Iron Stars

Queen Victoria died in January, marking a literal and symbolic end to the ''Victorian'' era. Two new powers — the United States and Japan — were entering the world stage, even as many in the old guard began to creak under the weight of their own might. Communism, in the person of Vladimir Ilych Lenin, had begun to rear its head in Czarist Russia. Technology and the industrial revolution were changing everything, including the weapons of war. And while the ''Boxer Rebellion'' in China was easily quashed, the incident demonstrated growing resentment of European dominance.

It was into this powder keg that the first Martian cinder fell, in a Surrey field during the spring of 1901.

Starmada: Iron Stars reveals a world in crisis. Recovery from the Martian Invasion is slow, and its effects will be felt for decades to come. Hopes that the extraterrestrial threat would result in a new spirit of cooperation and coexistence have been quickly dashed, with the Great Powers scrambling to take advantage of technological tidbits left behind by the invaders. While recent conflicts have been thankfully limited in scope, it seems only a matter of time before Humanity is engulfed in a new conflagration — this one of its own making.

This supplement is a unique ''crossover'' project, combining two of our most popular gaming systems. The intent is to introduce fans of the Iron Stars universe to the Universal Game of Starship Combat, while at the same time exposing those Starmada players who may have been reluctant to jump into a different environment a glimpse at an alternate Earth in which the Martian Invasion really happened.

Outside of the thrills of Edwardian space combat, there is plenty in these pages to expand any Starmada setting, including new options like:

• Faceted shielding
  
• Crew-killer weapons
  
• Etheric movement
  
• Critical damage
  
• And more!

Starmada: Iron Stars is not a stand-alone product; ownership of the Starmada Admiralty Edition Core Rulebook is required.