Star Squadron - Tactical Starfighter Battle Board Game

We funded, and now there's more.

Thanks to all of you, Star Squadron is getting made, and the expanded lore section is unlocked: more on the factions, the war they’re fighting, and the world these pilots live in. Next up at $45,000, a bonus weapon card in every box.

Star Squadron is a head-to-head space dogfighting battler.
STEP ONE: Customize your ace squadron of skilled pilots and powerful starfighters.
STEP TWO: Secretly assign high-octane maneuvers to your squad at the same time as your opponent!
STEP THREE: Reveal orders and see who predicted and outwitted the enemy to find an attack vector ... and then FIRE WEAPONS!!

Gameplay

Setup is quick and easy: put a pilot and special weapon in each ship chassis, spread terrain tiles around the battlefield, and GO!

Just like starfighter pilots, players plan and perform maneuvers simultaneously, making gameplay insanely fast.  Thinking one layer deeper than your opponent is the key to finding an angle of attack.

Once you've lined up a shot, a unique combat system combines range, attack vector, pilot accuracy, and weapon firepower into attack rolls that use handfuls of dice - like the dreaded vulcan cannon, which rolls TWELVE dice for every attack!  But stay frosty, because your target has a chance to evade plus energy shields and hull armor to punch through!

Mission objectives range from: control resource-rich terrain hexes, protect secret VIP (Very Important Pilots), to simple out-and-out deathmatch (and more!).  To fulfil these objectives you'll have to strategically prioritize which ship systems need your precious energy: weapons, shields, or boosters.  Most of the time screaming ahead, guns ablaze won't win the battle - but sometimes it will!

Thank you to Banzainator for playing Star Squadron!

And check out the Good Time Society stream, which features Star Squadron!

(Star Squadron starts around 14:24.)

Thank you to Ruel from Rahdo Runs Through for the gameplay! 

Star Squadron's tactical play experience is instantly enjoyable: elegant rules are learned in minutes, yet deep enough to stay fresh for hundreds of dogfights.  Mix up each game with various plug-and-play options: treacherous terrain tiles, specialized pilot skills, exotic energy weapons, varying ship classes, engaging tactical objectives, and a multitude of game modes. 

Download the draft rulebook here.

Each Battle Box is a complete gameplay experience - NOT a "starter set" that is incomplete without expansions.  Multiple Battle Boxes can be combined to expand your options even more - more customization options, more factions to choose from, and more possible players!  Each box contains enough for two squadrons, so with two Battle Boxes, you can play with four players, and with three you could play with six!

This is the board game for gamers who want a deep, replayable tactics battle game, but don’t want to endlessly collect incremental expansions, navigate overly complex and confusing rules, or play matches that last a whole afternoon.  Star Squadron's component options are complete, its rules are tight and elegant, and its gameplay is lightning-quick.

While the gameplay is bursting with familiar sci-fi tropes, like managing multiple energy systems, performing zero-gravity banking turns, and dodging heat-seeking plasma missiles, the world of Star Squadron is anything but cliche.  This is a world where skirmishing over the ultimate resource is slowly dragging the entire galaxy into a bleak, unending, and total war.  Evil nanotech cyber-liches battle against energy-crystal-worshipping paladins while stratocratic federation pilots sortie against psyche-bonded bioship/pilot pairs.  It is dark, it is weird, and it is beautiful.

What’s Inside?

Each box contains everything you need to assemble a squad, customize their ships, and scramble against the other team:

• 6 detailed starfighter minis with stands.
• Heavy duty ship boards hold cards, track energy, and mark HP.
• Unique art and lore for every pilot, ship, faction, and map.
• 12 dice for truly epic attack rolls.
• Multiple mission scenarios and terrain types for infinite replayability.

This is not a starter set - this is a complete head-to-head experience!

Concept Art

The Artist: Luca Moos

For Star Squadron, I designed four distinct civilizations, shaping their pilots, spacecraft, and environments as cohesive visual systems.

Each faction was built from a clear internal logic: cultural values, technology, and environment. These principles directly informed shape language, color palettes, materials, and overall form.

The focus wasn’t just on visual differentiation, but on creating systems that scale. Every element follows the same underlying rules, making each faction instantly recognizable and allowing new assets to be developed consistently.

By translating abstract ideas like ideology or habitat into concrete design decisions, I created factions that don’t just look different, but feel grounded and believable, from individual pilots to entire cities.

Rewards

For any retailers interested in backing Star Squadron, we have a Google Form for you to fill out!

Please also note, all shipping will be managed via a pledge manager after the campaign! 

Estimated US shipping: about $10-12 for a single Battle Box, and around $15 for both boxes together, since they ship in one parcel. The second box only adds a few dollars. Exact rates for every region will be published before the pledge manager opens.

Add-Ons

As an addition to the core battle box of both Eisenkiesel vs Vermarine, and Citrine vs Amethyst, we are offering you the option to expand your fleet with an extra set of the miniatures!  

($25) Six minis for Battle Box: Eisenkiesel vs Vermarine, or six minis for Battle Box: Citrine vs Amethyst. Pick and choose, or mix and match!

($25) Our last add-on is one copy of Dungeon Brawler, a dungeon crawler meets old school beat 'em up, in a fast paced co-op card game for 1 - 4 players, Patrick's original Kickstarter which started it all!

The Team

Hypercube Games is Patrick Petersen, a San Francisco Bay Area game designer (and board game lover).  This will be Hypercube's second board game, after a successful Kickstarter launch of his first game, Dungeon Brawler.  

Luca Moos is an artist and graphic designer from Berlin, Germany.

Why Kickstarter?

Kickstarter will allow us to finish the game on our terms and in our time.  Crowdfunding gives creators like us the opportunity to reach out to the community for help rather than relying on a publisher to help finance the project.  Our goal is to deliver a game we’re proud of, and with your help, we will be able to achieve that dream.