Belter (board game)

Belter is a 1979 board wargame published by Game Designers' Workshop.

Gameplay

Belter: Mining the Asteroids, 2076 is a science fiction game set in the Asteroid Belt in the year 2076.[1] Players take the role of miners ("belters") looking for strikes of tradeable goods such as ore, natural gas or antimatter. The game is a combination of economics, power politics, combat and movement mechanics.[2] The advanced game has rules introducing a quasi-independent Peace Keeping Force, and the possibility of rebellion against an oppressive Terran authority.[2]

Reception

In the first issue of Ares Magazine, David Ritchie found it to be "an interesting product with much to recommend it. Moderately complex, and playable in an afternoon."[3]

In the March-April 1980 edition of The Space Gamer (Issue No. 27) Mike L. Maloney found Belter to be good but complex. "Belter is a very playable game and should be highly recommended to S-F players. A word of warning, though; if you are just getting into gaming, you might wait to play this game until you have more experience. Belter can be a real challenge."[1]

In the May 1980 edition of Dragon (Issue 37), Roberto Camino was not overly impressed. "Belter is not a bad game, it is just not an exciting one. It’s a good example of why economic, political, and social simulations never displaced conflict simulations as the mainstay of the hobby, or even really supplemented them, for that matter." He found the game a bit dull, although it had no major flaws. "It’s not a blockbuster..., rather, it is another one of GDW’s solid line of science-fiction games which the buyer can rely on to be playable, enjoyable, and generally worth the asking price."[2]

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References
  1. Maloney, Mike L. (March–April 1980). "Capsule Reviews". The Space Gamer. Steve Jackson Games (27): 30.
  2. Camino, Roberto (May 1980). "The Dragon's Augury". Dragon. TSR, Inc. (37): 45.
  3. Ritchie, David (March 1980). "A Galaxy of Games". Ares Magazine. Simulations Publications, Inc. (1): 28.
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