Space Race: Interkosmos

The more I play board games the more I realize that they are a lot like movies. There are big budget titles and indie darlings. There are ones with big names, and ones by first-timers looking to make a splash. The movies most interesting of all to me are the cult-classics. These movies are hidden gems that are underappreciated, except for their small core following. Eventually, their brilliance is discovered and the popularity explodes. Two such titles I can think of that fall into this category are The Princess Bride and The Goonies.

This got me to thinking. Are there cult classic games currently in the hobby? I think so, but I can't really prove it, because it's just kind of a gut instinct. However, if I had to provide you with some examples to back my claim I would list Vast: The Crystal Caverns and Space Race: The Card Game. Space Race is a clever little card game of space exploration for 1 to 4 players. It was a Kickstarter darling that did not see retail release, causing a lot of people to be sad they missed this project. Well, if you missed it, lucky for you, there is currently an expansion out called Interkosmos, and you can get the base game and expansion during this campaign! So what's new in Interkosmos?

The first big change to the game is the addition of a fifth Space Program (or player). In the original game, you had the U.S., Russia, Europe, and Private Sector that you could play as. With the expansion, we now have the Chinese and their Taikonauts! Not only does this make the game playable with a larger group, it adds more theme to the game as China was the third country to put astronauts in space.

Second, you will now have achievements which can be completed and range in difficulty from having two of one type of card in your agency to using two immediate actions in one round. With only five available each game, you will now have to focus on completing specific tasks while still building the best space program. However, you will have to complete these tasks more quickly than your opponents or you will risk not scoring any points for them at all.

The third big change is an influx of new cards added to the universe. We now get to see famous people such as Alan Shepard, Jeff Bezos, Yang Liwei, and Vladimir Komarov. There is technology such as Mir, Goddard Space Flight Center, and Falcon 9.There's also some fun breakthroughs like a Martian Colony and Landing on Venus. These cards expand the deck of cards dramatically and add so much more theme to the game that you can taste it!

The last and biggest change related to the game is the introduction of Scenarios! There are currently three Scenarios (with the potential for more in the form of Stretch Goals) that make the game so much more awesome. The Scenario I tried was called The Dawn of an Era. In this scenario, countries are at the start of the space race (Appropriate!) and are competing in a technological arms race to establish supremacy. This means that you won't be playing breakthrough cards like normal and will have to wait until the last round to make the best possible combinations. My wife and I really enjoyed playing this specific Scenario at two players because it made the game take on an even deeper historical context that you don't always get in the base game. I'm not sure how well this Scenario would scale beyond three players, but I'm anxious to try it and other Scenarios.

I wasn't sure what to expect from the expansion, but I was pleased with every addition to the game. Jan Soukal and Michal Mikes took an already excellent game and found a way to make the universe bigger and better. In a hobby with so many space games (99% of them 4x or alien-based), it is refreshing to see a game steeped in history, actual people, actual technology, and actual events. This is my go-to space game and one you need in your collection if you have any love of space and exploration at all. If you already own the base game, pledge for the expansion. If you don't own the base game, well you better be one of the first 1000 to pledge for the base and expansion, because you might never have a chance to own this game again! Highly recommended!

Space Race: The Card Game

Today, I am reviewing another Kickstarter game called Space Race: The Card Game. The game was created by Jan Soukal and Marek Loskot. It is designed for 2-4 players, ages 13 and up. It takes roughly 40 minutes to play and costs approximately $33. The game takes place during the Cold War. You are the director of a new space agency with the goal of building the most successful space agency in the world. You will accomplish this by playing various Space Race Cards that score you victory points. The game itself takes place over seven turns (or decades), and the player with the most victory points on theirs cards at the end of the game is the winner.

Setup
1. Give each player a set of the same twelve Control Cards. This twelve cards consist of a 1, 3, and 6 value of the three following categories - Propaganda, Technology, Space Program, and Breakthrough.
2. Create the Universe by shuffling all the Space Race Cards and placing them in the central play area. Deal out 4, 5, or 6 Space Race Cards (depending on the number of players - 2, 3, and 4) and arrange them by the four categories above. Put two more cars from the deck face down next to the other cards.
3. Each player then draws Space Race Cards (Player 1 = 3 cards. Player 2 = 4 cards. Players 3 and 4 = 5 cards). This is the player's hand and represents resources obtained from the government or a sponsorship.

Game Play
1. Looking at the cards in the Universe and the player's hand, players simultaneously play one of their Control Cards face down. This is like placing a bid. Face down cards from the Universe are flipped over and players' bid Control Cards are also flipped over.
2. Action is then resolved in the order of Propaganda, Technology, Space Program, and Breakthrough. If two or more players, play the same type of Control Card, then the person with the highest bid (1, 3, or 6 plus any cards in your Space Agency) goes first. If it's a tie, then the first player goes first and turn proceeds in player order. Any Bureaucracy is then resolved in player order again.
3. You then prepare the next decade by moving player order, seeding the Universe (Each player gets to add cards from their hand face down into the Universe), and then flipping one of those cards over for a 2 player game (or 2 cards for a 3-4 player game).

Review

The game is all about building combos and finding synergies. Since you only have seven turns and twelve Control Cards, you will have to pick certain routes to, i.e., focusing more on Propaganda instead of Technology, and adjust your strategy based on what cards come out and how well you can read your opponent and what you think they might be focusing on. If you make a great move, you can chain together several actions in one move. For example, you can put a card in your Agency from the Universe, which then lets you draw more cards, which then lets you take a card from your hand to place in your Agency. These game mechanics are very unique and not like any game I have ever played before.

I also like all the themed cards. Instead of going for generic people, shuttles, etc., we see a nice mixture of U.S. and Russian people and technology. There are both astronauts and cosmonauts. There is Hubble, and there is Lunokhod. We also see Area 51 and the hunt for UFOs. However, where this game really leaves you speechless is in the artwork. Artwork can really make or break a game. It either draws you in or turns you off. A game can be the best and most clever you have ever played, but if it is lacking in art appeal, you may not ever play it. This game has artwork that is out of this world! I have only played a print and play version of this game, but I can't wait for it to become a real game and get to play the game with all the finished artwork.

This game is already funded on Kickstarter, but your pledge can help make this game even better by adding more artwork and cards. You have less than a week though, so don't dawdle because a game like this doesn't come around often!