Star Fleet Battles (Designer’s Edition)

About this board game

Star Fleet Battles Designer’s Edition is a two-player game released in 1979, with an approximately 180-minute playing time. It is the second version of the Star Fleet Battles series, expanding and enhancing the original pocket game.

The Designer’s Edition presents a broader game system with components for seven fleets and a range of additional space-game elements. Its large hex map provides the play area, while charts and ship displays support the detailed rules and scenarios represented by the included pieces.

• 216 full-color, die-cut counters
• Ships from seven fleets
• Freighters, outpost stations, starbases, asteroids, planets, and monsters
• A large hex map, charts, and ship displays

Compared with the original Star Fleet Battles Pocket Game, this edition reorganizes the rules into a Basic Game and an Advanced Game. Many of the earlier optional advanced rules were rewritten into the Advanced Game, while additional ships and counters were added for the expanded system.

The Designer’s Edition also included the first expansions in the Star Fleet Battles series and had three pocket game expansions. This makes it a substantial development of the original zip-lock bag edition, bringing more fleets, units, and play options together in one release.

There were two editions of Star Fleet Battles Designer’s Edition. The second edition used a different box cover—the same cover art as Star Fleet Battles Commander’s Edition Volume I—and featured a larger rulebook. The game re-implements Star Fleet Battles and was later re-implemented by Star Fleet Battles Commander’s Edition and Star Fleet Battles Captain’s Edition.