StarCraft TMG — Quick-Start Guide for New Commanders

STARCRAFT TMG NEW PLAYERS

Your First Game Starts Here

Everything you need to get on the table
Hey Commanders! Whether you just picked up the StarCraft: Tabletop Miniature Game box in our store or you're still on the fence about taking the plunge, this guide is for you. We want you playing your first game with confidence—no 40-page rulebook required.
StarCraft: Tabletop Miniature Game is a competitive miniatures wargame that brings the iconic video game to your tabletop. You build an army of Terran, Zerg, or Protoss miniatures; wage war across a themed battlefield; and score victory points by controlling objectives and eliminating your opponent's forces. Rounds are fast, battles are reactive, and no two games play the same.

Already play Warhammer 40K? StarCraft TMG will feel familiar — but the alternating activation system and escalating deployment make it its own beast. Stick around for those.

Pick Your Faction

Every army belongs to one of three iconic races. They are genuinely asymmetric — each plays differently on the table, just like in the video game.

🟦 Terran

Disciplined, heavily armored, and packed with tech upgrades.
Units: Marines, Marauders, Medics, Goliaths, Jim Raynor, and more.
Playstyle: Mid-range firepower with strong defensive abilities. Stim packs, concussive shells, and medic healing reward deliberate, methodical play. Great starting faction for new players.

🟥 Zerg

Overwhelming numbers, brutal charges, and the ever-spreading creep.
Units: Zerglings, Roaches, Hydralisks, Queens, and more.
Playstyle: Aggressive and adaptive. Swarm your opponent, power up on Creep, and use Burrow to strike from unexpected angles. Rewards bold, forward play.

🟨 Protoss

Elite warriors with psionic shields and battlefield-altering abilities.
Units: Zealots, Stalkers, Sentries, Adept, Artanis and pylon and more.
Playstyle: Small, expensive units with powerful abilities. Shields provide a second layer of protection. Rewards careful positioning and ability timing.

Click here to buy Protoss Starter Set Founders Edition. En Taro Tassadar, Hierarch! This set provides you with everything you need to build your first army of fearless Protoss warriors.

Building Your Army

Before the first miniature hits the table, you build your army list using two resources:

• Minerals — used to purchase units.
• Vespene Gas — used to purchase Tactical Cards (special faction abilities and upgrades).

The Engagement Scale sets how many resources you have to spend. A standard matched game runs around 1,000 minerals. A quick learning game might use 500.
Each unit has a Supply value that determines how much battlefield presence it occupies. You deploy units in waves each round—you can't bring everything at once. This escalation is a core part of the game's rhythm.
Your Army List Includes:

• Units — the miniatures you'll field.
• Upgrades — optional enhancements (e.g., Stim Packs for Marines, Shredding Claws for Zerglings).
• Tactical Cards — special ability and tech cards (e.g., Barracks, Roach Warren, Twilight Council).
• A Faction Card—defines your army's identity and unlocks faction-specific abilities.

How a Game Flows

StarCraft TMG in action at Spiel Essen 2025—your table will look like this soon
A game is played over a series of rounds, each divided into 4 phases. Both players alternate activating units — you never just sit and watch while your opponent plays out their full turn.

The game ends after a set number of rounds (typically 4–5 depending on the mission). Most victory points win.

The Activation System (This Is the Key Bit)

Unlike games where one player completes their full turn before the other acts, StarCraft TMG uses alternating activations. Within each phase, players take turns activating one unit at a time.
The player with the first player marker activates a unit and resolves its action, and then the other player activates a unit back and forth until both have activated everything or passed.
This keeps both players constantly engaged. When to activate a unit — and when to force your opponent to move first — is one of the most interesting decisions in the game.

Pro Tip: The First Player Marker The First Player Marker passes to whoever passes first within a Phase. Passing is a strategic choice, not just "I have nothing to do."

Deployment & Escalation

You don't start with your whole army on the table. Units begin in Reserves and are deployed during the Movement Phase using available supplies.
Each round, available supply increases—meaning more units can join the battle as the game progresses. This creates natural escalation: early rounds are about positioning and skirmishes; later rounds are all-out war.

• Round 1: Limited supply. Pick your opening units carefully.
• Round 2+: More supply unlocks each round. Reinforce with fresh troops.
• Some units have special deployment abilities—like Zerg Burrow Ambush—that place them in unexpected positions.

Dice & Combat: How Fighting Works

All rolls use standard D6 dice. The game uses target numbers—roll equal to or above the number to succeed. A natural 6 always succeeds; a natural 1 always fails, no matter what.

A Ranged Attack, Step by Step:

1. Check Line of Sight — can your unit see the target? Terrain blocks shots.
2. Check Range — is the target within your weapon's range?
3. Hit Roll — roll dice equal to your weapon's Rate of Attack (RoA). Each die meeting the Hit value counts as a hit.
4. Armour Roll (defender)—the defender rolls their Armour stat to block each hit.
5. Evade Roll — engaged (melee) units also get an Evade roll after Armour.
6. Damage—each unsaved hit deals damage equal to the weapon's damage value. Remove models when their HP is exceeded.

What Are Surge Dice? Certain weapons roll an extra die (the Surge Die) against specific target types — Armoured, Biological, etc. Surge hits bypass Armour entirely and go straight to the Damage Pool. Matching the right weapon to the right target makes a huge difference.

Modifiers: A +1 modifier lowers the target number (easier). A -1 modifier raises it (harder). Target numbers cap at 2+ and 6+.

Line of Sight & Cover

Line of Sight (LoS) is checked from the attacking unit's leading model to any model in the target unit.

• Cover—terrain partially blocking LoS grants the defender a bonus to Armour rolls (typically +1).
• Hidden—terrain fully blocking LoS means that the model can't be targeted at all.
• High Ground — units on elevated terrain have a cover advantage over units below.

How to Win

Victory Points (VPs) are earned two ways:

• Controlling Mission Markers—Have more supply value near an objective than your opponent to control it. Each controlled marker scores VPs at the end of a round.
• Reducing Enemy Supply — When you destroy enough models in a unit that its supply value drops, you score a VP. Attrition pays off, not just objective camping.

Round 1 Note Mission Markers don't score VPs in Round 1. Use the first round for positioning and early skirmishes. Points flow from Round 2 onward.

Special Abilities: Your Toolkit

• Active Abilities — deliberate choices during your activation (e.g., Stim Pack, Spawn Creep Tumor). Each is usable once per round unless marked REPEATABLE.
• Passive Abilities — always in effect, no decision needed.
• Reaction Abilities — triggered by a specific event like an incoming charge (e.g., Marauder's Concussive Shells). One Reaction per Activation.

Card Rules Beat Book Rules Rules on a Unit Card or Tactical Card always override the general rulebook. If your card says something different, the card wins.

Tips for Your First Game

• Read your unit cards before the game, not during. Knowing your abilities transforms decision-making.
• Pre-measure freely. You can measure any distance at any time—know your ranges before committing.
• Don't rush into melee unless you mean it. Charges are commitments. Engaged units have limited options.
• Use terrain. Cover bonuses are significant. A wall between your key unit and their guns can swing the game.
• Think supply, not just HP. Reducing enemy supply scores you VPs. One expensive kill can be worth several cheap ones.
• The First Player Marker is a resource. Passing first to grab initiative next phase is often the right play.

Quick Round Reference

Stay Up to Date StarCraft TMG receives active balance updates. The June 2026 patch rebalanced Zerglings, Stalkers, and Marauders, and added the new Siege Mode status and Morph keyword. Always check our website for the latest rules, FAQs, and announcements before organized play.

Good luck, Commander. The Koprulu Sector awaits.