STARGUARD, the game is 38 years old as of 2007. It is the oldest commercially available miniature Science Fiction game. It began as a simple skirmish game inspired by the book STARSHIP TROOPERS by Robert A. Heinlein. Since that modest beginning it has grown to a frill fledged science fiction skirmish game involving not only jump troops and other interstellar infantry, but tanks, robots and all sorts of futuristic war machines. STARGUARD battles can take place at any time in the future history: however, five historical periods are of particular interest.