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Purple Phoenix Games (2266 KP) rated Space Plague in Tabletop Games
Mar 9, 2021
When is the word “plague” ever a good thing? We as a people have endured several plagues and none of them could be considered super great. However, what if the term plague was merely that of endearment? What if, in a fantasy sci-fi world, a plague was merely a settler of new worlds? Now you can play as a plague and be inspired by the game’s tagline: “We are many, yet we are one. We are the plague.”
Space Plague is a new game from first time designers who hail from the country of Colombia. In it players assume the command of a race of aliens attempting to colonize a newfound planet before the other races assume majority. Each race is essentially the same, and have similar tactics, but may use these tactics differently from other races. The player who amasses the most plagues from their race by the time the game ends will be crowned champion, and settler of the new world.
DISCLAIMER: We were provided a prototype copy of this game for the purposes of this review. These are preview copy components, and I do not know for sure if the final components will be any different from these shown. Also, it is not my intention to detail every rule in the game, as there are just too many. You are invited to download the rulebook, back the game through the Kickstarter campaign, or through any retailers stocking it after fulfillment. -T
To setup, follow the instructions, as there are many steps for setup. Once complete, the game should look similar to the photo below. You will see in this photo the main board at the top, the circular world core board (in black and red), and individual board setups for three players. Of course, for this review I will be playing the purple faction: The Flat-Earthers (not that I agree with the actual group of Flat-Earthers). Each player receives the same components, just in their player color. This includes six action cards to serve as the opening hand.
Each round follows four phases: Planetary Deck, Play Action Cards, Planetary Event, and March. On the main board a Planetary Event Card is flipped at the start of each round. This will inform the players which terrain type will generate energy this turn, as well as give a glimpse into the future event that will occur once the card travels to the activation zone on the board. Once players have placed energy shards onto the requisite terrain tiles they must each choose one card to be played this turn from their hand. As each player has the same six beginning Action Cards turns may seem similar. These action cards include Producing Plague (placing a plague disc on the space furthest from the end of the terrain tile line, on top of the picture of the player’s spaceship), Producing a Captain (a stronger version of the normal plague disc), Fast Movement (allows plague discs to move twice toward the core or two discs to move one space each), Slow But Steady (allows one plague disc to move forward one space OR allows the player to place a shield disc on top of a plague to protect it from harm), and Evolving OR Getting Lucky (which allows the player to purchase an Evolution Card from the Market or to roll the energy die and place energy shards on the resulting terrain type). More action cards can be purchased at the Market and used on future turns in order to buff certain actions, abduct opponent plagues, or even create new types of plagues with special abilities.
Once all players have played and resolved their action card for the round the Planetary Event phase begins. If an event card has moved its way to the activation zone of the main board its event text is resolved now. These events signify death of plague discs if they reside on specific terrain types, allow for purchasing cards at the Market or else destroying the plague furthest toward the core, or other various and nefarious events.
When the event has been resolved the active player token is passed to the next player and the March phase ensues. Players will move each of their plague discs one space toward the core to make room for more incoming plagues and captains.
Once the final event card has made its way through each of the main board slots and past the activation zone the game will end. Players will count their plague discs that made it onto the core of the planet and the player with the most discs will win! The rules also include several tie-breakers, ending with a shared victory and a snarky, “tough toothpaste,” style of comment.
Components. Again, this is a prototype copy of the game, and components are not at all final. However, component quality aside, this game looks amazing on the table and hints at some really excellent plans for the final aesthetic. The character art and art on the cards is cartoony, but not in a bad way, and the other art in the graphic design is just stellar (checks around the room for the hook). The game feels “spacey” and “alieny” but also hip and lighthearted. I like it. I like it a lot. My hope for the final product is that the rulebook gets much more detailed, as I had to ask several questions to the designer that just were not clear or present in the rules. I am also hoping that the cards themselves will see quite a bit of beefiness added to them, as this prototype copy shipped with mega-thin cards that are delicate to handle. For a prototype, the components are good and show me what could be upon a successful Kickstarter campaign.
The gameplay is definitely something I want to discuss. I was blown away by how much fun I had playing this game! I cannot count how many times I vocalized how impressed I was with the design and how much fun I was having. I love the mechanic of giving all players the same components but allowing them to choose how to use them best for their strategies. Sometimes I felt that I need to flood my track with plagues and get them moving, while other times I wanted to just upgrade my race by using the evolution cards from the market. Those evolution cards are so interesting to use because they can change the course of the game, especially if specific cards come out near the beginning of the game.
Players can choose which world they wish to conquer at the start of each game (five were included with this copy), and each world possesses different strategies of play. That said, Space Plague definitely scores points for replayability from us.
While it was difficult to get into at first (remember all the rules questions I had), once I was able to truly learn the game it became so enjoyable, and everyone I have played with has thoroughly enjoyed it. If this is the style of game we can expect to come out of Colombia and Bamboo Studios in particular, I am very excited for the future and for the board game community as a whole. This one is a gem and I cannot recommend it highly enough. If you are looking for something a little kooky but with great art and super fun play, then it’s a no-brainer. Space Plague is a must-play at the very least.
Space Plague is a new game from first time designers who hail from the country of Colombia. In it players assume the command of a race of aliens attempting to colonize a newfound planet before the other races assume majority. Each race is essentially the same, and have similar tactics, but may use these tactics differently from other races. The player who amasses the most plagues from their race by the time the game ends will be crowned champion, and settler of the new world.
DISCLAIMER: We were provided a prototype copy of this game for the purposes of this review. These are preview copy components, and I do not know for sure if the final components will be any different from these shown. Also, it is not my intention to detail every rule in the game, as there are just too many. You are invited to download the rulebook, back the game through the Kickstarter campaign, or through any retailers stocking it after fulfillment. -T
To setup, follow the instructions, as there are many steps for setup. Once complete, the game should look similar to the photo below. You will see in this photo the main board at the top, the circular world core board (in black and red), and individual board setups for three players. Of course, for this review I will be playing the purple faction: The Flat-Earthers (not that I agree with the actual group of Flat-Earthers). Each player receives the same components, just in their player color. This includes six action cards to serve as the opening hand.
Each round follows four phases: Planetary Deck, Play Action Cards, Planetary Event, and March. On the main board a Planetary Event Card is flipped at the start of each round. This will inform the players which terrain type will generate energy this turn, as well as give a glimpse into the future event that will occur once the card travels to the activation zone on the board. Once players have placed energy shards onto the requisite terrain tiles they must each choose one card to be played this turn from their hand. As each player has the same six beginning Action Cards turns may seem similar. These action cards include Producing Plague (placing a plague disc on the space furthest from the end of the terrain tile line, on top of the picture of the player’s spaceship), Producing a Captain (a stronger version of the normal plague disc), Fast Movement (allows plague discs to move twice toward the core or two discs to move one space each), Slow But Steady (allows one plague disc to move forward one space OR allows the player to place a shield disc on top of a plague to protect it from harm), and Evolving OR Getting Lucky (which allows the player to purchase an Evolution Card from the Market or to roll the energy die and place energy shards on the resulting terrain type). More action cards can be purchased at the Market and used on future turns in order to buff certain actions, abduct opponent plagues, or even create new types of plagues with special abilities.
Once all players have played and resolved their action card for the round the Planetary Event phase begins. If an event card has moved its way to the activation zone of the main board its event text is resolved now. These events signify death of plague discs if they reside on specific terrain types, allow for purchasing cards at the Market or else destroying the plague furthest toward the core, or other various and nefarious events.
When the event has been resolved the active player token is passed to the next player and the March phase ensues. Players will move each of their plague discs one space toward the core to make room for more incoming plagues and captains.
Once the final event card has made its way through each of the main board slots and past the activation zone the game will end. Players will count their plague discs that made it onto the core of the planet and the player with the most discs will win! The rules also include several tie-breakers, ending with a shared victory and a snarky, “tough toothpaste,” style of comment.
Components. Again, this is a prototype copy of the game, and components are not at all final. However, component quality aside, this game looks amazing on the table and hints at some really excellent plans for the final aesthetic. The character art and art on the cards is cartoony, but not in a bad way, and the other art in the graphic design is just stellar (checks around the room for the hook). The game feels “spacey” and “alieny” but also hip and lighthearted. I like it. I like it a lot. My hope for the final product is that the rulebook gets much more detailed, as I had to ask several questions to the designer that just were not clear or present in the rules. I am also hoping that the cards themselves will see quite a bit of beefiness added to them, as this prototype copy shipped with mega-thin cards that are delicate to handle. For a prototype, the components are good and show me what could be upon a successful Kickstarter campaign.
The gameplay is definitely something I want to discuss. I was blown away by how much fun I had playing this game! I cannot count how many times I vocalized how impressed I was with the design and how much fun I was having. I love the mechanic of giving all players the same components but allowing them to choose how to use them best for their strategies. Sometimes I felt that I need to flood my track with plagues and get them moving, while other times I wanted to just upgrade my race by using the evolution cards from the market. Those evolution cards are so interesting to use because they can change the course of the game, especially if specific cards come out near the beginning of the game.
Players can choose which world they wish to conquer at the start of each game (five were included with this copy), and each world possesses different strategies of play. That said, Space Plague definitely scores points for replayability from us.
While it was difficult to get into at first (remember all the rules questions I had), once I was able to truly learn the game it became so enjoyable, and everyone I have played with has thoroughly enjoyed it. If this is the style of game we can expect to come out of Colombia and Bamboo Studios in particular, I am very excited for the future and for the board game community as a whole. This one is a gem and I cannot recommend it highly enough. If you are looking for something a little kooky but with great art and super fun play, then it’s a no-brainer. Space Plague is a must-play at the very least.
Sawyer (231 KP) rated Star Wars™: Force Arena in Apps
Dec 17, 2017
Force Arena is a intense will crafted Melting Pot of everything associated with Star Wars Warfare served over rice to leave one of the best taste of strategy card collecting and player versus player enjoyment on the App Store
Go Head to Head playing as different iconic champions of Empire and Rebellion as they duke it out on various battlefields in player-versus-player scrimmages or make a friend and go 2 v2 for the win using various cards representing different weapons soldiers equipment and vehicles found in the Star Wars lore
Go Head to Head playing as different iconic champions of Empire and Rebellion as they duke it out on various battlefields in player-versus-player scrimmages or make a friend and go 2 v2 for the win using various cards representing different weapons soldiers equipment and vehicles found in the Star Wars lore
Mo (66 KP) rated Selfish Space edition in Tabletop Games
Feb 18, 2019
Quick to play (2 more)
Unpredictable
Engaging
Fun Party game which is simple to grasp
I bought this game as I needed something to get delivery on amazon... It was the best thing I could have done
This game was exceptionally enjoyable, you play against each other whilst playing against you possible demise as you can die of lack of oxygen at any point. Played it 5 times and have only had a winner once, as the other times we all died from oxygen loss.
This game was exceptionally enjoyable, you play against each other whilst playing against you possible demise as you can die of lack of oxygen at any point. Played it 5 times and have only had a winner once, as the other times we all died from oxygen loss.
Red Otter (340 KP) rated Terraforming Mars: Venus Next in Tabletop Games
Jun 6, 2019
Venus Next adds Venus to the list of areas that can be terraformed, through either cards or a standard project. However, it is not required to in order to end the game. It sits as an optional board that takes up space. This is my least favourite of the expansion as it doesn't feel part of the game as closely as it should. It simply feels extra, another source of points. It adds floaters which can be a cool way of doing resources but as a expansion that improves the game? I disagree with that
Red Otter (340 KP) rated Terraforming Mars: Hellas & Elysium in Tabletop Games
Jun 10, 2019
Terraformong Mars: Hellas and Elysium is a small expansion that is a double sided board that overlays the original board to add new terrain, awards and milestones to TM. The new placement bonuses ocean areas change up the usual optimal placements, while the awards and milestones change what an optimal engine is. It adds enough variety to the game play for it's price, but doesn't add new cards or corporations. Unfortunately, the explanation for the new awards and milestones are on a not very durable sheet, so make sure to protect it well.
The Marinated Meeple (1853 KP) rated Hanabi in Tabletop Games
May 31, 2018
The Gimmick (2 more)
Very simple
provides good laughs
The Gimmick (1 more)
rules can be easily broken without intention
Great Gimmick! You can't look at your own cards.
This game gets old for me fast, but I love the idea. It's simple and easy to teach.... but quickly becomes a game of how much are you willing to cheat. There are rules, but they can be bent and easily broken. Not even by intention. This is the kind of game I play with new players twice and then we move on... which is fine.
The Marinated Meeple (1853 KP) rated Glory to Rome in Tabletop Games
Jun 2, 2018
Multi use cards (1 more)
Design on black box edition
Crazy swings and combos
This is an amazing game and I’ve only played it twice. The first time you are lost and just going thru the motions. Then the clouds part and you see what the game can be. Crazy powerful combos and intense decisions. It’s a great game and a modern classic by a great designer. Only problem is that it can’t be reprinted for legal reasons so copies of the game can be very expensive.
Kristin (149 KP) rated The Art Of The Next Best in Books
Dec 7, 2018
Disclaimer: I received an e-copy from the author in exchange for an honest (not necessarily positive) review.
I'm currently bingeing the 4th season of "House of Cards," and I must say this novella fits right into the frame of mind that goes hand in hand with that show. Just these few pages has me geared up and ready to go, playing "spot the backroom deal," "whose hand is in whose pocket," and so forth. If this is a lead-in for the 5th full book, go ahead and sign me up!
5 stars
I'm currently bingeing the 4th season of "House of Cards," and I must say this novella fits right into the frame of mind that goes hand in hand with that show. Just these few pages has me geared up and ready to go, playing "spot the backroom deal," "whose hand is in whose pocket," and so forth. If this is a lead-in for the 5th full book, go ahead and sign me up!
5 stars
J. L. Stowers (136 KP) rated Exploding Kittens in Tabletop Games
Jul 13, 2018
Easy to learn (1 more)
Short gameplay
I won this game in a Smashbomb giveaway and m my family has really enjoyed playing it. It's easily adaptable between 2 and 4 players. We laugh about the cards and have a great time.
Gameplay is short enough to hold the attention of my kids. They don't even get upset when they lose like they do with other games. It's a new favorite for sure. The only down side is that i wish the deck was just a little bigger... but I can always buy the expansion.
Gameplay is short enough to hold the attention of my kids. They don't even get upset when they lose like they do with other games. It's a new favorite for sure. The only down side is that i wish the deck was just a little bigger... but I can always buy the expansion.
