The Merchant War is the first supplement for Iron Stars. Here, you will find much to expand upon the basic Iron Stars game, including:
* A detailed history of the Merchant War of 1908-1909 between the United Kingdom and Austria-Hungary;
* The introduction of fast attack craft and His Majesty's Space Station Celestial Queen;
* One dozen new ship designs, including the German Äthermarine and Austro-Hungarian Sternmarine;
* Six new scenarios covering actions of the Merchant War;
* More information about Martians by the best-known chronicler of the Invasion, H. G. Wells;
* Additional rules for combat, including crew casualties and searchlights;
* New special equipment, such as machine guns and poison gas;
* Errata for the original Iron Stars rulebook; and
* Rules for including freighters and Q-ships in your games.
In addition, The Merchant War includes counters for the ships involved in the scenarios provided and an additional mine template.