Starfleet Encounter

Starfleet Encounter is a 2–8 player space-themed strategy game for the BBC Micro.

Each player takes the role of supreme leader of a race of space-faring people. The galaxy is divided into eight star systems, each mapped to a 26 x 16 grid containing five planets. Each race has a single mothership that is responsible for all new spaceship construction. The mothership can be damaged and repaired but, if destroyed, that race is eliminated. Each turn is timed, and players can make as many moves as possible during the allotted period.

Each player can create up to eight separate fleets of freighters, scouts, and cruisers. Cruisers are expensive powerful battle ships, freighters allow mining of resources from planets, and scouts allow prospecting of distant areas. Planets can be mined for fossil fuels, radioactive isotopes, and rare metals, which are brought back to the mothership to allow for construction of new ships. As ships move through space they can encounter meteor storms damaging the vessels, or black holes which throw the fleet randomly through the galaxy.

When two or three fleets of opposing races occupy the same sector combat can occur. The aggressor vessel can try to retreat at any time, but may occur more damage by doing so.