Space Base Review

Space Base is a simple, fast and friendly economic engine building game released in 2018. If I could put this game on the table and play one game, it would be enough for you to know that the game is ōsom . Until then, listen, I'll tell you what makes this an ideal option for both light gaming companies, and a pretty adequate starter for those going on to Arkham and Scythe after that.

Each player's fleet consists of between 1 and 12 numbered ships that do what spaceships usually do - some generate income, some just bring money and some generate victory points or maybe even change time and space a bit... But more on that later .

Each ship has its own sector and its own ability, and when you roll the corresponding number, that ability is fulfilled, for example you get 3 space coins. Space coins, in turn, can be used to buy additional ships. The additional ships are of course more beneficial than the original ones, but, hmm, what to do with the original ships...? They settle in the same sector (number), only upside down, and give goodies when the opponents roll the corresponding number.

For those familiar with Katana, this mechanic will be very familiar - regardless of who has the turn, everyone is still keeping an eye on the meta dice because everyone has a chance to get something.

Unlike Katana, it's easy to "get" all the numbers, and also accumulate a lot of different bonuses for them - for example, you can improve all sectors evenly and get a small benefit on each roll, but you can just as easily improve 7 or 9 four or five times, and each time , when your opponents roll the required one, you have one beat move.

Various little things add strategy and tactics to this "earn - upgrade - earn more" cycle. For example, each purchase costs all money - you had 39 coins, but really wanted a ship for 3? Sorry, your balance is exactly 0 coins. This, in turn, can be easily corrected by improving production, since money never goes below the production figure. Spaceships are divided into classes by price (cheap costs from 2 to 5, medium - from 7 to 9, and expensive - from 12 to 14), so without advanced production it will be difficult to accumulate the most powerful fleet.

Other ships allow you to use not the cast sector, but the neighbor to the right or left. Others allow you to trade ships from other sectors. Or improve the roll by +1 to get something really, really good. And so on. There is also a card that allows you to win the game instantly - you just have to buy it and then roll 12 4 times...

The author of the game is John D. Clair, the author of Mystic Vale, and that's exactly how the game feels - very fast, dynamic (the first half seems slow - everyone slowly builds their fleets, but then at one point everyone concludes that the economy is working, and well start accumulating points and in a few intense moves everything is at the finish line) and beautiful.

I've owned it for just over a month and it's been played 23 times in that time - an excellent record!

Author Kārlis Bergmanis

Board Game Geek rating: 7.4

Pictures from personal archive and BGG

If you are interested in this game, write to Aleksandr (aleksandrs@brain-games.com) and maybe it will be possible to include it in one of the future orders.