Introducing StarCraft: Tabletop Miniatures Game

Once a titan of esports and a defining name in real-time strategy, StarCraft has gradually slipped from the spotlight. Ever since Legacy of the Void brought the saga to its conclusion in 2015, we fans have spent just over a decade waiting for more content. But when Blizzard announced the end of development support in 2020, things seemed bleak for the future of the Koprulu Sector.

For many of us who played during the franchise’s twilight years, the days of StarCraft must seem long gone. Although there have been fond memories of replaying the campaign, clearing weekly mutations, prestiging commanders in co-op, and queuing up for multiplayer matches in a dwindling pool of players, even a game as beloved as StarCraft can only hold our attention for so long. Without something new to sink our teeth into, we were fated to move on to other games, other hobbies, and other things demanding our time, leaving the past behind.

But at long last, StarCraft is back. With a trailer for an upcoming shooter revealed at this year’s Blizzcon, and the release of the StarCraft: Tabletop Miniatures Game, the franchise is finally showing signs of life again. Although we may still be a few years away from seeing it on our screens, there’s finally something fresh on the horizon.

And hell, it’s about time.

What Is the StarCraft: Tabletop Miniatures Game?

Tabletop wargaming is heavily saturated by big names: Warhammer 40k, Battletech, Bolt Action, Kill Team — these games already have dedicated followings. It takes a brave soul to step into the ring and try to compete with veritable giants, but a new contender is rising to the challenge.

The StarCraft: Tabletop Miniatures Game (TMG) will see you putting your mouse and keyboard away in favour of dice and measuring tape. Developed by Archon Studio in partnership with Blizzard Entertainment, this tabletop wargame brings the everlasting conflict between the Terrans, Zerg, and Protoss to the tabletop, letting players command their favourite factions in tactical battles of their own.

What Stands Out About StarCraft: TMG’s Gameplay?

A familiar universe and a roster of iconic miniatures might be enough to catch our attention, but gameplay is what keeps us coming back for the long haul. Getting into a new wargame means investing hours into learning its rules, building armies, and mastering its intricacies, so it needs to offer more than just a recognisable name. Fortunately, StarCraft: TMG has plenty of merit on its own.

The Feel of StarCraft

StarCraft is built around gathering resources, expanding your army, and making split-second decisions. You can't replicate all of that on a tabletop, particularly the mineral-gathering and economy phase. But StarCraft: TMG makes a concerted effort to translate overarching RTS systems into mechanics that work around the table. A match is meant to resemble a snapshot of the battlefield: one critical skirmish in the midst of a much larger conflict, much like the limited portion of the battlefield visible through your in-game camera.

Players take turns to activate units, creating a back-and-forth exchange that’s reminiscent of micro’ing your Marines with a stutter-step, or trying to land a Psionic Storm in the thickest point of your enemy’s ranks. Neither party is out of the game for long, and there’s always a need for active interaction. Even passing the turn can be a tactical decision. At certain points of the game, you can give up the chance to move or attack with your remaining units in exchange for acting first in the next phase, much like redirecting your micro to a part of the battlefield your opponent has left exposed.

Army construction is another part of the RTS experience that has to be adapted for the tabletop. Rather than building structures and training units in real time, players assemble their forces around a resource limit defined by Minerals and Vespene Gas. These points are spent on recruiting units, purchasing upgrades, and investing in building and tactical cards, forcing players to make choices about how to spend their limited budget before the battle begins.

Then there's Supply, an unmistakable part of StarCraft. Whether you ran out of supply depots, needed to spawn more overlords, or had to construct additional pylons, every player has heard these iconic lines nagging in their ears before. In StarCraft: TMG, Supply governs how much of your army can be deployed at once, with reinforcements arriving in waves as the battle progresses. As the rounds progress, your available Supply increases, allowing you to replace the growing casualties on your list. This creates a constant tension between committing forces in the present and keeping others in reserve, capturing the army building momentum without trying to reproduce a real-time RTS economy.

These systems go a long way towards capturing the rhythm of a StarCraft battle, but the experience wouldn't feel complete if the units themselves didn’t live up to their counterparts on the screen. Fortunately, StarCraft: TMG does them justice, both in look and feel.

Familiar Faction Identity

One of the biggest challenges of adapting StarCraft into a tabletop wargame is making its three factions feel as distinct on the table as they do on screen. It’s not enough for the Terrans, Zerg, and Protoss to look different; their rules need to reflect what we’ve come to expect from them. Thankfully, StarCraft: TMG does a solid job of capturing some of each faction’s most iconic abilities.

The Zerg, for example, can set Creep tumours down on the battlefield through numerous means. Units within a certain radius of these Creep markers gain a status effect that lets them activate special abilities. Zerg can also burrow in order to avoid damage, becoming harder to detect while they’re beneath the surface, and each unit comes with a cute little burrowed token to reflect this. Similarly, the Protoss have a Shield stat that has to be exhausted before they can start taking casualties, and plenty of specific abilities rely on psionic points. The Terrans, sadly, don’t have any flying buildings for now. Instead, they come with a greater slew of tactical options and activated abilities.

The individual units are just as recognisable. Familiar strengths and weaknesses carry over into the rules, giving players a good idea of what each unit brings to the battlefield and how it can support the rest of their army. Here are a few examples:

• Marines have Stimpacks, allowing them to damage themselves for a movement speed boost and improved attacks
• Marauders deal extra damage to armored targets, and the same goes for other anti-X capabilities, with bonuses against Light, Armored, and Biological targets existing across various units
• Raptor strain Zerglings can leap up cliffs and move through impassable terrain
• Zealots keep their iconic charge, zipping across far greater distances to engage enemies
• Stalkers can teleport short distances, easily moving out of engagement or up cliffs
• Sentries can create entire blockades, stopping models from closing in by placing down gigantic physical tokens
• Pylons and Nydus worms can be used to instantly deploy units around themselves

Hero units like Raynor, Kerrigan, and Artanis are a little harder to pin down, given how much their abilities can vary between the campaign and co-op modes. Since they’re arguably less consistent, StarCraft: TMG has the opportunity to really mix things up and let heroic units have their own truly unique playstyles.

Less Granularity and Frustration

Movement and visibility mechanics have also been designed to keep the game running. Unlike some other wargames, StarCraft: TMG cuts down on fiddly model-by-model measurements and awkward sightline debates.

Moving your units is a simple affair, and all line of sight is determined solely from the base of a model. Similarly, cover is determined by comparing a unit’s pre-defined size to the size trait of each terrain piece. This means that a pack of Zerglings will have an easier time hiding behind ruins, while a hulking Marauder will have to find larger shelter.

This also results in less time arguing over whether a miniature can squeeze around a corner or draw a bead on the enemy, and more time playing the game. Many of StarCraft: TMG’s rules are intuitive, and following your gut feeling on a ruling often proves to be the right choice. For anyone who has ever had to sift through multiple scattered books, FAQs, and rule commentaries in the middle of a heated dispute, this simplicity is surely a welcome change.

Through these priorities and design elements, StarCraft: TMG adapts the essence of StarCraft for the tabletop while keeping things very much recognisable and familiar to longtime fans. And of course, bringing these characters and their armies to life wouldn't be possible without high-quality models.

What Are the Miniatures Like?

StarCraft: TMG has some serious competition when it comes to their miniatures. The elephant in the room here is Games Workshop and Warhammer 40k. Any aspiring wargame will ALWAYS be compared to the industry’s best-known models, and to hobbyists, the key question remains the same: Are the miniatures good enough?

We certainly think so. And if you’ve made it this far into the article, you’ve definitely scrolled past closeups of all three factions and seen the proof by now. Archon Studio has put immense effort into bringing these designs to life, from the sculpting and detailing to the manufacturing process itself. Models have sharp casting, defined details, and minimal mould lines, making them comparable in quality to Warhammer miniatures.

Not only is StarCraft: TMG a labour of love by Archon Studio, but the series itself is a major source of inspiration for the company. The Studio’s name comes from the Protoss Archon, as the founders have been long-time fans of the series. That very name has always reflected the business's end goal: to produce a StarCraft tabletop game.

To this end, Archon Studio has invested in plastic manufacturing and moulding technology, with the ambition of one day doing the Archon itself justice. Many of the miniatures come with translucent plastic parts, used for special effects like energy shields, acid blasts, explosions, and wings, though the Archon itself is still on the way. This type of plastic is a first for mass-scale miniature wargaming, and it’s a particularly fitting choice for StarCraft, where energy shields, psionic powers, and cloaking are such an integral part of the universe.

For hobbyists, this kind of success story is hard to overlook. There's something heartwarming about seeing a studio pour so much time, money, and technical effort into getting a miniature just right, especially when there’s such a personal love for the project. Archon Studio has pushed their manufacturing capabilities to do justice to a game that clearly means a great deal to them, and that kind of obsessive commitment to detail is something any artist and painter can appreciate.

Report to the Frontlines at HammerHouse

If this article has brought back memories of your time in the Koprulu Sector, perhaps it's time to take up arms once more. The StarCraft: Tabletop Miniatures Game offers a new way to revisit a universe we've spent years exploring, with familiar units, distinct faction mechanics, and plenty of room to customise your own forces.

StarCraft: TMG is now available at HammerHouse, with several waves of releases ready for deployment. From the two-player starter set to individual faction starter boxes, players can begin assembling their forces and take their first steps onto the battlefield.

And this is only the beginning. With Wave 3 bringing veterans of the Brood War like the Defiler into the mix, StarCraft: TMG is already reaching beyond the units many of us remember from StarCraft II. Who knows what surprising faces we’ll see next? More classic units like the Valkyrie? Niche characters from the campaign, like Tosk and Niadra? Maybe even some co-op commanders like Stukov?

For now, there's a whole new battlefield waiting to be explored here at HammerHouse. Keep an eye on our online store for new arrivals, and follow us on social media for updates as the war continues to rage on. Good luck out there, Commander.