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The collection of the top 10 Science Fiction Board Games Ever will be shown in the article below.
A large genre that has been used for years is science fiction, particularly in the field of board games. Since the 1970s, there have been video games like Dune and Cosmic Encounter, and interest in science fiction has only grown.
There are many board games with science fiction themes that employ the themes and aesthetic of science fiction to produce immersive, distinctive experiences on the tabletop as a result of our shared love of science fiction. The examples that follow offer a wide and varied range of games, both new and old, that effectively use science fiction as their theme.
10. One Deck Galaxy
This One Deck Dungeon sequel is a complex, strategic dice/card game in which players roll dice and assign them to different cards, collaborating to forge a federation while fending off an unusual foe. The game miraculously fits into a compact box, and for those who desire it, it also contains a unique campaign-style structure.
Yet, One Deck Galaxy differs from the original One Deck Dungeon in more ways than just its theme. The “Starbase” card, which allows players a place to use their dice should they be useless elsewhere, is the main distinction. One Deck Galaxy is a fantastic sci-fi game featuring a fun, hefty RNG-free experience for enthusiasts of cooperative experiences.
9. Galaxy Trucker
Now in its second edition at the time of writing, Galaxy Trucker was originally released in 2007, with its second edition releasing in 2021. The game tasks players with simultaneously building a ramshackle spaceship from a shared pool of tiles following a strict set of rules, all in a limited amount of time. After players have constructed their spaceships, the second phase of the game begins.
The second phase of Galaxy Trucker is where the actual trucking comes in. Players will take their ships and send them through a gauntlet of encounter cards, collecting as much cargo as they can while fending off enemy ships and flying through asteroid fields. At the end of the encounters, players sell their cargo for cash, and depending on the difficulty of the run they chose, build another ship and head back out to face harder encounters.
8. Nemesis
By placing players in the roles of a blue-collar sci-fi spaceship crew fighting against lethal alien creatures that have taken over the ship, Nemesis attempts to unofficially capture the heart and soul of the Alien genre.
In Nemesis, players must accomplish their own special goal in addition to dodging dangerous enemies and trying to escape alive. The game isn’t always totally cooperative because this special purpose may be something that hurts other players or be unselfish. Nemesis is likely the ideal game for gamers that enjoy sci-fi horror and don’t mind a little backstabbing in their games.
7. Space Hulk (4th Edition)
Over the years, Games Workshop has produced a large number of boxed games, many of which are set in the well-known Warhammer: 40,000 setting. Among the most well-known of these boxed sets is Space Hulk, the fourth edition of which was released in 2014. At the time of writing, Board Game Geek gives the 4th Edition the highest rating out of all the editions.
In the two-player cooperative game Space Hulk, one player controls the Space Marines and the other controls the Genestealers. The game’s setting, the “Space Hulk,” is a wrecked starship, and the Genestealers are a swarm of horrifying monsters that have settled there.
Fans of Warhammer: 40k will enjoy this game because of its fast-paced gameplay, intensity, and mood. As one of Games Workshop’s most recognizable properties, one can anticipate that a new edition of Space Hulk will be issued in the years to come. However, Space Hulk hasn’t seen a new edition or reprint since 2014 at the time of writing.
6. Star Wars: Imperial Assault
As one of the most recognizable science-fiction series, Star Wars has inspired a large number of video games (both digital and traditional board games). Despite the fact that Star Wars: Rebellion is a fantastic versus game and Star Wars: X-Wing is an approachable and themed miniatures game, it may be argued that Star Wars: Imperial Assault is the greatest due to its greater player count and the sheer volume of content packed into its basic package.
Up to four players can handle a member of the Rebel Alliance in Star Wars: Imperial Assault, while one player controls the Empire. Players battle their way through numerous scenarios that are controlled by the villain player in this game, which is simply a re-implementation of Descent’s fundamental system. The game’s balance can be off at times, and how much you enjoy it may depend on who is in charge of the Empire. In Star Wars: Imperial Assault, characters cannot pass away.
Instead, they become exhausted and less powerful, with the goal of the Empire player being to exhaust all the Rebel players. This means that each scenario remains fun for everyone throughout, and removes the horrible feeling that comes from being knocked out at the start of a scenario and having to sit it out.
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5. Terraforming Mars
In the game Terraforming Mars, which is currently ranked sixth overall on Board Game Geek, players collaborate to terraform the Red Planet while also competing with one another and racking up win points for their efforts in terraforming and other charitable endeavors.
When players take up new projects in the form of cards, earning their immediate bonuses and working towards their prerequisites to play them, which costs currency in and of itself, Terraforming Mars is very much about resource management and engine construction. Although not being one of the most initially thrilling games, many board players are likely to enjoy the systematic and strategic experience that is Terraforming Mars.
4. Cosmic Encounter
In the 1977 video game Cosmic Encounter, which is still in print today, players take control of one of the numerous distinctive alien races, each of which has its own special abilities. Each player has control over a fleet of spacecraft, which they alternately dispatch to the planets of their opponents to found colonies. The player with the most colonies outside of their own planets wins the game.
Cosmic Encounter features a lot of diplomacy and group politics because it lets players invite other players to assist them colonize planets. This creates some amusing and dramatic social scenarios. Also, because numerous players can win jointly in this game, diplomacy is an effective tactic.
3. Eclipse: Second Dawn For The Galaxy
This game for two-to-six players is a tactical grand strategy game that rivals sci-fi classics like Twilight Imperium. However, Eclipse differs from Twilight Imperium with its emphasis on tactical combat and ship customization, in which players can upgrade their ships in various ways to counter specific strategies.
This ship combat and customization is the heart of Eclipse, and all the other moving parts of the game tend to revolve around it. Furthermore, the game is a luxury product. It has great components, and more importantly, an efficient storage system that allows players to set up the game quickly, which is important for a big-box game such as this. This is Eclipse’s second edition, building on and polishing the original that was released in 2011 to create something truly remarkable.
2. Dune (2019)
Originally released in 1979, Dune has long been a highly regarded war game among fans of the genre, and for the longest time, it was extremely hard to come by, until it was finally reprinted with a fresh coat of paint in 2019. This re-implementation of the original game’s design brings the iconic game to the modern day.
In Dune, players take control of one of six factions from Frank Herbert’s iconic Dune novels, fighting for control over the planet “Arrakis,” where the valuable commodity “Spice” is mined. This spice is also an integral part of Dune’s design, being a resource that is blown about the board for players to collect and use primarily to deploy more troops, which players need to take the game’s objectives. Dune contains so many quirks and complexities that it’s hard to explain briefly, but for those that are patient and don’t mind a slow-burning, complex experience, Dune is a piece of board gaming history that’s not to be missed.
1. Twilight Imperium
This sci-fi space opera from Fantasy Flight Games was originally produced back in 1997. Now in its fourth edition, Twilight Imperium is grand strategy on an epic scale, tasking players with controlling the burgeoning empires of various alien races.
Each race in Twilight Imperium encourages a different playstyle, making for a broad and replayable experience. The game is mainly focused on building and positioning fleets, as well as engaging in diplomacy with fellow players. Twilight Imperium is a huge game, and not necessarily accessible, not only because it takes roughly six hours to play depending on the player count, but because it requires a heavy amount of strategizing. However, Twilight Imperium is a dramatic and immersive experience that fans of sci-fi space operas are sure to love.
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