tactical resolution" of battles, using game counters called "Strike Commands" representing 100,000 individual soldiers transported by a single StarForce. The playing time required was typically many times that of either game alone, 8–12 hours of continuous play being an average.
Outreach took the game to a galactic scale, covering centuries of time, and describing massive movements of huge civilisations across a large part of the Milky Way
Milky Way
The Milky Way is the galaxy that contains the Solar System. This name derives from its appearance as a dim un-resolved "milky" glowing band arching across the night sky...
galaxy.
Cultural impact
The synthpop group The Human LeagueThe Human League
The Human League are an English electronic New Wave band formed in Sheffield in 1977. They achieved popularity after a key change in line-up in the early 1980s and have continued recording and performing with moderate commercial success throughout the 1980s up to the present day.The only constant...
took their name from one of the StarForce power groups.