~2.823474229: Natural log of the Beast
Fleet Captain Frederic Antimony could not tear his eyes from the sight. Filling his vision were the starships of the Emperor's Own Ninth Starmada; hundreds of craft, large and small, capable of reducing the most well-defended surface facility to rubble. Never since the founding of the Empire had a Starmada failed to achieve its objective; and only once before had one been defeated in defense of a system.
"Make that twice," thought Antimony, cracking a mirthless grin.
The countless stars looked in on Antimony; but the sensors informed him that many—far too many—were not stars at all, but renegade starships, come to eliminate the Empire's last stronghold in this sector. And there was no way for Antimony to stop them.
"At least we can make it interesting," he muttered, and his smile grew broader, just as a member of the bridge crew announced that she had lost contact with one of the pickets.
The battle had begun...
Starmada™ is a miniatures board game of starship combat. At its most basic level, players take command of space fleets in a general attempt to reduce each other to just so much space junk. At its most advanced, the game can be customized to breathe life into any science fiction background that players might imagine.
Novices shouldn't fret; the core set of rules has been designed with simplicity and ease of play in mind, accessible even to beginners. On the other hand, seasoned veterans should find the concise nature of the rules quite refreshing. It allows players to concentrate on the finer points of squashing their opponents rather than arguing about rules interpretations, without sacrificing any of the flavor or excitement of more complex games.
Simple, but not simplistic, is the guiding principle.