Wild Space
Designer: Pandasaurus Games
Players: 1-5
Playtime: 30 minutes
Ages: 10+
Wild Space is a fast-paced, exploration-based board game where players command a spaceship to explore a newly discovered galaxy. Your goal is to recruit the best crew of Specialists, Robots, and Emissaries, and earn the most credits by the end of the game. The game features 108 crew cards, 10 planet tiles, 25 spaceship tokens, 5 veteran tokens, and 12 hostile planet cards for solo mode.
Setup
Start with two face-up starting planets in the center, adding three random face-down planets. Players are dealt one Captain Card and five spaceship tokens in their chosen color, plus a Veteran token. Crew cards (Specialists, Robots, and Emissaries) are shuffled, and three are revealed for the shared pool. Each player begins with three crew cards in hand. The game starts with the player who most recently saw an animal (an amusing rule that can get tricky with pets nearby!).
Gameplay
On a player’s turn, they can:
- Land on a planet (gain benefits from the planet)
- Explore a planet (reveal a new planet by meeting crew member requirements)
Each player has five spaceships and the game concludes after ten turns. To win, players need to focus on gathering crew members and forming optimal card combos. Landing on and exploring planets unlocks actions such as drawing or discarding cards, and crew members help by creating synergies based on job roles or species. Players earn credits through strategic crew combinations and efficient use of the planets’ abilities.
Objective
Players aim to build the best crew possible and earn the most credits by the end of the game, maximizing points through card interactions and planet exploration.
Final Thoughts
The strategy element in Wild Space shines through card drafting and the interaction between crew members. Watching how card synergies unfold is deeply satisfying, and keeping an eye on your opponents adds a fun competitive edge. The game moves quickly once you’re familiar with the mechanics, and the art style, especially the charming animals like the owls, is delightful. The solo mode also adds great replayability for those who want a single-player challenge.
Wild Space is an excellent choice for anyone who enjoys medium-weight strategy games with a fun exploration theme.
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