About the game

Iron Constellation is a retro-inspired space strategy game in the tradition of the classic play-by-email games of the 1990s. You command one of seven rival races in a galaxy of up to 300 star systems. Explore it, colonise its worlds, design your own warships and fight for control of the stars.

Every empire gives its orders at the same time, and then the turn plays out all at once. Fleets move hex by hex. They spot each other, react using the standing orders you gave them, and clash in battles you can watch afterwards as replays. Worlds make everything. They mine fuel, materials and weapon materials, grow your population, pay your taxes and build your fleets.

Features

Seven playable races, each with its own home-world type, ships, bases and special ability: Humans, Human Savages, Swarm, Lithoids, Shadow Syndicate, Ascended Machines and Void Mystics.
Three galaxy sizes (50, 150 or 300 star systems), with fog of war, nebulae, black holes, wormholes, minefields and native civilisations of five species.
A ship designer. Choose hulls, engines, beams, torpedoes, fighter bays, shields, armour, cloaks and more, then refit your fleets as research unlocks better parts.
Research across six technology tracks.
Standing orders decide how each fleet behaves when the enemy appears. Fleets can intercept, shadow, avoid, escort, patrol, evade, surrender or answer distress calls.
Dice-driven fleet combat with full battle replays. Battles include beam volleys, torpedo salvos, fighters, point defence, critical hits and boarding actions.
Diplomacy and trade. Send messages, form alliances and share victories. You can also trade at neutral hubs on a living market, barter with natives, or raid undefended worlds.
Five game modes: Conquest, Dominance, Ancient Power, Score race and Mixed.
The Nova Lance, a super-weapon that the whole galaxy will see coming.
Computer opponents at Easy, Normal and Hard. They scout, expand, raid and invade.
Multiplayer your way: hot-seat on one computer, or play by email using encrypted turn files. Turn files work with any shared folder, such as OneDrive, Dropbox or Google Drive.
Help built in: a How to play guide (F1), a first-turn checklist, turn backups for the host, and a Report a bug button.

Free trial and licence

The full game is free to try for 15 days from the first time you start it. After that, a licence code is needed to start or load games; saved games are kept, and the Map Builder, Help and Settings keep working. When you buy the game you get a licence code by email, tied to your email address. It works for life, on any computer you play on, and needs no internet connection: paste it into LICENCE at the bottom right of the title screen.

Buy a license. It costs £5 for life.

Updates

Breach and Plunder is updated as errors are found and fixed. Every update is listed in the ChangeLog, with the version number, the date and what changed. The same ChangeLog can be read in the game from the button in the bottom-right corner of the title screen.

Important

We can't afford Windows Code Signing, Apple Developer or Android Licensing right now. Our games are safe, and if needed we can provide scan details vs file hashes etc. You may be warned that you downloaded these files from the internet, we do promise they are safe.

Screenshots

**Main Menu** The title screen, with options to start a new campaign, load a game, open a play-by-email turn file, read How to play, change Settings or explore the galaxy sandbox. The licence status and the Change log button are at the bottom right.

**Galaxy Map** Turn 36 of a medium galaxy, playing the Humans. The hex map shows a purple nebula, neighbouring star systems and fleets moving along plotted courses. The top bar shows resources (fuel, materials, weapon materials, credits). The side bar lists the five planets of the capital system, Lumixon-7, and the minimap is at the bottom left.

**System View** The tilted orbital view of the Nyia Major binary-star system, with ships in orbit. The panel on the right manages the capital world: deposits, stockpile, population and happiness, structures, build queue and planetary defences.

**Ship Designer** Choose a hull, then fit an engine, beam weapons and utility bays. Performance (damage, hull, shields, speed, sensors, fuel, cargo) and cost update as you change parts.

**Battle Replay** A Human carrier group clashes with Human Savage raiders. Beams fire across the battle line, and the dice panel shows each volley's 2×D12 roll and hit count. There are controls for playback speed and skipping to the results.

**Galactic Market** Live buy and sell prices for fuel, materials, weapon materials and colonists, with trend charts. Second-hand warships are for sale at the neutral trade hubs.

Download it

Free to play. Pick your machine below.

Details

Controls

Iron Constellation is played with a mouse and keyboard.

Map

Action	Control
Select a sector, system or fleet	Left-click
Open the fleet in a sector	Double-click
Pan the map	Drag, W A S D, or arrow keys
Zoom	Mouse wheel, or + / −
Jump to your home system	H
Galaxy overview / close windows	Esc
Jump around the galaxy	Click or drag on the minimap (bottom left)
Edge panning (optional)	Move the mouse to the screen edge (turn on in Settings)

Plotting a course

Action	Control
Set the destination	Left-click (first click)
Add a waypoint	Left-click again
Place the last point and finish	Double-click
Finish the course	Enter, right-click or Esc

General

Action	Control
How to play (help)	F1
Rename a fleet	Double-click the fleet window's title
Next / previous fleet in the sector	◀ ▶ in the fleet window
End your turn	End turn button (top right)

Settings let you change the volumes, full screen, interface size (100%, 115% or 130%), replay speed and edge panning.

Will it run?

	Windows	macOS
Operating system	Windows 10 or 11, 64-bit	macOS 11 Big Sur or later (Intel); macOS 13 Ventura or later (Apple silicon)
Processor	64-bit (x86-64)	Intel or Apple silicon (universal build)
Graphics	OpenGL 3.3 compatible	OpenGL 3.3 compatible (all supported Macs)
Display	1280 × 720 minimum; designed for 1920 × 1080	Same
Input	Mouse and keyboard	Same
Internet	Not needed (licence codes are checked offline)	Same
Storage	TBC: confirm from the final build	TBC

Not currently supported: Linux, Steam Deck, consoles, mobile, touch screens and controllers.

The Windows build is shipped as a single .exe. The macOS build is shipped as a .dmg.

Changelog

Iron Constellation: ChangeLog

All notable changes to Iron Constellation are listed here, newest first. Updates are released when errors are found and fixed. Each one is recorded below with its version number and date.

[0.10.0] – 8 November 2026

This release covers everything since 0.9.1: computer opponents, leaving a game, new VGA-style rules, all-new art, licences and the trial.

Added

Computer opponents (skirmish). Play against computer commanders at Easy, Normal or Hard, in any game mode and galaxy size.
- Normal and Hard computers scout for targets, send strike groups, hop between forward bases, raid and invade.
- Easy stays defensive.
Leaving a game. Menu → Retire… asks to leave a campaign. The host then chooses either a one-off catastrophe or a computer stand-in (Easy, Normal or Hard). A stand-in empire can be handed back with Return to player. Every empire hears about it in the galactic news.
Build slots.
- A planet base builds one thing at a time.
- A starbase adds a separate ship slot.
- New Shipyard expansion structure: up to 2 per starbase, each adding a ship slot (up to 3 ships and 1 building at once).
Mine sweeping. Beam-armed fleets can clear known minefields (fleet window → Orders → Sweep mines here).
Raiding. Armed fleets can raid enemy worlds whose defences are down, taking credits, goods and people. Savages take double.
Scrapping. Scrap ships at a starbase to get back half their materials.
Native species. Natives now belong to one of five species: Vellani, Gorrun, Sylphae, Ossuar or Kethrin. Each gives a perk once the world is yours.
Mineral seams. Busy mining worlds can strike rich new seams that raise their deposits for good.
Map markers. Raided worlds show a marker for 3 turns. Your own new seams are marked too (only you see them). Fleets set to sweep show a sweep marker until the turn is processed.
Licences and a 15-day free trial.
- Licence screen (main menu → Licence): paste a code once, and it works for life on any computer.
- The main menu shows who the copy is licensed to, or how many trial days are left.
Change log button on the main menu.

Changed

All-new art: race ships and bases, planets and stars, hazards, map markers, battle effects, icons and screens. Native species have portraits and badges.
Tilted system view. Planets orbit on ellipses and pass in front of and behind their star. Crowded systems no longer overlap.
Cloaks. Heavy damage (any ship under half hull) breaks a cloak, and Void Mystics sense cloaked fleets 2 hexes away.
Cargo. A full cargo hold burns 50% more fuel.
Top bar fits any screen. On smaller screens, or at a Large interface size, the screen buttons fold into Empire ▾ and Galaxy ▾ menus.
Version warnings. Players on 0.9.1 and 0.10.0 in the same game are warned to update.
Copyright updated to © 2026 Tom & Rob in the Studio.

Fixed

The top bar was pushed off screen at a Large interface size.
Long build queues pushed the Build dialog off screen (the queue now scrolls).
Computer players turned into human seats after reloading a game.
An edited design wasn't offered as a refit.
Clicking a world in the Systems list sometimes selected empty space.
The fleet window stayed on top of the system view (opening a system view now closes it).
Research shares could add up to more than 100%.

[0.9.1] – 6 November 2026

Added

Settings: master, music and effects volume, full screen, interface size (100%, 115% or 130%), default replay speed, edge panning, ask before ending a turn, first-turn guide on or off, and number of turn backups.
Music and sound effects for menus, the galaxy and battles. All of them are original and synthesised by the studio.
How to play (F1, or from the title screen and the in-game Menu): 14 topics covering everything from getting started to play by email.
First-turn guide: a six-step checklist on turn 1.
Turn backups: the host keeps a copy after every processed turn and can roll back (Turn control → Turn backups…).
Save versioning. Warnings when players in the same game run different versions.
Report a bug button. It makes a zip of version and system info, recent logs and, optionally, the current game.
New art: map markers (trade hubs, Nova Lance, relic worlds, minefields, salvage, dominance zones), battle effects, report and research icons, and screen art.
Victory and defeat screens.
Import campaign file on the Load screen.
Battle Demo campaign: a ready-made fleet clash on turn 1.

Changed

Battle replay tidied up. The dice sit in a fixed panel at the bottom, and ship names and call-outs no longer overlap.
Deleting a campaign now asks for confirmation first.

Older versions (1)

[0.9.0] – 6 November 2026 (first play-test build)

The first build released to play testers, as a Windows .exe and a macOS .dmg.

Added

Version number and copyright on the title screen.
Report a bug (first version).
Play-tester guide.

Included in this build

Everything below, developed from 5 November 2026:

Galaxy and turns

Galaxy generator with Small, Medium and Large maps (50, 150 and 300 systems), a hex map, system views and a minimap.
Fog of war, short and long-range scans, sensor buoys and wormholes.
Hazards: heavy and medium nebulae, black holes and historic minefields.
Turn-based play with simultaneous movement. Fleets move one hex at a time and can meet mid-move.
Hot-seat campaigns for 2–7 commanders, each playing a unique race, with compressed saves.

Worlds and economy

Mining, goods stock, credits treasury, tax, build queues and cargo holds.
Colonising (fast or slow), outposts and native worlds.
Happiness, unrest and revolt.

Fleets and combat

Speeds, fuel and stranding. Fleets can split and merge (up to 8 ships).
Standing orders. Set how each fleet reacts on contact (continue, hold, attack, avoid, shadow, scan) and when attacked (fight, evade, refuse, surrender). Fleets can also patrol, escort, follow arrival orders, retreat when damaged or low on fuel, and respond to distress calls. Preset orders are included.
Combat with 2×D12 volleys:
- Beams burn fuel, torpedoes use ammo, and fighters launch from bays.
- Shields, point defence, critical hits and boarding.
- Rigged traps, self-destruct, surrender and salvage pods.
- Planetary defences, invasion, repairs, and XP with aces.
Battle replays with dice, beams, torpedoes, fighters and speed controls.
Fleet window: floating and draggable, with Orders, Ships, Cargo and Scan tabs.
Course plotting with waypoints, turn-by-turn ETAs and fuel read-outs.

Ships and research

Ship designer: hulls, engines (tiers 1–5), beams, torpedoes, fighter hangars, shields, armour, point defence, sensors, cargo pods and fuel tanks.
Race-only parts: Syndicate cloak, Savage boarding pods and Mystic psionic array.
Research: six tracks, research labs, breakthroughs, and reverse-engineering of captured ships.
Refits and rearming at starbases.
Custom starting fleet (muster): build your own opening fleet from a fixed budget.

Diplomacy, trade and victory

Diplomacy: messages, alliances, shared victory, and handing cargo to other empires.
Market: neutral trade hubs with live supply-and-demand prices and trend charts.
- Second-hand ships for sale at hubs.
- Neutral zones around hubs: attacking inside one triggers an embargo.
Native barter.
Player minefields (Mine layer part).
Nova Lance, a galaxy-wide super-weapon.
Game modes: Conquest, Dominance, Ancient Power, Score race and Mixed.
Dropped players: catastrophe events.

Play by email

Encrypted turn and orders files, PINs and join codes. Each seat can be local or remote.
The Turn control screen lets the host process turns.
Turn files can go through any shared folder (OneDrive, Dropbox, Google Drive).

Reports and interface

Turn report with filters: battles, fleet journeys, sensor alerts, damage, planets, market, research, diplomacy and news.
Side bar lists for Systems, Fleets and Ships.
Sensor alerts from buoys, and the sensor sweep.
Diplomacy unread badge.
"Fleet command console" interface style.

Fixed

Dominance zones and relic markers showed in game modes that don't use them.
The scroll wheel zoomed the map while over the interface.

Credits and licences

The game is built with these open-source components, and we thank their authors:

Component	Used for	Licence
Godot Engine 4.7	Game engine	MIT Licence. © 2014-present Godot Engine contributors; © 2007-2014 Juan Linietsky, Ariel Manzur. Godot also includes third-party libraries under their own licences: see godotengine.org/license.
Chakra Petch	Heading and button font	SIL Open Font License 1.1. © 2018 The Chakra Petch Project Authors
Barlow Semi Condensed	Body text font	SIL Open Font License 1.1. © 2017 The Barlow Project Authors

The full licence texts are included with the game (OFL-ChakraPetch.txt and OFL-BarlowSemiCondensed.txt, plus Godot's licence notice).
All music and sound effects are original. They were synthesised by the studio, and no third-party audio libraries are used.
All game art is original to Iron Constellation.

More from the studio

Breach and PlunderOne core. Four crews. One way out.
Beta · Turn-based tactics · Strategy · Dungeon Crawler · Sci-FiFree