Today I would like to introduce you to a brand-new game from Nerdy Pup Games, Space Princess. Designed by Michael Addison with art by Rachel Kozy and graphic design by Ian Moss, this two player game will find you engaged in an epic space battle as either the Princess or the Zealot and his Minions each with their own goals. Let’s take a look at the components, game play and overall impressions of this new game that will launch on Indiegogo in March 2018!
The Story Behind the Game:
NerdyPup Games is producing this great new title with everyone’s favorite princess in mind, the late Carrie Fisher. In honoring her memory they are going to be donating the profits from this game to the International Bipolar Foundation, a cause that was very dear to her. So by supporting this game, you can support a worthwhile cause as well. Solid move on the part of Nerdypup Studios.
The Components:
Space Princess is a small box game, similar in size to a game like Roll For It! or Love Letter. The art fits the theme well, focused on a sci-fi futuristic look and style. The components are simple in design but well made-bright colors and very clear detail in the symbols and design. Inside you will find a number of small cards used to design the board and to provide you and your opponent with a deck based on the character you choose. There also are a total of 5 player pawns, with the princess using two and the Zealot using three. They are small plastic pawns that fit the art/theme well. There is a one page instruction sheet that is printed front and back with the rules and variants for play on it as well.
Overall the pieces are well put together and easy to identify for game play. The instruction manual is clear and descriptive of the setup, rules and card reference. If anything, a small reference card for each player to identify the keywords might have been a nice addition, but after a few plays of the game you start to get a handle on the terms and moves pretty quick.
Gameplay:
Before we talk about how to play, let’s talk about how to win. The objective for each player differs, but ultimately it comes down to this:
If you are the Princess, you must reach an escape pod without being caught.
If you are the Zealot, you or your minions must capture the Princess before she escapes the ship.
The setup for the game is simple-there are 25 cards than make up the ship you will be using as the gameboard. 12 of the cards will have orange doors on them and can be placed in any direction to start. There are also two escape pods that you start on two of the four sides of the board. The Princess takes a space in the corner away from the escape pods, and the minions take the two closest corner spots to her. The Zealot will start near the middle of the board.
Each player takes their individual deck of cards and shuffles them as their own personal draw pile. Once gameplay starts, you will draw two cards and chose one to play this round. The other card is placed at the bottom of your draw pile. Simultaneously each player reveals the card they picked. The cards are played in the order of the number in the corner with the lower number executing their card action first. Once played, the cards are discarded and the next turn begins.
Impressions:
This game hit the table with the required two players, with both myself and my son playing the majority of the games. This is the impressions we had on the game:
Things that are less than optimal:
-The game can get a little repetitive, but the advanced rules in the instructions can help to change things up
-The cards are a great size, but similar to Codenames cards, if you don’t have a mat or surface for them to hold on to they can slide a bit
The Things we liked:
-First and foremost, this game is simple to learn. My son and I were able to pick up on game play quickly and jump right into to play it 4 times the first night alone
-Theme. The art and storyline behind the game fits it perfect. It looks exactly like you would imagine it would. Clean and sharp illustrations
-Game play is fluid-it moves quickly without much delay between plays. It is the type of game you can play when you have a limited time to get something to table, but it would play well with multiple plays over a longer period
-The backstory to the game. How can you not love a game giving homage to the late Carrie Fisher and donating profits from its sale?
Overall:
This game hits the aspects of a good two player game I love. Quick set up and play and solid back and forth mechanics where one person can’t just run away with the victory. I would highly recommend checking this game out and backing it when it hits Indiegogo in March.
Thank you for once again for joining us again for our look at “Space Princess”! Next week we will have a video playthrough on our youtube page. For more information, visit their website at https://www.spaceprincessgame.com/
