Invasion of the Air-eaters

About this board game

Invasion of the Air-eaters is a two-player alien invasion game, released in 1979, with an approximately 90-minute playing time. Set in 1983, it portrays an alien generation ship invading Earth with advanced weapons and machines designed to remake the planet for its survivors.

The invaders deploy Crawlers, Production Bases, and Atmospheric Converters from their mother ship. As the atmosphere deteriorates, humanity must protect its industry and resources while improving its almost useless armies and sub fleets through crash research and development.

Players face a desperate global conflict in which the world’s nations must fight as one. The human side must survive the invasion, produce new weapons, and learn how to reconvert the air before the planet becomes uninhabitable.

• Alien invasion setting focused on atmospheric transformation
• Research and development to improve human forces
• Industry and resources that must be protected
• Optional solitaire play using a pre-planned alien assault
• Advanced rules covering oil, repairs, nuclear attacks, and air forces

Although designed for two players, Invasion of the Air-eaters also supports multiplayer games in which each player controls a national grouping. The advanced rules add further concepts, while supplementary material published in The Space Gamer #23 introduced new rules and additional multiplayer options.

For players seeking more of this conflict, the game has a sequel, The Air-Eaters Strike Back! The result is a compact science-fiction struggle centered on cooperation, wartime production, technological improvement, and the fight to keep humanity breathing.