Colonial Space Wars (CSW) is a tactical game based on a futuristic universe of science fiction that recreates battles between two or more armies. Each army is composed of square game pieces measuring 1.2 x 1.2 inches which represent their units.
During the game, pieces move across a rectangular board divided into squares arranged in rows and columns. In a game of CSW, each player has a number of units in his army which is set depending on the faction they are playing. We call this set of units a “Combat Sword. Two basic Combat Swords (Union of Terra and Alpha Centauri Brotherhood) are available for an introductory game of CSW.
Game pieces represent the units, troops, and vehicles of a fighting force. The pieces have two sides, Front (Illustration and Health arrow) and Back (Name, Attributes and Skills). A player has some pieces with the skill Leader (X). While these pieces are on the board, they grant X command points at the beginning of each turn. Each side alternates turns, making one or more moves depending on the number of Command points available.
Each unit requires a number of command points to be used that turn; this is referred to as “Activating ” the unit. When all command points are spent, the opponent’s turn begins. Each unit, upon being activated, can move and act in any order. The possible actions are “Move”, “Embark/disembark”, “Attack” and “Use active skills”. A typical game is a Sudden Death match, where the winner is the player that eliminates the ir opponent’s ability to activate units.