00How the game works, in 5 minutes

The big picture before the details: what you need, how a game flows and the five ideas that make StarCraft TMG different. Every later chapter goes deeper into one part, always citing the matching section of the official rulebook.

The game in one sentence

Two players build an army by spending Minerals (units and upgrades) and Vespene Gas (Tactical Cards). No unit starts on the table: everything waits in Reserves and arrives round by round, as far as the mission's Supply allows. The game lasts as many rounds as the Mission Card says (usually 5) and whoever has more Victory Points (VP) wins.

In plain wordsIt plays like a match of StarCraft on screen: you start small, bring in troops as your capacity grows, fight over key points of the map, and every unit you lose costs you points.

What you need on the table

How a round flows§8.1

In Phases 1, 2 and 3 players take turns: you activate one Unit, it performs one action, then it is your opponent's turn (alternating activation). Whoever holds the First Player Marker decides who starts each Phase. The first player to Pass takes that marker for the next Phase. In Phase 3 only Units locked in melee act, and they must. Phase 4 is not played in turns: it is six steps in a fixed order.

The 5 ideas that make it different

1. 1
   Everything starts in Reserves

   There is no initial set-up. Each Unit enters with the Deploy action from your Entry Edge during the Movement Phase. Chapter 07
2. 2
   Supply controls everything

   A Unit's Supply drops as it loses models. It decides how many Units fit on the table, who controls each Mission Marker, whether you can leave a melee without penalty, and in almost every mission the Supply you destroy is your VP. Chapter 05
3. 3
   Passing is a tactic

   The first player to Pass takes the initiative for the next Phase. Passing early in Movement can give you the first shot in the Assault Phase. Chapter 07
4. 4
   Attacks flow through three pools

   Dice move from the Attack Pool (hitting) to the Armour Pool (armour saves) to the Damage Pool (evades and damage). Surge skips armour. Chapter 09
5. 5
   Marker control is “sticky”

   Once you control a Mission Marker it stays yours even if you leave, until your opponent takes it back with more Supply at the end of a round. Chapter 11

Your first game, step by step§9 · 12.1

1. 1
   Agree on the scale (Skirmish up to 1,000 Minerals, Standard up to 2,000, Grand Offensive 2,001+). Vespene Gas is 10% of the Minerals.
2. 2
   Each player builds a list: 1 Faction Card, Tactical Cards with the gas, Units and upgrades with the minerals. Our army builder already enforces every limit.
3. 3
   Draft: each player puts down 2 Mission Cards and 2 Deployment Cards; roll off, choose colour and which draft you control. Result: 1 mission and 1 deployment.
4. 4
   Set up the table in this order: size, Entry Edges, Zones of Influence, terrain and finally the Mission Markers.
5. 5
   Both roll 2D6 (Roll-Off). The winner decides who holds the First Player Marker in Round 1 (they may give it to the opponent).
6. 6
   Play the rounds: each round your Supply Pool grows as the mission says. In the final round Supply is unlimited.
7. 7
   After the last round, anything still in Reserves counts as Destroyed. Most VP wins.

Official example: the first two rounds§Parte 1

The rulebook opens with a battle report between Katherine (Terran) and James (Zerg) on the Frontlines mission with the Abandoned Camp deployment. Here is a summary of what each moment teaches.

How to use this guide

• Tags like §8.7.4 tell you which section of the official rulebook each rule comes from, so you can check it.
• Tap any highlighted term such as Leading Model to open its definition in the wiki.
• Simulator boxes let you try the rule with real numbers. They are all collected on the Simulators page.
• Clarifications from the official FAQ v1.1 (25/09/2026) are included right where they apply, marked in purple.