Board Game Review – Race for the Galaxy
Exploring Rio Grande’s Science Fiction Card Game
Apr 13, 2009
Race for the Galaxy is set in Earth’s future where space travel and alien species are commonplace. Several human colonies, alien worlds, and space developments await the player’s civilization. Fans of science fiction’s most regaled series like Star Trek, Babylon 5, and Battlestar Galactica will instantly be drawn to this game.
The Cards
When one purchases Race for the Galaxy, he or she receives a healthy deck of cards that serve as both the game’s “pieces” as well as its currency. There are seven cards for each player which are their action cards. The rest of the deck is composed of developments and settlements that are superbly illustrated in classic sci-fi style. Easy to read icons, lining every card’s left edge; make its uses quickly known to everyone around the table.
Developments are space stations or personnel units that give the player bonuses. The settlement cards are various inhabitable worlds or colonies that can produce resources that can be consumed victory points for the player as well as grant other bonus abilities. The resources a world can produce are separated into four categories of differing value: novelties, earth materials, genetics, and alien technology.
The Phases of Conquest
Gameplay in Race for the Galaxy is divided into five phases represented on the action cards which are identical for each player. Each player secretly selects which phase they wish to play at the beginning of each turn, and everyone flips their card simultaneously. The phases are as follows:
- Explore: Draw new development and settlement cards for play and for currency.
- Develop: Lay down a development card by paying its cost with other settlement and development cards from the player’s hand.
- Settle: Same as the develop phase except with a settlement card. Some worlds produce a good instantly while most can be produced on next round.
- Consume: Consume a produced good for a certain number of victory points decided by the cards played on the table.
- Consume Trade: Consume a produced good to draw a number of development and settlement cards decided by what type of resource is being consumed.
- Produce: Produce a good on all worlds that are capable of doing so.
The game is played until either one player settles/develops 12 cards or the community pool of victory points is depleted. Victory is awarded to the player to accumulate the most points which are a sum of the victory points from consumption and the value of the cards played.
Expansion
Rio Grande Games has released one expansion set for the game entitled Race for the Galaxy: The Gathering Storm. While adding several new development cards and worlds for settlement, The Gathering Storm adds another set of action cards to admit a fifth player as well as new alternative goals. These new goals award a hefty amount of victory points for achievements like being the first to build a +6 value military.
Review
Race for the Galaxy along with its expansion offers players plenty of replay because of its short playing time and the number of players it can sit. The game’s concepts are slightly difficult to understand during the first game, but they can be quickly mastered. There is a little management involved in remembering all of one’s bonuses, but the cards’ icons make them easy to reference.
There are numerous strategies to win that keep the game fresh. Whether developing a production machine, maneuvering The Gathering Storm’s alternate goals, or building a military juggernaut to conquer high-value worlds, the game never stalls in mid-play.
Race for the Galaxy can be purchased at BoardGameGeek.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
