Stargrunt II: Science Fiction Combat Rules

Stargrunt II is a comprehensive, setting-agnostic science-fiction tabletop miniatures wargame. Originally released in 1996, it focuses heavily on platoon-level infantry combat where leadership, morale, and realistic squad tactics dictate victory rather than raw firepower. The rulebook is currently available as a free digital download directly from Ground Zero Games.

Core Gameplay & Scale

Scale Flexibility: Designed primarily for 15mm to 25mm scale miniatures.
Operational Scope: Simulates skirmishes scaling from a few squads up to full company-level engagements.
Combined Arms: Features integrated rules for regular infantry, power-armoured troops, Armoured Fighting Vehicles (AFVs), off-board artillery, and aerospace air support.
Setting Generic: Contains no rigid built-in lore; players can adapt the engine to emulate universes like Traveller, Starship Troopers, or custom sci-fi military backgrounds.

Key Mechanics

The FMA System: Uses the “Full Metal Anorak” engine. It relies on opposed dice rolls where different unit qualities are assigned different polyhedral dice sizes (e.g., d6 for raw recruits, d10 or d12 for elite forces) instead of static stat blocks.
Command & Control: Utilizes a highly flexible alternating activation loop. Superior officers can issue radio orders down the chain of command, allowing a single activation to trigger consecutive actions across multiple subordinate squads.
Morale over Meatgrinders: Troops rarely stand in the open trading lethal shots. Suppression, pinned states, and unit motivation are central. Combat results often force morale checks (ranging from Confident to Routed) that degrade a squad’s tactical combat efficiency.
Scenario-Driven (No Point Values): Intentionally features absolutely no point-buy system. Matches rely entirely on custom scenario creation, objective balancing, and asymmetric forces.