Customer Reviews

Race For The Galaxy

5 star:		(26)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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!

Race for the Galaxy is Rio Grande's card game where players eke out a space civilization by exploring, conquering, settling and developing technologies.

Players simultaneously select a role card. The roles are respectively: Explore, Develop, Settle, Consume and Produce. The role cards are revealed and resolved in role card order. If you play a role card, you get the bonus for playing it. If you didn't play a role card (i.e. your opponent played it), you get to use the role's general effect. For example: if you play "Explore", you draw 3 cards and may keep 2; otherwise you draw 2 cards and may keep 1.

Players play planet cards during the Settle phase and technologies during the Develop phase. Once a player has played 12 cards (called a tableux) the game will end. Players score points for their planets, developments and for consuming goods. The player with the highest score wins.

With experienced players, this game can play quickly (around 30 minutes or less). However, the iconography of the cards is counterintuitve and thus the learning curve is surprisingly steep. This is a minor consideration if you are a hardcore gamer. But it should be noted: Race for the Galaxy makes a poor gateway game for your non-gaming friends and family.

My biggest gripe with Race for the Galaxy is that there is virtually no player interaction. There is no conflict. No auctions, no bidding mechanics, no way to screw over your opponents who have a lead. This is effectively a four player solitaire game with interstellar chrome.

Race for the Galaxy hits our gaming table with some regularity. It's a quick game and thus is a decent filler. But if you want an interstellar game with player interaction you will need to look elsewhere.

I bought this game, like many of the games I buy, because it was rumored to be easily scalable. Most of the time my girlfriend and I are playing our games alone, because it's hard to get a group together on a weeknight now that our friends are all grown up and have real jobs. Thus, I look for the best 2-player games that also work well with more people. In this aspect, Race for the Galaxy really shines. I am very, very impressed with the mechanics of the game, because it seems to be just as fun no matter how many players you have (and the first expansion even introduces rules for solitary play).

The game is a card-game adaptation of the empire-builder Puerto Rico by Rio Grande. Set in space, it offers not only easier and quicker play as a card game, but also a variation on the original's theme. The luck factor is mild: while you do depend on what cards you draw, the game is rather sinister in that there is often a use for every card, making discarding excruciating sometimes. The variety of potential strategies is impressive, and no single strategy will work every time. This makes the 'replayability' factor very high, even in the 2-player game.

While the game seems somewhat expensive for basically what amounts to two decks of cards, in terms of investment divided by fun, the game pays high dividends. I generally judge a board game or card game by how much entertainment value I get out of it compared to other pursuits. For the price of one movie for the girlfriend and myself, with popcorn and a large drink, we have gotten many, many hours of enjoyment out of Race for the Galaxy. Indeed, the day we got it we would have needed to pay for three movies in order to waste as much time as we did playing this game -- once we learned the rules, we were hooked!

Said rules are probably the only challenge, as some of them are a bit unclear at first. I have gone to Board Game Geeks a few times to check up on rule clarifications and play issues that arise because of unique cards and how they interact or score. Nonetheless, this is a very small issue that does not in any way ruin our fun (in fact, the argument about scoring one card ended in much laughing and taunting by the person who ended up winning, because this card made the difference in a very close match).

Having played a great many 'Eurogames,' I am confident in my assessment of this as one of the best quick-play strategy games out there (20-30 minutes, once the rules are familiar), especially when judged in the smaller pool of 2-player-friendly games. I recommend Race for the Galaxy very highly for couples and gaming groups alike.

Why is it I can remember all the lyrics to the theme song to The Jeffersons - The Complete First Season from when I was a kid (yes, way back in the 70s) but can't remember more than a few rules for Race For The Galaxy even after they are explained to me eight times in fifteen minutes and I am handed a cheat sheet as well? Well, it's because watching (and singing along) to The Jeffersons is fun (even 30+ years later) and trying to learn the rules to Race For The Galaxy is not. There are way too many rules, creating a steep learning curve casual gamers (and even some dedicated, middle-weight contenders) can't be bothered to learn. The cheat sheet is double-sided and crammed with information that gives me a headache every time I look at it.

I played the game once using the expansions and had very little idea what was going on. I picked which cards to keep in my deck by which had the prettiest picture on them; as it turns out, I was right about 95% of the time, so go figure. Completely clueless, I still managed to come in second place. Did I have fun? Not really. It was okay, and I can see where some gamers might love it, but for me it reinforces the reason why I never had any interest in Rio Grande Games like San Juan and Puerto Rico. They can win all the awards in the world but they still don't look like fun.

Race For The Galaxy, which utilizes similar rules and the same designer, confirms that I was wise to save my money on those and this. I might play Race again if that is the only option on game night but I am not looking forward to it.

So far, the only Rio Grande game I really like is Dominion. Note that competitive players may not care much for Race as it is a multiplayer game of solitaire; there are no attack cards or ways to interfere with your opponents. For non-competitive players, this may come as something of a relief. What I like about Dominion is that it is customizable so you can play with the attack cards or not as you prefer.

I really like Race for the Galaxy. It's a good game. I would call it more tactical than strategic, but sometimes that's what is called for. It really takes the system of San Juan and up the ante. It is very satisfying to build up a tableau of planets and developments and then throw down a couple six-point develpoments that makes your score skyrocket.

My biggest issue is teaching the game. It's a steep buy-in to learn the iconography, and more casual gamers will almost always be put off by it. Then add in the fiddly rules of the expansions... and suddenly I have a great game that I absolutely never want to teach to anyone again.

I really enjoy Race for the Galaxy, but the learning curve IS rough. It's a tough one to teach to anyone, and if your friends aren't into complicated board games, you're probably going to lose them. For that learning curve, and the amount of times you may have to refer to the rule book, the depth of strategy really isn't as complex as it seems at the start. It's a good game, and I've played it every few weeks since I bought it, but I think it could stand to be revised rather than expanded.

I haven't played the expansions yet, but each one adds new rules, and the idea of adding new rules to the game and THEN teaching someone to play seems unrealistic. I think Race has the potential to be an excellent game, but as it exists, I can think of plenty of games that are simpler, more fun, and more complex in strategy.

I've played this game since it came out in 2007. It's never gotten old and I'm still getting better at it. There are still new experiences and it's still underrated.

It scales perfectly - though the game slows with large groups, it doesn't loose depth or development regardless of the number of players. The 2 player variant is a fast and furious duel that experienced players can tackle in about ten minutes. There is no game I would rather play one on one. It's fast, fun, just the right amount of luck and has space ships. Get trounced because of an abhorrently bad draw? Loose, shuffle, rematch.

For a card game the strategy to luck ratio is great! - (heavy on the strategy side) I bet students a pizza that they cannot beat me two games in a row and have never lost the bet.

It's difficult to learn because it's not for the easily confused. Though the rules aren't very complicated, the core mechanics are comparatively complex which leaves players who aren't used to quickly digesting rules confused and not "getting" it right away, sometimes never. I've taught lots of games to lots of folks and this is one of (or the) the most difficult to teach to those not accustomed to card games. Everyone can learn the rules, but some people never "get it". Not a deal breaker, but not for the significant other who struggles to make it through Catan.

The expansions are amazing and I would suggest that the game doesn't really blossom without at least the first two. The third offers up some more powerful cards, but as long as everyone is on the same play level it's not imbalanced.

The only thing keeping this from being my favorite game ever is sort of related to it being a bit hard to teach. With more than three players, there's inevitably someone who's still learning it, which slows it down, way down. When I'm used to playing it fast, it becomes boring to wait for other newer players. You may think "all games are like that", but this is the fastest playing game around with players who know it well. It's also hard to play and teach simultaneously for whatever reason, which frustrates new players in large groups. This means I seldom break it out to a table of more than three. Note that I'm not saying it doesn't scale well, but that newer players don't mix well with good ones in large games. Different issue.

Hope that helps someone want it for what it is. I hope you love it as much as I do.

Although this game has a very steep learning curve, once you're familiar with it it is an enjoyable exercise in thought and strategy. The main components are a large (114) deck of cards, a set of 7-9 action cards for each player, and 28 victory point tokens. It also comes with complete directions and 4 reference cards for looking up information during play. Since we've been playing for awhile, my husband and I no longer need to use the reference sheets.

With the action cards, players decide what actions will take place on a turn. With the playing cards, there are many MANY options, and players must decide which cards to use in which ways to accumulate the most victory points. The game (at least the base, I don't know about the expansions) does not involve any attacking of opponents; strategy is directed entirely to building up your own "empire."

Simple it is not, but the complexity provides for an interesting variety of combinations and possibilities.