Search
Search results
Purple Phoenix Games (2266 KP) rated Space Explorers in Tabletop Games
Jan 4, 2021
Space! It’s all the rage nowadays. Okay, it has been for many decades now, but I feel like recently we have, as a human race, decided to get back out there and start exploring again. While this game is not set in modern times, the excitement of exploration and the different facets of what actually goes into successful launches is certainly prevalent. Will our heroes overcome the G-Forces that press them into their seats and become one of the few to view Earth from afar, or will they fizzle out at launch and come back shamed?
Space Explorers is a card drafting, set collection game for two to four players. In it players will take on the mantles of unique Human Resources managers… in space! Well, not IN space, but FOR space. By recruiting the best and brightest engineers, testers, scientists, builders, and astronauts players will score points in addition to scoring points for completing projects.
DISCLAIMER: We were provided a copy of this game for the purposes of this review. This is a retail copy of the game, so what you see in these photos is exactly what would be received in your box. I do not intend to cover every single rule included in the rulebook, but will describe the overall game flow and major rule set so that our readers may get a sense of how the game plays. For more in depth rules, you may purchase a copy online or from your FLGS. -T
To setup, assemble Hub parts tableau organizer for each player. Shuffle the deck of Specialist cards (engineer, tester, et al) to be recruited and reveal six face up to symbolize the Center. Deal each player one of these Specialist cards to create their starting hand. Randomly choose two plus the number of players Project tiles and lay them on the table to be completed throughout the game. Each player will also receive a reference sheet (VERY handy) and one token of each Research type. Determine the starting player and the space race may now begin!
On a player’s turn they have two choices to make: take a Specialist card from the table into their hand, or recruit a Specialist from either their hand or from the table and place in their personal tableau. After this is completed the player may collect one Project tile if they now control the correct number of Specialists per Project tile.
To take a card into hand, a player simply selects one face-up Specialist card from those on the table and places it in hand. Simple.
To recruit a Specialist the player will need to spend Resources equal to the recruitment cost printed on the Specialist card. Resources may be spent in any combination from actual Resource tokens, Resources provided by recruited Specialists already in the player Hub (tableau), and discarding a Specialist card from hand to the table to give two Resources of any type.
As Specialists are recruited to the players’ Hubs they will then give a discount toward recruiting future Specialists of the same type along with other abilities. For each Specialist in the Hub the player will receive a discount of one Resource icon needed to spend to recruit a Specialist of the same type. For example, if a player already has recruited two Scientists, the next Scientist they recruit will be discounted by two Resources. These Resources are discounted from the bottom-up on the listed recruitment cost, and may even result in Specialists being recruited for free. Similarly, some Specialists have certain abilities printed on their card that allow such actions as recruiting cards for free, or providing Resource icons to be used to recruit, or even providing extra points at game end for a variety of reasons.
Play continues in this fashion of players taking Specialists in hand or recruiting them to their Hub to be used to complete Projects and earn points. The game ends once the last Project has been completed or any one player has recruited their 12th Specialist. Every player will have the same number of turns, after which the winner will be the player with the most points!
Components. I have a lot to say about the components here. I think that 25th Century Games has absolutely nailed every single component in this box. The Specialist cards are excellent quality: linen finished, great thickness, and they shuffle realllllly well. The Project tiles, Hub parts, and Resource tokens are thick board stock. The reference sheets are good and the rulebook is just perfect. One thing that may be slightly polarizing is the art style. Space Explorers uses imagery similar to what you would find on many things in the 1950s and 1960s in America. That said, I absolutely love the art style and it is reinforced on every component in this game. The icons are slick and stylish, the color scheme is muted without being drab, and everything you play with is meant to help immerse you into the time of the first astronauts. It’s simply amazingly well done.
The gameplay is also quite stellar (Laura will like that one). I know many compare it to Splendor, and that is certainly warranted, but I feel that Space Explorers pulls it off much more fluidly. Yes, Splendor has those weighty chips that everyone likes while Space Explorers has cardboard tokens. But other than that Space Explorers surpasses the other by leaps and bounds. The gameplay is much more intriguing, the theme is way cooler, and I am just overall much more attracted to it.
While gameplay overall is similar, there is quite a number of differences Space Explorers offers. Foremost, when Resource tokens are spent to recruit Specialists, instead of being sent to a communal bank they are passed along to the player on the left. That’s right, you literally give those Resources to your opponent that will be playing next. This small change really increases the need to be aware of what each player’s strategy may be in order to recruit who you need without also helping your rivals. Being able to utilize three different sources of currency in combination to recruit Specialists is also quite nice. Don’t have the right number of tokens? No problem! Check out what your Specialists are providing from their years of experience.
It is really no shock here that I am enamored with Space Explorers. I really didn’t know that I needed a Splendor killer in my collection, but now that I have this I will be holding it tightly and in high regard. Purple Phoenix Games gives this one an out-of-this-world 11 / 12. If you LIKE the aforementioned game that everyone seems to own but don’t LOVE it, then you need to check out Space Explorers. The theme is great, the components are superb, and the gameplay is light and fast. I love it dearly and hope you do too.
Space Explorers is a card drafting, set collection game for two to four players. In it players will take on the mantles of unique Human Resources managers… in space! Well, not IN space, but FOR space. By recruiting the best and brightest engineers, testers, scientists, builders, and astronauts players will score points in addition to scoring points for completing projects.
DISCLAIMER: We were provided a copy of this game for the purposes of this review. This is a retail copy of the game, so what you see in these photos is exactly what would be received in your box. I do not intend to cover every single rule included in the rulebook, but will describe the overall game flow and major rule set so that our readers may get a sense of how the game plays. For more in depth rules, you may purchase a copy online or from your FLGS. -T
To setup, assemble Hub parts tableau organizer for each player. Shuffle the deck of Specialist cards (engineer, tester, et al) to be recruited and reveal six face up to symbolize the Center. Deal each player one of these Specialist cards to create their starting hand. Randomly choose two plus the number of players Project tiles and lay them on the table to be completed throughout the game. Each player will also receive a reference sheet (VERY handy) and one token of each Research type. Determine the starting player and the space race may now begin!
On a player’s turn they have two choices to make: take a Specialist card from the table into their hand, or recruit a Specialist from either their hand or from the table and place in their personal tableau. After this is completed the player may collect one Project tile if they now control the correct number of Specialists per Project tile.
To take a card into hand, a player simply selects one face-up Specialist card from those on the table and places it in hand. Simple.
To recruit a Specialist the player will need to spend Resources equal to the recruitment cost printed on the Specialist card. Resources may be spent in any combination from actual Resource tokens, Resources provided by recruited Specialists already in the player Hub (tableau), and discarding a Specialist card from hand to the table to give two Resources of any type.
As Specialists are recruited to the players’ Hubs they will then give a discount toward recruiting future Specialists of the same type along with other abilities. For each Specialist in the Hub the player will receive a discount of one Resource icon needed to spend to recruit a Specialist of the same type. For example, if a player already has recruited two Scientists, the next Scientist they recruit will be discounted by two Resources. These Resources are discounted from the bottom-up on the listed recruitment cost, and may even result in Specialists being recruited for free. Similarly, some Specialists have certain abilities printed on their card that allow such actions as recruiting cards for free, or providing Resource icons to be used to recruit, or even providing extra points at game end for a variety of reasons.
Play continues in this fashion of players taking Specialists in hand or recruiting them to their Hub to be used to complete Projects and earn points. The game ends once the last Project has been completed or any one player has recruited their 12th Specialist. Every player will have the same number of turns, after which the winner will be the player with the most points!
Components. I have a lot to say about the components here. I think that 25th Century Games has absolutely nailed every single component in this box. The Specialist cards are excellent quality: linen finished, great thickness, and they shuffle realllllly well. The Project tiles, Hub parts, and Resource tokens are thick board stock. The reference sheets are good and the rulebook is just perfect. One thing that may be slightly polarizing is the art style. Space Explorers uses imagery similar to what you would find on many things in the 1950s and 1960s in America. That said, I absolutely love the art style and it is reinforced on every component in this game. The icons are slick and stylish, the color scheme is muted without being drab, and everything you play with is meant to help immerse you into the time of the first astronauts. It’s simply amazingly well done.
The gameplay is also quite stellar (Laura will like that one). I know many compare it to Splendor, and that is certainly warranted, but I feel that Space Explorers pulls it off much more fluidly. Yes, Splendor has those weighty chips that everyone likes while Space Explorers has cardboard tokens. But other than that Space Explorers surpasses the other by leaps and bounds. The gameplay is much more intriguing, the theme is way cooler, and I am just overall much more attracted to it.
While gameplay overall is similar, there is quite a number of differences Space Explorers offers. Foremost, when Resource tokens are spent to recruit Specialists, instead of being sent to a communal bank they are passed along to the player on the left. That’s right, you literally give those Resources to your opponent that will be playing next. This small change really increases the need to be aware of what each player’s strategy may be in order to recruit who you need without also helping your rivals. Being able to utilize three different sources of currency in combination to recruit Specialists is also quite nice. Don’t have the right number of tokens? No problem! Check out what your Specialists are providing from their years of experience.
It is really no shock here that I am enamored with Space Explorers. I really didn’t know that I needed a Splendor killer in my collection, but now that I have this I will be holding it tightly and in high regard. Purple Phoenix Games gives this one an out-of-this-world 11 / 12. If you LIKE the aforementioned game that everyone seems to own but don’t LOVE it, then you need to check out Space Explorers. The theme is great, the components are superb, and the gameplay is light and fast. I love it dearly and hope you do too.
MPMcDonald (8 KP) rated Dauntless (The Lost Fleet, #1) in Books
Jan 12, 2018
This is the first military sci-fi book I ever read. Unfortunately, once I was done with the series, I couldn't find anymore like it. What I loved is that Black Jack Geary was the epitome of the reluctant hero and I'm a total sucker for that kind of character. The idea that he had been floating around in space in a lifepod frozen in susepended animation and wakes up a hundred years after he entered the lifepod is a great plot device. He wakes up to find out that he's become a legend and a hero, and yet he doesn't feel like one. After all, he lost his ship in the battle that sent him into the lifepod.
I didn't think I'd be able to follow the complicated space battles but they were so well written, I had no trouble at all. Of course, keep in mind, I have nothing to compare it too. I didn't even like Star Wars very much.
I didn't think I'd be able to follow the complicated space battles but they were so well written, I had no trouble at all. Of course, keep in mind, I have nothing to compare it too. I didn't even like Star Wars very much.
Sheridan (209 KP) rated Europa Report (2013) in Movies
Jul 10, 2017
Storyline (3 more)
Realistic Ending
Excellent Cast
Unique Presentation
A Refreshing Look at Humans in Space
I found this to be a refreshing look at a 'humans in space' movie. It was interesting, intriguing and presented in a unique way. The film itself is told through the cameras on board as well as the crews cameras and helmet cameras, this gives it an 'outsider looking in' feel, as you watch the crew and what they go through to prove there is life in our solar system. The visual effects are not too flashy and rely more on the story and the emotions the characters display. This is what makes the movie for me. The emotions of the characters seem so real, heartfelt, the ending was realistic and allowed you to connect the final dots of the story. For sci-fi fans who have not seen this movie I would recommend you do, it's excellent. Would definitely watch again.
Madbatdan82 (341 KP) rated Rim of the World (2019) in Movies
Jun 1, 2019
Stranger things this aint
Stranger Things is great and its brought a resurgence of the 80s style kids adventure films. Unfortunately for every Stranger Things & Scouts Guide to the apocalypse theres also one of these disasters...starts abruptly in space where the space station is attacked by a massive spaceship. Then it starts to introduce the stereotypical kids who all end up going to the same summer camp just as aliens attack Earth. The script is shoddy and the acting is pretty poor. It feels like a poor after school daytime TV movie - the fate of the Earth lies in these 4 kids hands blah blah. The aliens are pretty generic and unscary and it all leads to a pointless climax and ridiculous credits scenes. I was hoping for some mindless fun - i got half!!!
Loz Hughes (80 KP) rated The 100 in TV
Jul 17, 2018
Raises interesting morality questions in a post apocalyptic environment (earth)/in space. (1 more)
Subsequent series develop and enrich the storyline
Quite teeny to start with in the first series but the second and third start to get more gripping.
I was recommended this series by my best friend and to start with it appeared a bit budget and awkward in parts, but as the episodes and series progressed you developed a feel for the different characters and gained more enjoyment from the storyline itself.
For me I found the morality aspect interesting. Who do you pick to explore a potentially deadly planet? Who gets to survive in space when theres limited oxygen levels etc?
Still following the series since the first one, so I guess its pretty good if im still watching it three years later or so :).
If you like survival, sci fi, and lord of the flies it should appeal.
For me I found the morality aspect interesting. Who do you pick to explore a potentially deadly planet? Who gets to survive in space when theres limited oxygen levels etc?
Still following the series since the first one, so I guess its pretty good if im still watching it three years later or so :).
If you like survival, sci fi, and lord of the flies it should appeal.
David McK (3801 KP) rated Guardian (The Lost Fleet: Beyond the Frontier, #3) in Books
Jan 30, 2019
3rd entry in Jack Campbell's (or John G Hemry) <i>The Lost Fleet: Beyond the Frontier</i> series, so really 9th(!) book overall in </i>The Lost Fleet</i> series.
Having successfully found the frontiers of 'Enigma' alien space and started his journey back home in the previous 2 novels, this novel finishes off that journey, with 'Black Jack' Geary's First Fleet finally making its way back to Alliance Space, accompanied by the allied alien 'Dancers' they had previously encountered along the way, and with the captured 'Kick' super battle cruiser in tow.
The bulk of the novel deals with the final leg of the journey back home, with a section at the very end where Geary's flagship is sent back Home (with a capital 'H') back to the Sol system, where human life originated ...
In short, more of the same, with scope left open for even more entries in the series!
Having successfully found the frontiers of 'Enigma' alien space and started his journey back home in the previous 2 novels, this novel finishes off that journey, with 'Black Jack' Geary's First Fleet finally making its way back to Alliance Space, accompanied by the allied alien 'Dancers' they had previously encountered along the way, and with the captured 'Kick' super battle cruiser in tow.
The bulk of the novel deals with the final leg of the journey back home, with a section at the very end where Geary's flagship is sent back Home (with a capital 'H') back to the Sol system, where human life originated ...
In short, more of the same, with scope left open for even more entries in the series!
David McK (3801 KP) rated Death Troopers (Star Wars) in Books
Jan 30, 2019
Take a classic Space Opera saga (Star Wars), add a soupcon of horror (Aliens), and a large dose of Zombies (Resident Evil), and what do you have?
This book.
The plot? An Imperial prison barge breaks down, and then comes across a seemingly abandoned Star Destroyer out in the wastes of space. It transpires that the Destroyer is not abandoned after all, and that it had been carrying out bio-weapon experiments ...
Definitely felt like the author was (heavily) inspired by the Resident Evil games/films: the Zombies are such not as the living dead back-to-life of Romero, but as a result of a engineered virus. The Aliens link I mentioned comes in on the 'set-on-prison-<s>planet</s>barge' setting, and I'm also not entirely sure why he felt the need to drop Han Solo and Chewbacca into the mix, unless that was just so you would know it is a Star Wars novel?
Not the best Extended Universe book.
This book.
The plot? An Imperial prison barge breaks down, and then comes across a seemingly abandoned Star Destroyer out in the wastes of space. It transpires that the Destroyer is not abandoned after all, and that it had been carrying out bio-weapon experiments ...
Definitely felt like the author was (heavily) inspired by the Resident Evil games/films: the Zombies are such not as the living dead back-to-life of Romero, but as a result of a engineered virus. The Aliens link I mentioned comes in on the 'set-on-prison-<s>planet</s>barge' setting, and I'm also not entirely sure why he felt the need to drop Han Solo and Chewbacca into the mix, unless that was just so you would know it is a Star Wars novel?
Not the best Extended Universe book.
Sammie Hilton (3 KP) rated the PlayStation 4 version of No Man's Sky in Video Games
Jul 10, 2019
On first play No Mans Sky was terrifying and there was a distinct lack of an intro to the controls which for this game is definitely needed. Upon landing on an acrid desert planet (assuming very likely to be a common first style of planet for most players) you have to harvest resources to fix your ship and get the hell outta there.
Been playing it a few months now and more comfortable, you can either explore the galaxy on your own time after completing some home story missions, or follow the main storyline if you feel you need more to do. You can trade at space stations, buy a new space ship, talk to the local aliens etc. Upon entering one galaxy you get the chance to win a freighter. Both my husband and I play No Mans Sky and our game play couldn't be more different so we have both seen various aspects of the game.
Been playing it a few months now and more comfortable, you can either explore the galaxy on your own time after completing some home story missions, or follow the main storyline if you feel you need more to do. You can trade at space stations, buy a new space ship, talk to the local aliens etc. Upon entering one galaxy you get the chance to win a freighter. Both my husband and I play No Mans Sky and our game play couldn't be more different so we have both seen various aspects of the game.
MS
Museum Storage and Meaning: Tales from the Crypt
Kavita Singh and Mirjam Brusius
Book
Beyond their often beautiful exhibition halls, many museums contain vast, hidden spaces in which...
Linear Inverse Problems and Tikhonov Regularization
Book
Tikhonov regularization is the most popular general-purpose method for regularization, a...