History TabletopGame / StarGruntII

''Star Grunt II'' is a squad-scale science fiction infantry skirmish miniatures game produced by Ground Zero Games in the UK. Like its fellow GZG products ''TabletopGame/FullThrust'' and ''TabletopGame/DirtsideII'', it is designed to be generic enough to handle whatever minatures and settings the players happen to prefer, and the ruleset has been used for games ranging from UsefulNotes/WorldWarII to UsefulNotes/TheWarOnTerror and all points in between, along with a wide variety of science fiction universes. Also like other GZG titles, ''Star Grunt'' features fairly straightforward rules, is designed for quick game play, and tends to be unforgiving of tactical blunders.

* FrickinLaserBeams: Mostly taking the form of sniper rifles, or crew-served support weapons.

* KineticWeaponsAreJustBetter: In this case, 'better' meaning simpler and easier for the average soldier to take care of, as well as avoiding the problems of power source and waste heat inherent to [[FrickinLaserBeams energy weapons]]. The latter exist, but but are relegated to support roles like sniping and anti-armor work.

''Star Grunt II'' is a squad-scale science fiction infantry skirmish miniatures game produced by Ground Zero Games in the UK. Like its fellow GZG products TabletopGame/FullThrust and Dirtside II, it is designed to be generic enough to handle whatever minatures and settings the players happen to prefer, and the ruleset has been used for games ranging from UsefulNotes/WorldWarII to the WarOnTerror and all points in between, along with a wide variety of science fiction universes. Also like other GZG titles, ''Star Grunt'' features fairly straightforward rules, is designed for quick game play, and tends to be unforgiving of tactical blunders.

''Star Grunt II'' is a squad-scale science fiction infantry skirmish miniatures game produced by Ground Zero Games in the UK. Like its fellow GZG products TabletopGame/FullThrust and Dirtside II, it is designed to be generic enough to handle whatever minatures and settings the players happen to prefer, and the ruleset has been used for games ranging from WorldWarTwo to the WarOnTerror and all points in between, along with a wide variety of science fiction universes. Also like other GZG titles, ''Star Grunt'' features fairly straightforward rules, is designed for quick game play, and tends to be unforgiving of tactical blunders.

''Star Grunt II'' is a squad-scale science fiction infantry skirmish miniatures game produced by Ground Zero Games in the UK. Like its fellow GZG products FullThrust and Dirtside II, it is designed to be generic enough to handle whatever minatures and settings the players happen to prefer, and the ruleset has been used for games ranging from WorldWarTwo to the WarOnTerror and all points in between, along with a wide variety of science fiction universes. Also like other GZG titles, ''Star Grunt'' features fairly straightforward rules, is designed for quick game play, and tends to be unforgiving of tactical blunders.

As of 2014 Ground Zero Games' website is down and the rules are no longer available.

* ShoutOut: Many in GZG's miniatures lines, like the 'Hover ACAV' miniature that strongly resembles the combat cars from ''Literature/HammersSlammers'', or the free trader crew set that is a clear homage to {{Firefly}}. Also, the working title for the [[DevelopmentHell still-pending]] supplement containing rules for alien races is [[Film/ApocalypseNow ''Bugs Don't Surf'']].

The game's rules are available as a free .pdf download from Ground Zero Games' website, http://www.groundzerogames.net

* UnitedNations: The fifth major human power because somewhere along the way, they got their own military (the United Nations Space Command), which polices the Sol system and some of the other Core systems. They also coordinate and help lead the fight against the Kra'Vak invasion.

* ShoutOut: Many in GZG's miniatures lines, like the 'Hover ACAV' miniature that strongly resembles the combat cars from HammersSlammers, or the free trader crew set that is a clear homage to {{Firefly}}. Also, the working title for the [[DevelopmentHell still-pending]] supplement containing rules for alien races is [[Film/ApocalypseNow ''Bugs Don't Surf'']].

* TheBerserker: The Kra'Vak have something they call ''roh'kah,'' an aspect of their physiology that substitutes for a human's fight-or-flight response, and essentially forces them into escalating versions of this when under great stress, especially life-or-death situations. The worse the situtation gets, the madder they get; left unchecked, it can reach LeeroyJenkins levels, as they become (temporarily) too enraged for rational thought. It's thought to have evolved as a survival trait against the native predators of their [[DeathWorld home planet]].
* BizarreAlienBiology: The Kra'Vak go through a life cycle in which they go from being asexual to male to female back to being asexual over the course of about 40-50 years (and they can live to be 150), in addition to the ''roh'kah'' mentioned above; the Phalons have three sexes, male, female, and neuter, a carapace shell, and a single eye with three seperate lenses, and the Sa'Vasku are basically big hyperevolved jellyfish-looking things.

* ReportingNames: For all the alien species' ships, and even the names are even aliterative (K-for-Kra'Vak, P-for-Phalon, and S-for-Sa'Vasku), courtesy of the United Nations Defense Intelligence Agency.

One thing that sets ''Star Grunt'' apart from many other similar games is the emphasis placed on real-world constraints as morale, cover, suppressive fire, and mission importance; overall, it is often better to have well-led, highly motivated, but less experienced troops with inferior weapons than poorly led, unomtivated, heavily armed elites.

* OneHitKill: Everything, even the mightiest tanks, are vulnerable to this under the right circumstances.

* ShoutOut: Many in GZG's miniatures lines, like the 'Hover ACAV' miniature that strongly resembles the combat cars from HammersSlammers, or the free trader crew set that is a clear homage to {{Firefly}}. Also, the working title for the [[DevelopmentHell still-pending]] supplement containing rules for alien races is [[ApocalypseNow ''Bugs Don't Surf'']].

* TheBerserker: The Kra'Vak have something they call ''roh'kah,'' an aspect of their physiology that substitutes for a human's fight-or-flight response, and essentially forces them into escalating versions of this when under great stress, especially life-or-death situations. The worse the situtation gets, the madder they get; left unchecked, it can reach LeeroyJenkins levels, as they become (temporarily) too enraged for rational thought. It's thought to have evolved as a survival trait against the native predators of their [[DeathWorld home planet]].

* BlueAndOrangeMorality: Especially in Human-Phalon relations.

* OrganicTechnology: The Sa'Vasku don't so much build starships as breed them, while the Phalons use artificially created organic materials the same ways that humans use plastics and metals.

''Star Grunt'' contains examples of:

* HollywoodTactics: Averted ''hard.'' Trying to just march down the field in the open will get your men slaughtered, assuming their morale doesn't cause them to run before then. The game heavily favors fire-and-maneuver tactics like those of real world modern armies.

One thing that sets ''Star Grunt'' apart from many other similar games is the emphasis placed on real-world constraints as morale, cover, suppressive fire, and mission importance; overall, it is often better to have well-led, highly motivated, but less experienced troops with inferior weapons than poorly led, unomtivated, heavily armed elites.