How to Use the Components
To play a STAR FRONTIERS game you need these rules, two 10-sided dice, the map and counters included with the game, pencils, paper, a place to play, and your imagination.
Counter Facing. Players can use the counters to indicate which direction a character, creature or robot is looking. The top of the picture on the counter indicates which side is the character's front. Players can imagine the character standing upright on the counter, facing toward the top of the counter.
A character can see anything that is not behind him. He can attack anything that is in front of him, and can defend himself from any attack that comes from the front or the side.
Maps. Seven small maps showing different types of terrain are printed on the back of the Port Loren map. These were drawn for the Crash on Volturnus adventure, but they can be used in any adventure calling for that type of terrain.
Map Scales. In the Basic Game, distances were stated in terms of squares on the map of Port Loren. In the Expanded Game, distances are measured in meters. This makes it easy to play the game on maps with different scales. A referee could map the inside of a building using a map scale of 2 meters per square, map a city using a scale of 5 meters per square, and map the area around the city using a scale of 25 meters per square.
If the size of a map square does not divide evenly into a character's movement rate, counters can be placed on the lines between squares.
Players can draw maps with much larger scales, showing entire continents or even planets. These types of maps are used when characters must travel a long distance. The planetary map from Crash on Volturnus is this type of map.
Playing Without a Map. STAR FRONTIERS combats can be played on a table top, without using maps. Pieces of paper or other items can be used to show furniture, doors and other obstacles. Another possibility is to play on a sheet of plastic, using wash-away markers to draw obstacles on the plastic. Distances can be measured with a ruler; 1 inch should equal 5 meters.
Miniatures. Instead of using counters, players can use small metal or plastic figures painted to look like their characters. These can be purchased in many toy and hobby stores.
Imagination. After they are familiar with the game, players may decide it is easier to play simple fights without the maps and counters. The referee simply keeps track of ranges and obstacles in his head, and lets the players picture the situation in their imaginations. Besides being a lot of fun, this eliminates the need to draw a map for everything.
Dice. Some rules in the Expanded Game use a 5-sided die (abbreviated 1 d5) to roll a number from 1 to 5. When a d5 roll is called for, the player should roll 1 d10 and divide the result by 2, rounding fractions up. For example, a 6 becomes a 3 and a 7 becomes a 4.