Real-time dirty dogfighting
STAR FIGHTERS: RAPID FIRE
Designer: Michael Dunsmore & Jordan Nichols | Publisher: Alley Cat Games
Despite its ubiquity, representing warfare and combat on the tabletop is tricky, even under the creatively liberating guise of science-fiction or fantasy. Sure, certain formulas have cemented themselves in the hobby over the years – from the drawn out detail of hex and counter games to the slicker, miniature showcasing mayhem of skirmish titles. But whilst each format offers a fun or interesting simulacrum of conflict, few tackle the micro-moments of frantic tension and unpredictable chaos one associates with the throes of battle. In Star Fighters: Rapid Fire, designers Michael Dunsmore and Jordan Nichols seek to rectify this with a surprisingly logical approach: Realtime dice-chucking.
Star Fighters: Rapid Fire is a quickplaying, tactical space combat game for one to four players. Across its four modes – solo, one vs one, three player last one standing, and two vs two team-play – players will only ever be fielding one ship, with this small scale reinforced by a similarly diminutive hex battle map. What this small scale equates to is a level of involvement that feels both perilous and exciting, whilst remaining, crucially, manageable.
Each turn will see players simultaneously rolling their pools of custom dice and assigning them to the various systems on their personal ship boards. Dice can be rerolled any number of times, but once a player yells “FIRE!” all rolls must cease. At this point turns will pass back and forth as players activate any systems with dice assigned to them. Red dice are used for aggressive actions; firing lasers and torpedos, with options to boost their range or damage. Blue dice fuel movement, typically in straightforward thrusts and 60 degree turns. All the while, players must ensure they assign appropriate coloured dice showing ‘Command’ symbols to the Command section of their ship boards in order to perform activations - a necessity made easier with players’ ‘wild’ yellow Command die.
Needless to say, Star Fighters doesn’t shy away from piling on the pressure. Indeed, if the frenzy of real-time gameplay typically puts you off, this probably isn’t the game for you. But, if you’re a fan (or at least curious), Star Fighters’ lightning quick bursts of dice-chucking are utterly engaging, yet brief enough to ensure players don’t mentally burn out.
Whilst the meat of the game plays out in real-time, there’s still plenty of tactical decisions to be made in the comparably reserved activation phases. As actions pass back and forth, players must respond based on whatever’s left of the systems they’ve prepared. Will staying in range and shooting first be worth the inevitable retaliation, or is a quick manoeuvre preferable, with the hopes of activating a plus one range laser next turn? With the systems available on each ship board being fairly limited, some may bemoan the game for lacking depth, but the positive tradeoff is accessibility and snappy gameplay. Additionally, there’s a B side to each ship board, introducing unique specialities - an essential (in our opinion) variant that maximises the type of tactical play too easily avoided in the standard mode. Admittedly, the standard game is a great introduction, but without playing to a ship’s strength, battles can settle into a repetitive rut once players are in range of one another.
The addition of a solid, timer-based solo mode is a welcome touch but, ultimately, Star Fighters shines as a multiplayer experience. Furthermore, with its quick and exciting dogfights, it presents the perfect territory for rustling up some spontaneous tournament play.
CHAD WILKINSON
WE SAY
A quick blast of real-time fun, although its slick simplicity may hinder its longevity.
WHAT’S IN THE BOX?
◗Star map board
◗4 Double-sided player boards
◗4 Star Fighter miniatures
◗36 Custom dice
◗50 Acrylic shield cubes
◗8 Torpedo tokens
◗20 Hull damage tokens
◗12 Shield generator tokens
◗ Starbase board
◗ Starbase token
◗6 Starbase hull damage tokens
◗19 Solo cards
TRY THIS IF YOU LIKED STAR WARS: X-WING...
Another real-time game would’ve been the obvious choice here, but as an alternate approach to interstellar dogfighting this is worth a look.