Space and the exploration of everything out there in the cosmos has intrigued many of us for centuries. The idea of blasting of and living among the stars is the dream of all the young kids watching the stars and the stories of some of our best science fiction. Along with exploring the stars, the possibility of living amongst them intrigues many of us as well. Today we are going to look at a game that puts you right in that world, as you explore your very own asteroid and attempt to build the best colony with the best workers in the galaxy. Let’s take a ride on the next ship out of here as we explore Cosmic Colonies.
Cosmic Colonies is designed by Scott Almes and illustrated by Tristam Rossin. Graphic design by Matt Paquette. It published by Floodgate Games for 1-4 players.
Overview
The game will take place over 8 rounds where players will move between the Action phase or Refresh phase each round. After 8 rounds players will gain points based on the uncovered spaces on their board, sets and building tiles that match their Objective card. Most points wins!
Setup and Gameplay
The game can be played with basic or advanced setup. The game board is set up in the center of the table with each resource location filled with one token per player. Each building slot is filled with its corresponding shape. The scoring track and player boards are set up accordingly as well. Worker cards are picked specifically or at random and each player is given 1 of each resource to start. Each player also receives one secret objective card.
The game consists of two phases, the Action and Refresh phase. They play as follows:
1-Action Phase. Here players will simultaneously select one of the cards in their hand secretly and place it face-down in front of them. Once all players have selected their card they reveal them. Each player performs their action in order from smallest to largest priority number.
Each worker will allow you to either collect resources or place a building. Collecting resources occurs where a player will take one type of resources from the ones available on the main board up to the level their worker can carry. Add these to the player’s warehouse personal player board. Players may also place a building by paying the resource cost and take it from the main board and place it on their asteroid. Tiles may be placed anywhere for the first one nd then every other tile must be adjacent to another one. Tiles must share at least one edge. Once placed, they cannot be moved.
2-Refresh Phase. Here you will resupply the resources on the main board and add new Buildings in the empty slots. The round marker is moved forward one. Any used Worker cards are now “Orbited” by passing them to the player on your right. The game will then resume and continue for another round unless it is the eight round in which you proceed to the scoring phase.
Scoring occurs by counting your undeveloped terrain which are your visible spots and your constructed building and private objective cards. The more of a certain type of terrain you have visible the lower your score will be. Constructed buildings score based on full sets of the five and your private Objective card. The player with the highest score is the winner!
Impressions
Cosmic Colonies takes a familiar game type in drafting and tile placement and smashes them together into a fun experience. The game is easy to pick up on and one I would expect most families can easily get to the table with a few minutes of explanation especially with the basic setup. The advanced rules make it a little more difficult as the Worker cards can be different based on when they are played in turn order for the round.
The Worker cards are a definite pick instead of randomize after you play this a few times. By picking you can cater the game to the type of players and their level of understanding along with the level of competitive play they enjoy. We found ourselves picking not too far into the game to get the ones we really wanted on the board. Same goes with the advanced Workers as well.
The scoring is unique as well in a tile laying game as you are scoring based off of what you don’t get covered up, really challenging you to make the right decisions so you can score at the end. Early plays of the game I found that I wasn’t focused on one or two terrain types enough so I was often left with just enough of everything showing to not score much at all. I really suggest picking one or two types of the terrain and focusing on them.
The components for this one are great also, especially the resource tokens which might be some of my favorite in any game. The water, minerals, organics and power tokens are awesome and colorful and they id a really nice job on the details of these pieces. The art on the game boards and tiles are solid as well, along the friendly-looking space explorers on the cards.
Overall Cosmic Colonies gets a big thumbs up on our table and one I expect we will be introducing to a few different families as well. The space theme and ease of play will make this one popular on your table with your aspiring astronauts or NASA nuts in the house. Well thought out card play and tile laying make this game a great combination of a few different mechanics and I really love them and how they work really well together. Give this one a chance for your next game night and see if you can build your best colony!
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