By Derek Fulton.

Published by Mongoose Publishing ( http://mongoosepublishing.com/ ) Starship Troopers with rules written by Andy Chambers and Miniatures sculpted by Bob Naismith, is a tabletop miniatures game inspired by the 1997 feature film, Starship Troopers (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120201/ ) and the resultant CGI television series, Roughnecks: The Starship Troopers Chronicles (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0190198/ ). As a fan of Heinlein's book (published in 1959, on which the film and series are based) and of the way the Arachnids are portrayed in both the movie and the series I was bound to at least look at this new miniatures game. Not surprisingly I purchased the boxed set earlier in the year and here's my opinion so far.

For my money, the best place to start is with the boxed set. In the box you get a 144 page rule book, templates, reference cards, six and ten sided dice and enough sprues to construct 20 Arachnid Warrior Bugs and 16 MI Cap troopers (30mm scale) miniatures.

The Arachnid Warrior Bug standing approximately 45mm (depending on how you position the legs) is an impressive collection of sharp stabbing limbs and large crushing jaws. It is relatively easy to assemble though I do suggest gluing the legs in place. The miniature has a ball joint on it's legs and is supposed to be posable when assembled but a bump to the table sends them crashing.

The Mobile Infantry miniatures come wearing 'power suits' with an assortment of weapons with which to equip them; The Morita Assault Rifle, Hel Infantry Flamer, Triple Thud Grenade Launcher, Javelin Missile launcher, Shock Stick and Grenades. The miniatures can be assembled standing, walking or kneeling on one knee and a nice touch is a tinted plastic faceplate for the troopers' helmets.

The rulebook itself contains as to be expected images from both the movie and the CGI series. As well the rules to play the game it also contains the rosters (army lists), equipment and background information for the three races in the game; The Human Federation, The Arachnids and Skinny Hegemony. The background provided is a combination of the movie and CGI series, drawing on both but following neither exactly.

As with most wargames the miniatures and the weapons used on the tabletop are represented by a number of characteristics. Any special characteristics are represented as 'traits', the aforementioned sharp stabbing limbs of the Arachnid Warrior Bug are represented by a 'piercing/1' trait which reduces armour saves rolled by 1.

The 'core' game is fairly straight forward, each player takes a turn. In a turn the player chooses each of his units in turn and carries out two actions, which can be: move, shoot, ready and charge. While one player's units are acting the miniatures of the opposing player may 'react'. Should a player's miniature stray into a 10" radius of a enemy miniature then that miniature may react. The default reaction is to shoot, but there are other special reactions for the various races or models. For instance a Arachnid miniature may react with a 'alarm screech' allowing any Arachnid miniature within 6" to treat the screeching miniature as a unit leader and carry out a move action. Once the player finishes moving all his units the opposing player has his turn.

The rest of the game mechanics are simple enough, there are no combat result tables instead miniatures are allocated a 'target' and 'kill' number, if the attacking damage dice equals or exceeds the target number then the miniature is hit and needs roll it's save number to survive. But if the roll equals or exceeds the 'kill' number the target miniature is killed outright and there is no need to save.

The other item of interest in the game play is the lack of morale rules, instead the rules contain a number of built in effects (command radius, unit leaders and losing them, flinching away from nasty weapon effects or large bugs and straying out of the command radius) which work to break up units up. Miniatures 'out of command' can only remain alert, able only to react even if it's the controlling player's turn.

As I mentioned there are rosters or army lists for the three races mentioned in the rulebook, the Terran, the Arachnids and the Skinnies. So far the Skinnies are the least developed army roster, they are basically raiding forces, crossing into Terran space and snatching victims for who knows what. Each roster is divided into priority levels from 1 (the lowest) to 3 (the highest), these levels are described as 1; combat ready, 2; contact imminent and 3; combat operations. What this means in english is at priority level 1 you can as many basic troops types as you can afford and a few other specialists unit types, as the priority level increases players gain access to bigger and nastier weapons and units types (such as nukes, and plasma bugs).

The priority levels are also used to help determine the scenario, called an 'engagement', being played. Players compare priority levels to determine what 'mission' they will have to accomplish in a game. Possible missions include: annihilate, delay, hold, last stand and overrun. Once the mission is determined the players then choose one of three 'tactics' to help decide the type of 'deployment area', the three tactics a player can choose from are: probe, defend and attack. There are also three possible deployment types: battleline, deep defence and encounter. Once again priority levels come into play with the lower level getting to choose whether they get to deploy and move first or second. Tactics also provide advantages, attacking forces get to allocate a reserve, a defending force chooses it's deployment zone and probing forces are allowed to withhold part of their force off board during deployment arriving on the board in the first turn. Finally the length of the engagement is also variable, determined by adding the higher priority level to 3 to give the length of the battle.

As an example, two players decide to play a game, one has a priority level (PL) 1 force and the other has a PL 2 force. The PL 1 player has a 'delay' mission to accomplish and the PL 2 player has a 'overrun' mission. The PL 1 player chooses to 'attack' and the PL 2 player chooses to 'probe' giving a 'battleline' deployment area. So the PL 1 player is attacking and can hold part of his force off in reserve and has the choice to deploy and move first. The PL 2 player can withhold deploying some of his force, instead these units arrive on the board in his first turn and the game will last 5 turns (3 plus PL 2 = 5).

Of course then there are the 'advanced rules', these include rules for aerial units, structures, heroic traits and psi -talents and most importantly for a arachnid player, the tunneling rules. The tunneling rules are a integral part of the arachnid army roster, they allow the arachnids to tunnel under the MI defenses, emerging to attack and only the most powerful MI weapons (ie: nukes) can effect a arachnid safe in it's tunnel. Finally in the back of the book there is a handy glossary and index.

So I've got my MI troopers and warrior bugs, who don't have any ranged combat but can dig for victory. What comes next? Well quite a bit actually, since the release of the game Mongoose Publishing have been busy also releasing (both plastic and metal) miniatures for the units mentioned in the rosters in the rulebook.

So far we have available for the MI forces:

Marauder Suits, large armoured fighting suits.
CHAS, a large robot decked out with a ton of weapons.
Heroes of the Mobile Infantry, a box set containing: a sniper, a Jalevin armed MI trooper with a Pee-Wee tactical nuclear warhead, a Lieutenant with his faithful neo-dog to command your platoon and a SICON Advisor to advise (no surprise there) and use his mysterious physic abilities.
Female Cap Troopers, to 'flesh' out your platoon.
Reliant Gun Platforms, heavy weapons platforms for a MI defensive position.
MI WASP Troopers Squad, although MI power suits come with jump jets that allow MI troopers to hop about the tabletop these backpack wings provide even further mobility.
Mobile Infantry Support Missiles, heavy missiles providing off board fire support.

For the Arachnids:

Hopper Bugs, flying bugs capable of literally decapitating the MI command structure.
Tanker Bugs, large, armoured and spewing caustic flaming acid that melts through MI armour.
Blister and Blaster Bugs, these bugs provide close range fire support - spiting out acid and flame.
Firefries, a smaller species of bug able to leap great distances and spew volatile chemicals onto their target.
Brain Bug, the apparent 'commanders' of the Arachnids, always attended by the smaller chariot bugs, brain bugs use their physic powers and relax at the end of a game by sucking the brains of captured MI troopers.
Plasma Bug, a huge model by all accounts and my favourite species of bug - capable of generating white hot plasma and firing it out it's rear, this bug can shoot down starships in orbit or provide artillery support.

As well as more miniatures and kits such as the Fleet Tac Fighters, Drop ships, King Tanker bugs and veteran cap troopers there is a soon to be hard cover version of the rules. Army books further detailing the respective forces involved and a supplement covering the attempted invasion of Klendathu (the Arachnid homeworld) which will introduce the Light Armour Troopers (the movie version).

The game is well supported with information and downloads on the Mongoose Publishing website ( http://mongoosepublishing.com/ ) and forum. Mongoose Publishing also produce a Starship Troopers role playing game and a house magazine 'Signs And Portents' which includes articles for both the tabletop game and the role playing game.

Even if you have managed not to read the book, see the film or TV series there's no reason you shouldn't enjoy this game in it's own right. You'll find that the rules provide a fast, interesting tactical game where the two main protagonists, dissimilar in their outlooks are well provided for with various unit types which Mongoose are supporting with a growing range of miniatures.

Mongoose Publishing: http://mongoosepublishing.com/
Internet Movie database entry for 'Starship Troopers': http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120201/
Internet Movie database entry for 'Roughneck: The Starship Troopers Chronicles': http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0190198/

Webmasters note: Thanks to Mongoose Publishing for use of some of their promotional Product shots for illustration of this article (no challenge to their copyright for the mentioned products intended), and to Derek Fulton for images and the review itself.