Asteroid Zero-Four

Asteroid Zero-Four is a two-player science fiction wargame published by Task Force Games in 1979. It is the second of the microgames designed by Stephen V. Cole, which were the first releases of the company, and the art credits go to Alvin Belflower and Allen D. Eldridge. The setting is a future in which the United States and the Soviet Union run rival, heavily armed mining bases in the asteroid belt. Massive solar flares make manned travel inside the orbit of Mars impossible, cutting the miners off from Earth, and a nuclear war breaks out between the two bases using both missiles and spacecraft. The box holds a 17 by 22 inch map, counters for missiles, fighters, bombers, tankers, engineers and damage, a 20-page rulebook and two Strategic Displays. In each turn spacecraft and missiles are launched, missile targets are revealed at the same time, ships can fight, and they can land to rearm, refuel and be repaired, while engineers repair their asteroid. The winner is the player whose asteroid is still best able to function as a mine at the end of the last turn. The box marks the playing time as one hour, although the rules say one to four hours. A sequel, Cerberus, continues the story.