Introduction and History of Starfire
STARFIRE started as a pocket box game created by Steve Cole in 1976 and first published by Task Force Games in 1979. STARFIRE was designed as a fast-paced game of fleet-level starship combat with an easy-to-use starship design system and simple system for technological progression. In 1980 Task Force Games worked with David Weber to create and release a supplemental expansion that added strategic rules, "empire building", and galactic conquest to the STARFIRE system.
STARFIRE has a uniquely simple system for building and handling starships: each starship is represented by a row of letters, with each letter representing a weapon, defense, or other system. STARFIRE adds interstellar travel between the stars through natural "wormholes" (called "Warp Points") that exist in most star systems. In fact, no "strictly" Faster-Than-Light (FTL) propulsion technologies exist in any edition of the STARFIRE system.
STARFIRE includes not only tactical and strategic levels of play, but there is an operational layer at the scale of a star system. Using the operational scale, starships move around the star system to detect enemy ships and bases and then attempt to maneuver and engage in combat to their advantage. This added "Fog Of War" makes the operational layer maneuver hugely important to how tactical battles play out – and often who wins.
STARFIRE NOVELS by David Weber and Steve White
The official history of CLASSIC STARFIRE is based on the writings of David Weber and Steve White: Crusade, In Death Ground, and The Shiva Option, Insurrection. The STARFIRE novels are published by Baen Books.
STARFIRE NOVELS by Steve White, Shirley Meier, and Charles Gannon
In 2007 Steve White and Shirley Meier continued the STARFIRE novels in the CLASSIC STARFIRE history with Exodus, the story of the Arduan empire's exodus from their home star-gone-nova, arriving at the doorstep of the Pan-Sentient Union expecting to colonize new worlds. Instead they discover that the worlds are already occupied by the Terran Federation, whom they considered no more than advanced animals. In 2011 Steve White and Charles Gannon continued the series with Extremis, Imperative, and Oblivion, which continue the Arduan story arc with additional exodus fleets arriving in Pan-Sentient Union space with a different agenda.
Author Bios
David Weber is a long-time author of military, science fiction, fantasy, and alternative history books...with his name on more than 80 books. He is best known for his Honor Harrington series, the Safehold series, and the original Starfire series of novels. You can read more about David Weber on his website at www.davidweber.net. Be sure to check out the library of books he has on his site!
Steve White was a long-time author of STARFIRE novels, having co-written the original Starfire series of novels with David Weber. He has an extensive list of works including The Disinherited, Debt of Ages, and Prince of the Sunset.
Shirley Meier is a Canadian science fiction and fantasy author. You can read more about her at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shirley_Meier
Dr. Charles Gannon is the newest author to the STARFIRE universe, but has an extensive writing background and has written for Traveler, 2300 AD, and other gaming systems. A professor of American Literature at St. Bonaventure University, he has also written several academic publications. You can find out more about Dr. Gannon at his website, www.charlesegannon.com, and about his involvement in the STARFIRE universe at his Starfire World Page. More recently Dr. Gannon has written numerous books in his own Tales of the Terran Republic series, where Earth finds itself in first contact with a Concordium of advanced alien species all closer to Earth than expected.