Fifth Frontier War
Game Designers' Workshop • 1981
- Publisher
- Game Designers' Workshop
- First published
- 1981
- Genre
- Science fiction
How it plays
Genres
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Where it came from
Released in 1981 by Game Designers' Workshop, Fifth Frontier War is a board game deeply rooted in the lore of the Traveller science fiction role-playing universe. It depicts the titular conflict between the Third Imperium and the Zhodani Consulate, serving as a tactical simulation of the war that shapes the political landscape of the Spinward Marches sector. The game was designed by Frank Chadwick, who sought to translate the grand scale of interstellar warfare into a manageable tabletop experience that complemented the broader Traveller setting.
The game is characterized by its adherence to the gritty, utilitarian aesthetic established by GDW in the late 1970s. It features a map-based system and complex mechanics designed to capture the logistics and fleet movements of a sprawling space conflict. Upon its release, it was well-received by the established Traveller community, who valued its ability to provide historical depth to the tabletop campaigns they were already running, effectively bridging the gap between small-scale RPG encounters and large-scale cosmic strategy.
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About Fifth Frontier War
Fifth Frontier War is a game in the Board Games catalog on collecto.rs. Game Designers' Workshop • 1981. It's filed under science fiction. Catalog data is sourced from Wikidata. No public games collectors track this one yet — adding yours would make you the first on collecto.rs.
How do you play Fifth Frontier War?
Fifth Frontier War is a board game, filed under science fiction. collecto.rs catalogues the game, not its rules — for the full rulebook, use the copy in the box or the publisher's own site.
Who publishes Fifth Frontier War?
Fifth Frontier War is published by Game Designers' Workshop. The catalog gives its publication year as 1981.
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