Warriors of the Dark Star: The Age of the Neutron Wars (1976)

This was the first in a series of tactical space combat games linked to Galaxy-Foundation Games' strategic Battle for Andromeda: Conflict for a Trillion Suns! series. Further games using the same rules were Duel of the Sun Slayers, Vengeance Crusaders vs. The Monads, and the probably never published Plunderers of the Planets.

Galaxy-Foundation Games licensed Taurus Games to produce the initial print run of the game (6,000 copies, according to a later GFG catalog). Whether GFG produced any further copies is unknown; at least one later game in the series included a completely rewritten Warriors of the Dark Star rulebook, but no copy of the original game with that rulebook has been seen.

From the GFG catalog (reproduced verbatim):

The Warriors of the Dark Star - in the Age of the Neutron Wars covers the Tactical aspects of the same subjects above, except that the player is concerned with the piloting of ONE ship, its intricate operations, the application of SPECIFIC SECRET WEAPONS, individually applied, ship-to-ship single combat, Tactically oriented Battles, similar to a duel between Battleships, etc.

Often "WD" games are issued immediately with a companion "BFA" game; while the BFA game has all the ships in quantity as well as specialized weapons systems, the "WD" series takes in a particular FEATURE emphasized STRATEGICALLY in RFA, and allows a "Close-Up" in-depth treatment of particular ships. Thus, a war involving 20 or 30 ships of which 12 of these units are representative of a Special Dreadnaught with unique capabilities, fighting an ENEMY with ships of unusual properties, is concentrated on. "WD" would concern itself with the broad exposition of these forces in the form of a single ship which would be cast in a series of Scenarios that would reflect the small battles occurring in ONE HEX of "BFA" to give the emotional and personal "FEEL" not of an Admiral of the Fleet, but of a Captain of one vessel, where his piloting skills and crew efficiency is most vital! This does not cover a single bizarre ship in BFA that might be of special use, but of the Main Line items that won or lost the war; the ones that carried the major burden of the battle, whose over-all effect was sufficient to provide subject matter on what ONE ship would teach players that would help them understand the LARGE view of BFA. It is also a TRAINING AID in teaching Captains in individual combat in WD to become Commanders after the TEST OF BATTLE of fleets in BFA. Of course, if popular demand requires special, and/or additional types exposed in BFA, not covered in WD to be produced, an extension kit to HD for a minor cost of $2 to $4 is printed allowing the ND kit an unlimited number of "Expansion modules"

The game contains:

• A rulebook.
• A single-piece map.
• A sheet of "power grids" to be cut apart.
• 6 laminated ship record sheets.
• A page explaining the ship record sheets.
• A combination ship guide/advertisement sheet. This includes a small number of ship images which are supposed to be glued to cardboard and cut out, to then be used as counters on the map. The rulebook refers to large "counters" but these are clearly the ship record sheets based on the description.