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Stellar Horizons is a "build your own space program" game in which you lead one of seven Earth factions to explore and develop our solar system. Designed by a real-life space engineer with a PhD in long-duration spaceflight from MIT, Stellar Horizons is intended to be a plausible representation of the first steps of humanity towards the stars between 2030 and 2169, with each turn representing a year of time. You control your faction’s space program, outposts, and fleets spanning across the solar system, although you also have some influence over your faction’s politics back home on Earth as space development becomes more important.
Movement is based on real physics. You move from orbit to orbit, or conduct long range transfers to move between planetary systems like Earth, Mars, or Jupiter. As you send out robotic explorers and crewed vehicles to explore the solar system, they bring back valuable data to further your scientific research. Technologies are intended to represent plausible extrapolations of existing development during the next 150 years: there are no transporters or warp drive, but you will be able to develop rockets powered by fusion and even anti-matter. In the engineering and biology domains, you’ll eventually be able to construct space elevators and put your crews into safe hibernation for long journeys.
You’ll have access to a wide variety of robot explorers and crewed ships. These range from tiny probes intended to merely take photographs as you fly past Jupiter, to giant destroyers, cruisers, and battleships which ply the space lanes with peaceful or hostile intentions. New ship types become available as you gain access to better technology over the course of the game.
You’ll be given a budget to spend on Earth and can also build bases to harvest minerals, organics, and fuel to expands your economy. You can also forge diplomatic relationships with players and non-player factions alike, and trade resources at their bases to earn extra cash. Each of the seven factions has different strengths, weaknesses, abilities, and available ships based on their unique geopolitical situation. Military conflict is certainly possible but not always encouraged. Stellar Horizons features more diplomatic, technological, and economic competition than outright combat, although neglecting warships entirely leaves you vulnerable to pirates, trade embargoes, and sneak attacks by rogue players and factions.
Stellar Horizons includes short co-operative and competitive scenarios lasting an hour or more, and campaigns lasting a day up to about a full weekend for experienced players. Up to seven players can play at a time and the game is most fun with at least two, but there are also one-player scenarios, and the campaigns are highly suited for solo play. There are three ways to win the campaign: be the first to develop an Interstellar Colonizer, terraform a world, or achieve dominance in space over your rivals.
Ages | |
---|---|
Players | Solo, 2 Players, 3 Players, 4 Players, 5 Players, 6 Players |
Play Time | 60m – 1200m |
Designer | Andrew Rader |
Mechanics | Dice Rolling |
Theme | Civilization, Science Fiction, Space Exploration |
Publisher | Compass Games |
Alan Eshelman
This game is a beast. It is huge (full campaign), rich in detail, and engrossing to play. I've only played this solo, and I don't believe I'll ever get anyone else to play it with me, but I've enjoyed it. Three caveats! 1) Some of the rules are poorly explained, and edge cases no covered. Check out the forums for errata, clarifications, etc. 2) The footprint of this game is massive; you will want to check out the Files section and print out some more compact game aids etc. 3) The random explosions/loss of spacecraft/explorers is overly debilitating to the unfortunate player on the receiving end. Take a look at the Forums here to find some options for Repair rolls to mitigate some of the damage from simple bad luck.
alexst
I am now on my second campaign and I just love this game. With 7 different space agencies to choose from that are very different from the start, I love the fact that the campaign runs for several hours and days, as it should. This is not a Euro game for families to enjoy. Plan what to research, what to build and what and where to explore. Of course this must be a long winded road to finish the campaign. Go for shorter scenarios if you wish so. Te malfunction and failure rates are tense and spot on. If you fear your dice rolling, plan out what to research and you are able to decrease the risk of your ventures into space. And the dice rolling is fine by me. The rule book, contrary to what others complain about, is fine by me as well. Just read the whole thing from start to finish and all will fall into place. If you are on the fence for this title, I would suggest to give it a try not to be deterred by the rule book complaints.
calandale
This is really hitting the sweet spot between High Frontier and Space Corps. Enough detail to give a good story, but not so much as to obscure it.