History Main / BoardingParty

* ''Pirates Constructible Strategy Game''; boarding is a free action conducted after a ship has [[RammingAlwaysWorks rammed]] an enemy ship during a move action. Players roll off and add the result to the number of masts still remaining on their ship- winner either steals a treasure from the loser or kills one of their crew. Some ships and crew can board enemies from range rather than having to ram, and others have additional abilities that allow them to damage the ship further or [[LeaveNoSurvivors massacre the entire crew compliment]] instead of killing just one.

%%** ''TabletopGame/SpaceHulk'' and its VideoGame derivatives (including ''Space Marine'') are all about this trope.

* In the third book of the ''Literature/{{Namelesswar}}'' series the cruiser Phantom launches a boarding party against a Nameless space station, with the boarders using portable airlocks to cut through the hull without depressurizing the entire station.

* Part of a main mission in ''VideoGame/MassEffect2''. A particularly interesting case, as the ship in question is not only huge, it's [[spoiler:supposedly, but not really]] disabled, and just so happens to be [[spoiler:the very same ship that killed you and your ship in the beginning of the game, two years ago (and is the ship you encountered on Horizon)]] as you find out during the mission. A few side missions also feature this, but the ship in question is almost always disabled or derelict; the ''MSV Broken Arrow'' is probably the best example here, given that the reason you are boarding is to kill the last set of boarders and reactivate the engine before it crashes into a major population centre on the world it's orbiting.
** In a side quest you board a ship called the ''Strontium Mule'' and fight through multiple decks to liberate it from the Blue Suns, who’ve previously boarded and captured it. As you fight through, you find evidence of horrific torture inflicted on the crew by the Blue Suns. Later, your opponents even [[CavalryBetrayal refuse to reinforce each other]] [[NoHonorAmongThieves so they can keep the loot for themselves]], allowing you to DivideAndConquer them.
** Late in the game, [[spoiler:The ''Normandy'' is boarded by the Collectors while Shepard is away.]]
* In ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'', Shepard and co. storm an enormous geth dreadnought to disable a mysterious Reaper "control signal" that's coordinating the whole fleet. Combat is very much a hectic matter in a series of long corridors, while trying to reach the signal and not get boxed in by the vast numerical superiority of the geth. In one case, in order to escape a lockdown, the team runs down the maintenance walkways of the main gun, and briefly ''across'' the firing rails (if you're too slow, you get [[ThrownOutTheAirlock shot into space]]). Also, the fleet battle is very much ongoing, and as the mission progresses, your allies [[UnfriendlyFire start coordinating fire on the ship]] over your obvious objections. If you like, Shepard can be diplomatic about this, or slug Admiral Gerrel in the stomach.
** The [[OffscreenMomentOfAwesome Miracle of Palaven]] in ''3'' consists of krogan and turian troops boarding [[EldritchStarship Reapers]] to place nuclear weapons, then [[HeroicSacrifice setting them off in person]] to avoid [[MoreThanMindControl indoctrination]].
* In ''VideoGame/MassEffectAndromeda'' Ryder and the Pathfinder team get to board multiple ships to reclaim them. You board and reclaim the asari and salarian ark ships from Kett boarders. In the process of rescuing the salarian ark, you board a Kett flagship and purloin a crucial artifact. You board the turian ark too, but this ends up being an easy milk run of a mission.
* Ships and stations can be boarded in ''VideoGame/MasterOfOrion II'' through several means. Marines can be ordered to attempt to take over the ship or simply do as much damage as they can.\\
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The most common way is approaching a [[SittingDuck target with disabled engines]]. Ships equipped with transporters can beam marines if the facing shield is down. Assault shuttles can also be used to board a ship or a station, which have no mobility or shield requirements, but take time to get there and can be shot by point-defences like missiles.\\
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In either case, they may end up triggering the SelfDestructMechanism. Optimization for boarding is ''still'' a fairly powerful strategy, because capturing ships allows reverse-development of technologies required to build them. A successful raid on a smallest Antaran ship early on -- not that it was easy -- may be a near-GameBreaker.

* ''Film/NavySEALs'': The SEAL platoon swim out from a submarine and stealthily board a cargo ship, looking for a stolen cache of Stinger missiles. Turns out it was a false lead.

* Anime/CaptainHarlock also frequently harpooned enemy ships with cables that doubled as tunnels to allow for boarding parties - indeed, a {{Space Pirate|s}}'s way to fight.

In a nautical setting during the age of WoodenShipsAndIronMen, it's more a matter of swinging on ropes with a CutlassBetweenTheTeeth and a brace of muskets in your belt. In more modern settings a team of black ski-masked commandoes approaches the
ship in rubber dinghy and uses a rope ladder to get aboard. They are typically armed with submachine guns, as rifles would be unwieldy onboard the ship.

Sometimes the boarding is stealthy: A [[TheTrickster Trickster]] hero might use the fact that their opponent is distracted to slip abord the ship using an unusual access port while its in motion. Other times it's all about the direct approach: for example the Imperial Stormtroopers blasting their way into the Corellian Corvette at the start of ''[[Film/ANewHope Star Wars IV]]''. {{Tractor Beam}}s can be most helpful here to reel in a non-compliant spaceship.

Having {{Cool Ship}}s unleash technicolour BeamSpam against each other is all very well, but audiences can tire of such impersonal battles. Since in science fiction, SpaceIs AnOcean, anything from a nautical tale can be recycled in space. Additionally, there may be someone or something on that ship that has to be captured or rescued rather than [[StuffBlowingUp plasmafied]] with a [[MoreDakka huge bank of laser cannons]].

Going over to the other CoolStarship or CoolBoat in person, to capture the vessel, rescue (or capture) someone, retrieve a priceless {{MacGuffin}} or other cargo, or find a way to destroy it that's otherwise impossible in normal combat. Or just to kill everyone [[CloseRangeCombatant up-close-and-personal]] because it's a RampageOfRevenge.

Going over to the other CoolStarship or CoolBoat in person, to capture it, rescue someone, retrieve a {{MacGuffin}}, or find a way to destroy that's otherwise impossible in normal combat. Or just to kill everyone [[CloseRangeCombatant up-close-and-personal]].

Having {{Cool Ship}}s unleash technicolour BeamSpam against each other is all very well, but audiences can tire of such impersonal battles. Additionally, there may be someone or something on that ship that has to be captured or rescued rather than [[StuffBlowingUp plasmafied]].

Sometimes the boarding is stealthy: A [[TheTrickster Trickster]] hero might use the fact that their opponent is distracted to slip abord the ship while its in motion. Other times it's all about the direct approach: for example the Imperial Stormtroopers blasting their way into the Corellian Corvette at the start of ''[[Film/ANewHope Star Wars IV]]''. {{Tractor Beam}}s can be most helpful here to reel in a non-compliant spaceship.

Once aboard, combat can be oddly diffuse, a matter of stalking down deserted corridors and taking pot-shots around corners. Or it might be white-knuckled claustrophobic close combat.

* In ''LightNovel/BodaciousSpacePirates'', the ''Bentenmaru'' deploys boarding parties during the ship's usual 'raids' on cruise liners and on more serious jobs.