Identifying/tracking down old 1980s games

[H Jones]

Hi there,

I hope this is the right place to ask – if not, I apologise.

I’ve been trying to track down 2 tabletop SciFi games / rule sets I remember from the early 80s:

1 – a rulebook for spaceship battle, 2 small opposed fleets, turning circles for manoeuvres, etc. The rulebook came with cut-out’n’keep spaceship counters/tokens, 1 red team and 1 blue team, somewhat modelled on Star Trek designs, with 2 engine nacelles and the biggest ships had a circular body. I think the rulebook was blue.

2 – a rulebook for scifi skirmish using miniatures. I think it was yellow. The concept was boarders on a large spaceship, to be simulated using paperback books to create corridors on the tabletop. The rules suited running battles in the corridors.

Ring any bells or any tips where I should look or ask?

Thank you!

Hywel

[willz]

Anything in this lot

https://www.google.com/search?q=vintage+1980+space+board+games&tbm=isch&ved=2ahUKEwjz-pfP-Zz9AhXkmycCHY7hDg0Q2-cCegQIABAA&oq=vintage+1980+space+board+games&gs_lcp=CgNpbWcQDFDoJFiaNmD0TGgAcAB4AIABc4gB3QWSAQMzLjSYAQCgAQGqAQtnd3Mtd2l6LWltZ8ABAQ&sclient=img&ei=yKfvY_P2CeS3nsEPjsO7aA&bih=714&biw=1536&rlz=1CAYKUD_enGB1016GB1016

[willz]

This?

https://www.vintagemanstuff.com/product/imperium-ploy-sci-fy-space-board-game-schmidt-1980-germany/

[Andrew Beasley]

The first one strikes a cord – it sounds / feels like a micro game that came in a clear plastic bag similar to the old TTG Microgames but their sci-fi game was ground combat (see here on BBG)

Metagaming had a pile of space combat (WarWar / Godsfire / The Ythri / HolyWar / Stellar Conquest) but these where all single counter ships where as my memory is this game was not on hexes and the ships where larger.

Table Top Games (not TableTop Games) had Starhound but that’s not one I remember at all TBH.

Gut feel is that it was by the same company that did a strange ICBM / bomber game who’s name has also gone…

Your second one is new on me – I’ve used books for hills but not corridors…

[Robert Armstrong]

H Jones wrote:

Hi there, I hope this is the right place to ask – if not, I apologise. I’ve been trying to track down 2 tabletop SciFi games / rule sets I remember from the early 80s: 1 – a rulebook for spaceship battle, 2 small opposed fleets, turning circles for manoeuvres, etc. The rulebook came with cut-out’n’keep spaceship counters/tokens, 1 red team and 1 blue team, somewhat modelled on Star Trek designs, with 2 engine nacelles and the biggest ships had a circular body. I think the rulebook was blue.

Perhaps this one?

https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/12722/galactic-war

[Mike]

H Jones wrote:

2 – a rulebook for scifi skirmish using miniatures. I think it was yellow. The concept was boarders on a large spaceship, to be simulated using paperback books to create corridors on the tabletop. The rules suited running battles in the corridors.

That rings a bell, especially the yellowness. I will ponder.

A5 booklet?

[Gaz045]

Might be amongst the output from TTG  back in the day….

https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamepublisher/1716/tabletop-games

"Even dry tree bark is not bitter to the hungry squirrel"

[ian pillay]

The 2nd one might be one of the Dropwing titles…..?

Tally-Ho! Check out my blog at…..
http://steelcitywargaming.wordpress.com/

[MartinR]

I’m pretty sure the 2nd one was Space Hulk, we played it at the club a couple of years ago. Books for corridors and all.

The first one sounds like one of the old Microgames. I only had the Napoleonic, WW2 and Nuclear War ones, but my friend had the space one which played a few times. Better space games are available… Ballistic Missile was a fabulous game though, even if the bomber did always get through. Just what you need to play as the Cold War ramped up.

"Mistakes in the initial deployment cannot be rectified" - Helmuth von Moltke

[Kitfox]

Could the 2nd one be Laserburn?

Death to all fanatics!

[H Jones]

Amazing!

 

Yes – that’s it.  Thanks a lot!

 

H

[H Jones]

Thanks a lot!

 

Indeed, the first one seems to be “Galactic War”. One of the TTG Microgames.

 

H

[H Jones]

Thanks a lot!

 

Indeed, the first one seems to be “Galactic War”, a TTG microgame.

 

H

[H Jones]

Thanks a lot!

I think it could – my memory is sketchier on this one. I’ll see if I can find some more page photos.

So both were by Tabletop Games apparently – maybe I got them at the same stand. It was at a small wargames convention as I remember.

H

[H Jones]

This was amazing – thanks everyone!

So the first was indeed “Galactic War”, a microgame by Tabletop Games. I recognise the counters instantly. If it came out in 1976 then it predated the Star Wars craze and that explains the Star Trek stylings?

The second could well be Laserburn. Also by TTG seemingly. I bought them both at a small war-games convention as a child. I’ll have to look for more photos/scans to be sure, but it looks right – a bit of 2000AD influence in the designs. I guess those yellow covers were common for small publishers at the time – GW’s Rogue Trader seems to have a similar format at launch?

Thanks to all again!

H

[Gaz045]

Still out there too….

15mm Laserburn and Asgard ranges

"Even dry tree bark is not bitter to the hungry squirrel"

[Author]

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