Jeindrire the Medic is equally competent in blade combat and light firearms, and is strongly considering looting Thestia's laser pistol, to use instead of their blade. But Jeindrire can't carry both without becoming encumbered and slowing down, which makes this a difficult choice.

Check out fallen enemies' inventories in #StarCadre Combat Class. Some of your units might be lightly armed, and benefit from weapon and armour upgrades kindly bequeathed by the enemies you've dealt with. Get the game from cyningstan.itch.io/star-cadre-c... #ibmpc #msdos #cga

Bulleth the Scout uses their Stealth skill to peer into a long corridor without being detected and immediately attacked by the enemy Ceirrassi. Bulleth should now retreat back into the room behind, and let a soldier or an auxiliary take care of Ceirassi.

Entering an unseen area can be intimidating in #StarCadre Combat Class, you've no idea what's there. This is a good time to make use of Stealth. Make sure you don't leave your unit in the doorway though! Get the game from cyningstan.itch.io/star-cadre-c... #ibmpc #msdos #cga

Vametier the Medic is already carrying as much as they can reasonably manage: a strength of five, minus two, gives three, which is the number of items they are already carrying. In this gathering mission, carrying the items should be left to Vemetier's colleagues if the player wants Vametier to have the energy to perform their medical duties.

If a #StarCadre Combat Class unit carries more items than they can manage, they'll start to slow down. Each unit can carry a number of items equal to their strength minus 2, before encumbrance takes effect. Get the game from cyningstan.itch.io/star-cadre-c... #ibmpc #msdos #cga

The player's units make opportunity attacks during the computer's first turn. One of the computer's units, Oxybre, is unfortunate enough to enter the vestibule immediately after the player's units take up a defensive position. After Tapheran the auxiliary and Usay the scout fire at Oxybre, the medic Amiren shows that marksmanship isn't their strong point.

Opportunity Attacks in #StarCadre Combat Class allow units to attack enemies during the enemy's turn. If a unit has enough action points when an enemy appears within attack range, the unit will attack. Get the game from cyningstan.itch.io/star-cadre-c... #ibmpc #msdos #cga

The score table. I've been playing this for a while, so there's a score logged for every mission, but some could do to be improved upon.

The score table contains an entry for each mission type at each difficulty level, to encourage you to play them all, Download the game from cyningstan.itch.io/star-cadre-c... and give it a try! #starcadre #ibmpc #msdos #cga

Suchyles has found two data cards already, but in a Gathering mission there are bound to be more.

For a Gathering mission you need to stick around a bit longer and find as many data cards as you can. You're scored on the number found and time taken, so you must decide when to stop looking. cyningstan.itch.io/star-cadre-c... #starcadre #ibmpc #msdos #cga

Looking for the data card in a Retrieval mission. Predictably, it's not conveniently stored in a cabinet right by the entrance, so the search continues.

In a Retrieval mission you have to find the very important macguffin and get out with it in your possession. It may be in a cabinet or it might be carried by an enemy. cyningstan.itch.io/star-cadre-c... #starcadre #ibmpc #msdos #cga

Finding the first hostage in a Rescue mission. The scout peeked through the door and retreated, which is why we can see the hostage and their kidnapper currently not in the line of sight.

Rescue missions are subtly different. With multiple hostages to find, some of whom have useful skills, you can recruit the hostages themselves to help. You also score per hostage freed. cyningstan.itch.io/star-cadre-c... #starcadre #ibmpc #msdos #cga

Entering the location for a Hostage mission. Hostages look like team members but are depicted without a weapon. The hostage in this mission is yet to be found.

The Hostage mission has a clear focus: find the named individual and get them out alive. Hostages need to be cut free; if your team doesn't have a blade you'll need to find one. cyningstan.itch.io/star-cadre-c... #starcadre #ibmpc #msdos #cga

The team is just starting out on its Annihilation mission. Adlana's next shot will hopefully kill Ectar.

If you like games where you kill everything that moves, the Annihilation mission is for you. Hunt them all down, and leave none alive! In this mission, every kill contributes to your score. cyningstan.itch.io/star-cadre-c... #starcadre #ibmpc #msdos #cga

An Assassination mission in Star Cadre: Combat Class. Anetnell had to die because they were in the way, but the real target is Eemastan.

In an Assassination mission, your team must find the named individual and kill them. Rendering them unconscious is not enough: they must be dead. Other kills don't count towards your mission score. cyningstan.itch.io/star-cadre-c... #starcadre #ibmpc #msdos #cga

Star Cadre: Combat Class's new game screen. The mission type can be set to Random, or to one of the six different mission types.

Star Cadre: Combat Class offers a choice of six different missions to play. You can get the game and try them out at cyningstan.itch.io/star-cadre-c... #starcadre #ibmpc #msdos #cga

A screenshot showing Medic Casteki, who has Medicine skill at level 6. The critical success effect in Medicine allows healing without the expenditure of action points; normally healing takes 6 action points.

Skill in Medicine allows a #StarCadre Combat Class unit to heal themselves and their comrades. Anyone with Medicine level 4 or above is given a medikit; those with a lower level of skill will have to look for a spare medikit. cyningstan.itch.io/star-cadre-c... #ibmpc #msdos #cga

Scout Kergeprild shows off an ideal Scout skill set: Stealth and Blade, both at level 6. Level 6, like level 5, gives a 35 in 36 chance of success, but also has an 11 in 36 chance of a critical success. This has different effects for each skill. Stealth has no critical success effect, but the combat skills' effect is an instant kill.

Stealth is for creeping around a location in #StarCadre Combat Class without being noticed. It's useful for peeking around corners or silently approaching an enemy to attack them. This is a Scout's primary skill. cyningstan.itch.io/star-cadre-c... #ibmpc #msdos #cga

A screenshot showing that Scout Joel has rendered Auchiart unconscious using the Unarmed Combat skill, level 3. Note that Joel has put away his Laser Pistol in order to use unarmed combat, since his Light Firearms skill is inferior to his Unarmed Combat skill. Level 3 in a skill gives a 75% chance of success, while level 2 gives only a 44% chance, or 4 in 9.

Unarmed Combat skill allows a #StarCadre Combat Class character to brawl or bludgeon an enemy at close range. A Soldier might use this to attack an enemy too close to fire at with their Laser Rifle. cyningstan.itch.io/star-cadre-c... #ibmpc #msdos #cga

Scout Braniethyn has Blade 4 as their main combat skill. Which is fortunate, as the only equipment they are supplied with is a blade. Level 4 in a skill gives an 8 in 9 chance of success when using it.

Blade Combat in #StarCadre Combat Class allows for accuracy in stabbing with a blade. This is a common skill for Medics and Scouts. You don't need this to use a blade to free hostages though. cyningstan.itch.io/star-cadre-c... #ibmpc #msdos #cga

A screenshot showing Auxilliary Fenel, with Light Firearm skill at level 5, and carrying the pistol whose use it facilitates.

Light Firearms skill in #StarCadre Combat Class is for firing the laser pistol. The Auxiliary has this as their primary skill, but scouts and medics may also have Light Firearms as their main combat skill. Get the game from cyningstan.itch.io/star-cadre-c... #ibmpc #msdos #cga

Soldier Atryxil's main skill is Heavy Firearms, allowing effective use of the Laser Rifle. Level 5 in a skill gives a near-certain chance of success, specifically a 35 in 36 chance.

#StarCadre Combat Class has a skills-based system. For instance, Heavy Firearms skill allows a character to fire a laser rifle accurately. Soldiers will have this skill, but other characters might have it too. Get the game from cyningstan.itch.io/star-cadre-c... #ibmpc #msdos #cga

A lightly armed ship with some cargo space and some empty rooms awaiting a purpose. To the left is the rear of the ship, with engines and cargo bay. At the top, left of centre, is the crew quarters. The projecting sections at the sides of the ship (top and bottom of the plan) are the turrets with seats for the gunners. Ahead of this is a meeting room, and on the right is the bridge.

An armed merchant ship. The bridge is to the left, and the "pods" above and below the central corridor are a crew quarters pod and three cargo pods. Towards the rear is a meeting room and the engines. The bridge needs more decoration.

A heavily armed starship with four turrets. At the top is the bridge. Forward left and right are the turrets and room for the gunners. Straddling the central corridor are the crew quarters. Between the engines at the bottom are a meeting room on the left, and a cargo bay to the right.

Some spacecraft I designed for a possible future game in the #StarCadre series. Imagine boarding missions aboard these ships. It's going to be a long time before I get around to that game, though. #gamedev #msdos #cga

Shortly after its release, Sparcie made this review video about #StarCadre Combat Class. www.youtube.com/watch?v=y4yi... #ibmpc #msdos #cga

Star Cadre: Combat Class in play. Scout Aremiy creeps into a doorway and spots Emynt in the adjacent room. The game is played in a palette of black, cyan, magenta and white, which is the default palette for CGA graphics and is used by many CGA games.

If you like the #cga nostalgia palette, you can play #StarCadre in those colours. Just launch the game with the '-p' option (for palette, or purple, or pink, take your pick). #ibmpc #msdos

Aphe the Hostage has yet to be freed, and the player team doesn't have a blade among them to do the job. So they'll need to go and find one, and come back and rescue Aphe and their companion. Notice the range of combat skills which, once freed and armed, Aphe can lend to the team.

Hostages are present in two missions: Hostage, a single hostage to free, and Rescue, where you must rescue as many captured hostages as you can. Hostages may have useful skills. Download Star Cadre: Combat Class at cyningstan.itch.io/star-cadre-c... #StarCadre #ibmpc #msdos #cga

Star Cadre: Combat Class (2024) MS-DOS » BrewOtaku Homebrew Retro Gaming Magazine Star Cadre: Combat Class is a free MS-DOS tactical combat game where you command squads, complete missions, and prove your worth as a Star Academy cadet.

Star Cadre: Combat Class is here! A tactical combat RPG from @cyningstan that's a true MS-DOS throwback. Command your four-unit squad in challenging missions. Get that perfect score,cadet!

Read full review in BrewOataku 003: www.brewotaku.com/2025/10/star...

#StarCadre #MSDOS #BrewOatku

The enemy unit Othier was the object of this assassination mission, so the player units can now exit the mission location. All of Othier's stats and skills are hidden, but he was presumably most comfortable with Heavy Firearms, as evidenced by the laser rifle that he was holding.

Enemies are a distinct class in Star Cadre: Combat Class. The game difficulty level determines the extent of their combat skills. Enemy stats and skills are not shown to the player. You can download the game at cyningstan.itch.io/star-cadre-c... #starcadre #ibmpc #msdos #cga

Sollie the Soldier ponders their next move after immobilising the enemy unit Einua in the doorway. This is a retrieval mission, so the all-important data card might be on Einua's unconscious body.

The Soldier is the strongest unit type in Star Cadre: Combat Class. Equipped with the laser rifle, a helmet and body armour, this is the best unit for taking out strong, armoured enemies at range. You can download the game at cyningstan.itch.io/star-cadre-c... #starcadre #ibmpc #msdos #cga

Tapheran the Auxilliary hangs back at the rear of the group in this Gathering mission, ready to defend colleagues against any attacks that come from behind.

Auxiliaries are light armed units that support the soldiers and other units. Equipped with a laser pistol, sometimes auxilliaries also have armour. You can download the Star Cadre: Combat Class at cyningstan.itch.io/star-cadre-c... #starcadre #ibmpc #msdos #cga

Wetto the Scout sneaks into the upper corridor and spots the enemy Brarikirt. Wetto can report back on Brarikirt's equipped weapons an armour, so that the player knows which member(s) of the team to send to deal with the threat - or perhaps to avoid the danger altogether.

The Scout class are useful for sneaking into rooms and corridors without being detected. Scouts' high agility tends to make them the most speedy units in the game. You can download the Star Cadre: Combat Class at cyningstan.itch.io/star-cadre-c... #starcadre #ibmpc #msdos #cga

While Aciran the Soldier deals with enemies like Endala, Brace the Medic is at hand to tend to any injuries that Aciran might sustain. Brace has various combat skills, but all are secondary to Medicine skill which determines the chance of success of each attempt at healing.

Medics are an essential part of any successful Star Cadre: Combat Class mission. A medic will carry a medikit to help heal injured comrades. You can download the Star Cadre: Combat Class at cyningstan.itch.io/star-cadre-c... #starcadre #ibmpc #msdos #cga

The team continues the mission, with Blancifeth collecting more cards. Note Blanceifeth's low strength. Carrying all these things will slow them down a great deal.

To play with these items, either visit the game's web site earlier in the thread, or download it instead from Itch: cyningstan.itch.io/star-cadre-c... #starcadre #ibmpc #msdos #cga

While all this has been going on, Blancifeth the Scout has been looting the bodies of fallen enemies. Enlarged in the inset is a data card scavenged from an unfortunate adversary earlier in the mission.

The Data Card is a macguffin, you need to collect one or more of these to achieve success in Retrieval and Gathering missions. A Gathering mission will have between two and twelve of these in cabinets and in the inventories of enemy units. #starcadre #ibmpc #msdos #cga