Greetings fans of the Firestorm Galaxy and welcome to an exciting news blog.

With several years of development behind it (about 9 actually!) the Firestorm Galaxy is undergoing one of the LARGEST and BEST expansions we have ever done. Massive amounts of work have gone into our galaxy: new models, new races, new rules, new scenery, new books, new and improved narrative and now a brand-new Fighter Combat board game!

A key part of this expansion is the Firestorm Armada 3.0 and Planetfall 2.0 rulebooks and a host of new models, but before their exciting arrival we wanted to deliver you our first board game – we were just too excited to wait!

Firestorm: Strike Force

Last year (2016) when the planning for the Firestorm Galaxy Expansion took place, the idea of a fighter combat addition to the Firestorm Galaxy was proposed. At the time, it was decided that we would develop the game along the following guidelines:

• Fast and Furious game play
• Out-of-the-box solution – with no painting required
• Pre-coloured models coded to each Firestorm Core Race
• A Game Zone needed to be supplied – 24” x 24” minimum
• The Game Zone MUST be modular
• No dice
• No tape measures
• Deck Building capability
• Ease of future expansion
• Affordable entry point into the Firestorm Galaxy

And that is just what we have created with Firestorm: Strike Force. An exciting game which delivers on ALL of the design goals above.

The Rules

Intuitive and easy to master, the Firestorm: Strike Force rules are card-driven and allow for huge levels of variation and expansion. Starting with their Basic Deck, gamers then build their Custom Deck by choosing from three initial categories: Advanced, Mission and Faction. However, beyond these initial categories others, such as Strike Commander, Campaign, etc. will be introduced. This will open up a world of opportunity for gamers!

The game is designed to be played by everyone from rookie pilots to veteran Aces and everyone in between. Terms like Lads & Dads or Beer & Pretzels are perfect for describing the game-play we have created. But don’t be fooled – just because it is simple it does not mean it is not tactical.

So, if you only want to play for 30 minutes and then play again in the same evening, go for it – the game will meet your needs. Or put multiple Game Tiles sets together and draw in multiple players and play an epic battle which could take you 90 minutes or more. Firestorm: Strike Force will expand to meet your individual gaming needs and the needs of your gaming group.

Training Missions are supplied in the 2-player starter set and more will be available for free download, including mass multiplayer games were as many as 16 players could play together.

The Models

Beautifully detailed models have been created for each of the core six Firestorm factions with two additional factions added for the new Saurian Enclave and Pathogen, each with their own colour, and the models are pre-coloured for use straight out of the box!

The game is designed to see Fighters, Bombers and Boarding Craft engage in a frenzy of dogfighting where they perform various dangerous missions. Beyond these models we will have Ships of the Line, such as Frigates, Freighters and even larger ships, which will become involved in exciting Missions. For ease of use these larger Ships will be made available in printed format, but for those gamers who want to take things to the next level, we will also make physical models available!

The Game Tiles

One of the most exciting aspects of Firestorm: Strike Force is the gaming surface, known as the Game Zone. Designed around a set of modular hex-based shapes, gamers can build a wide variety of battlefields and as new Game Tiles come out so the scope of the game increases. This modularity enables a much more flexible and varied style of game play.

For example, a 2-player starter set comes with 9 Game Tiles and generates a Game Zone greater than 24”x 24”. Two sets can easily be added together to create a 48” x 24” area, or some other shape as the 18 Game Tiles can be combined together – see below. The game Tiles are also double sided, with simple ‘space’ on one side and scenery and terrain on the other. Additionally, more Tiles and a larger gaming area will facilitate multiplayer games.

Pre-Order Now

We hope this simple summary of Firestorm: Strike Force has excited you and the idea of an out-of-the-box Fighter Game set in the Firestorm Galaxy appeals. The game arrives in September 2017 and, at time of writing, we are taking pre-orders for it, and we are excited to tell you that anyone who pre-orders their 2-player starter set during July 2017 will see us DOUBLE their number of Fighters in the set: which means you will get 12 Terran Alliance Rindr Strike Fighters and 12 Dindrenzi Federation Erinyes Strike Fighters.

Watch out our upcoming blogs and videos which will walk you through such things as assembling Game Zones, Deck Building and how Firestorm: Strike Force plays!