The Buck Rogers: Battle for the 25th Century Game arrived at a time when TSR was all-in on Buck Rogers, at the direction of majority shareholder Lorraine Williams, who had rights to BR IP due to family.
This board game was released just before the Buck Rogers XXVc RPG. Just as with the RPG, the BR game is nothing like the television series, instead drawing from the original sci-fi pulps.
It’s a science fiction war game, make no mistake. Gameplay is described as similar to Milton Bradley’s popular Axis & Allies game. The planets of the Solar System move through their orbits, requiring players to plan ahead to take advantage of planetary conjunctions. Leader characters fight alongside line troops and space fighters for solar system supremacy.
BUCK ROGERS Battle for the 25th Century Game
1988 … TSR 3550 … ISBN 0880385863
Box
Credits

Contents / Components

Basic Game Rules
Advanced / Optional Rules
The B&W and color art in this set looks like Larry Elmore to me! Once again, looks like late 80s TSR denying artist credit again. No illustrator credit, and no artist logos.

Cards
Game Board
Figures, Markers, and Chips
(l-r) Buck Rogers, Wilma Deering, Killer Kang, Ardala, Black Barney, and Doc Huer Trooper and Gennie Transport, Fighter, and Battler Factory and Killer Satellite Markers, Dice, Chips Storage Tray
Wayne-sized. Here’s the Buck Rogers Game alongside its contemporary Dragonlance game, similar manufacture. Compared with everything else from long lost TSR, these are massive sets.
See Also: Buck Rogers XXVc RPG Product List and Details at my Reference Site
OGRE: The Giant Designer’s Edition
1982 Dungeon Hobby Shop Catalog… with Poster of Mounted Paladin versus 3 Orcs
Days of the Dragon: 1982 Dungeons & Dragons Fantasy Art Calendar
Minion Hunter: The Dark Conspiracy Boardgame (1992)
DragonStrike (1993): D&D’s rival to the HeroQuest board game
Great game
Also…..great write up for this underated/underappreciated gem of a game. I’ve played this game probably a hundred times in the past 30 years. Sadly I haven’t played this game in a couple of years now.
I was trying to get a better image of each of the Leader figures. I picked up the game at a thrift shop but it’s missing some parts. I think I can get a friend to 3D print them