The Air-Eaters Strike Back! (1981)

This sequel to "Invasion of the Air-eaters" has the aliens of the title staging another invasion a century later. This time the war is fought over the entire inner solar system, using 240 counters that represent a variety of space- and ground-based units. From the box:

"Turns are three months, planets move in orbit and spaceships move from planet to planet. Separate ground actions occur on maps of Mercury, Earth, Mars, the Venusian poles, Ganymede, Callisto, Europa, and Io -- all in the same scale. ... Rules cover production, technology, teleportation, combat, and movement."

There are numerous scenarios in the rules including multiplayer games ("The Air Eaters Strike Back may be played by up to five players by splitting the Aliens and/or Terrans up between players..." from paragraph preceding rule 32.0). There is one solitaire scenario. There are also two scenarios that setup conflict between human forces (no aliens).

Actual playing time will vary; the box says three to six hours. This is Metagaming MetaGame #1 (product #5101).

Magazine Articles:

The Space Gamer #44, Capsule Review (October, 1981)
Interplay Magazine: The Metagaming Dialogs #1 ... "Air-Eaters Strike Back: Designer Notes" (1981)
Interplay Magazine: The Metagaming Dialogs #3 ... "Air-Eater's Background"

Box contents

• Introductory rules booklet
• Intermediate rules booklet
• 17' x 22' map
• 240 counters