Race F/T Galaxy [おもちゃ＆ホビー]

The sensation of the 2007 Essen convention, this is a card game for two to five players with tremendous replayability. If you're familiar with San Juan, the game is similar: you have a deck of cards that can either be played on a tableau or used as currency. Each card has a cost (that can be modified by existing cards on the tableau) and grants certain powers and scores. The idea is to play cards that build your powers that can then be translated into victory points. But, unlike San Juan, every player has a different starting point; there is an additional level of complexity and strategy from the variety of cards available. Like San Juan, there are many different ways to win. The space theme is nicely done, and expansions are expected. Scales nicely: it's as fun with two players as with four, though strategies are slightly different.

I think the symbols on the cards are intuitive, but I've seen inexperienced gamers complain about the number of symbols. The symbols are color-coded and would be unreadable to the color-blind.

Less than a few months after its release, RftG's rating already in the top forty all time on the Board Game Geek website, which is unheard of.

RACE FOR THE GALAXY is a card game of resource management that bears strong similarities to SAN JUAN (it was in fact the rival development to translate PUERTO RICO into a card game). There are roles that each player takes, cards representing assets that are paid for by discarding from the hand, and the game is over when one player has 12 assets, or when all victory points are assigned. RACE FOR THE GALAXY has some advanced features that make it more fun to play, and the artwork for the science fiction theme is fantastic.

One major departure from the "PUERTO RICO"/"SAN JUAN" mechanics is that all players choose roles simultaneously. Each player has a hand of role cards for "explorer" (to draw cards), "developer" (playing new technology), "settler" (playing new worlds), "consumer" (equivalent to trader or captain), and "producer" (same as always). The explore phase has two versions, one giving a deeper draw and one keeping more cards. The consume phase has an alternate version, the trader, which allows only the trader to draw cards for a good while everyone else can only consume (equivalent to shipping).

All players choose roles simultaneously and then show their role. If more than one player chooses the same role, each "chooser" gets the benefit but there is only one phase for that role. Another interesting complication is that worlds and developments may have symbols for each phase which affect the player's actions. There may be, for instance, an additional card draw during the phase, or a cost break on certain kinds of cards. These effects stack, so the total effect can be quite powerful.

Settling worlds also has a lot of complexities. Worlds can have a few different subtypes, such as production worlds, windfall worlds, and military worlds, or a combination of the 3. Production worlds can produce a good such as novelties, alien tech, genetic tech, or rare minerals. Windfall worlds come into play with a good on them (tip: trade the next turn for a substantial card windfall) but don't automatically produce any further goods. Military worlds, in an intriguing twist, cannot be paid for from the hand. They are played for free if your military score (as determined by bonuses from worlds in play) is greater or equal to their cost.

There are many different victory strategies to RACE FOR THE GALAXY, and choosing the best one can be very situational. Drawing military cards early may allow you to race the other players to drop 12 cards while keeping your hand full. It is possible to win on points just by playing developments, since many give bonuses for having other developments. Trading/consuming can be a powerful strategy for acquiring victory points, but it is slower because it takes 2 cycles to reap the benefits, unless two people go this route. Then, one is playing trade/consumer and the other produces, and both benefit.

RACE FOR THE GALAXY is a fun game visually, socially, and intellectually. It is simple to setup, fast to play, and has enough complexity to offer a lot of replay value. The number of unique cards is large, so you are seeing different game components every time you play. And, it practically begs for expansions, which should be seamless to integrate. RACE FOR THE GALAXY will undoubtedly be one of the best, if not THE best, game of the year.

This game is incredibly fun. I've played Puerto Rico, San Juan, and many other similar games, and this is by far my favorite.
Here's why:
- Super fun (and in some ways more interesting) with just 2 players. There aren't many great 2-player strategy games out there, especially ones that scale nicely to 3 or 4.
- Excellent replayability. Many different strategies and combinations.
- Once you get the hang of it (the learning curve can be steep for some you can play a game in 30 minutes.
- You do have indirect interactions with other players (anticipating what actions they will select, and which ones will help them most), but you don't attack them.

One last comment. If you plan to play this game lots, I'd recommend card sleeves --- the cards are pretty durable, but any card is going to start showing wear and tear after many repeated shuffles.

Enjoy!