The Expanse Board Game

Board Game Geek Reviews

1. carnodingo

   Type : Euro Catégorie: médium Thème: the expanse Mécaniques: card driven, area control, action point vs event Similaire dans ma collection: Twilight struggle, COIN Taille de la boîte: rectangle

2. 4 out of 10

   astroglide

   Oy. Closest analog would be a 4P Twilight Struggle. Area control, cards with ops + events. Seemingly-neat way to determine who fires the event if ops are chosen: first person on a track gets a choice, and if chosen, they move to the bottom of the track. Seemed far too random in practice, though. Placement constraints were un-fun for me, unlike El Grande. Maybe if I loved the books/show?

3. 7 out of 10

   ajewo

   Strategic area control board game by Geoff Engelstein (Space Cadets, Survive: Space Attack!). The game uses the card event system of Twilight Struggle (card-driven events). The Expanse plays with up to 4 players but it is best with 4 so all factions are in the game. Each faction has special player powers. There is a lot of player interaction without being vicious with a lot of back and forth. Scoring happens dynamically and shifts over the course of the game. [b]Pros:[/b] + Theme (captures the TV show quite well) + Multi-used cards that grant a number of action points or grant an ability which is usually only available for some of the four factions. You may spend one victory point to keep the card to play it later (timing, flexibility). + Action points can be spent to move fleets, place influence cubes, or build fleets + Simple core game that creates a deep game: select a card from the track, keep it or play it. Either use the card's event ability or use it's action points (other players may then trigger the event ability). There are five cards to choose from the track with different costs. + Orbital dominance (fleets) make area control for bases more interesting. Moreover, players can only place influence where they have fleets (except for events). + Victory points are used as "money" + Four different factions with special abilities and default scoring objectives. The abilities are distributed on event cards, however, some events can only be triggered by certain factions. Moreover, each faction gets bonus points for certain bases. The expansion gives each faction more unique tech cards. + "Neutral" Rocinante ship shifts alliance and grants additional abilities to the current owner + Dynamic initiative order track used to determine who can trigger an event first + Secret bonus scoring provides some bluffing and potential conflict + Random and variable scoring rounds triggered by players There is uncertainty when scoring cards are revealed. The number of scoring rounds may vary from game to game. + Easy to teach and play: number of tokens and card types is overwhelming. Rules reminders on card and on the board. + Quite quick playing time [b]Neutrals:[/b] # Language dependent: text on event and technology cards plus player board # Artwork is clear and functional but also bland (base game) # Theme fits the TV show, however, the gameplay feels rather abstract # Components are okay (replaced and improved by the expansion) # Best with 4 players # Luck of the draw for event cards (position equals costs) # Minor potential for hate drafting # Some direct player interaction: fight for area control. It is not that devastating, it is more a back and forth. # Great expansion adds a better looking main board as well as replayability and variety with five new modules # Content of the base game and expansion fits into the main or expansion box [b]Cons:[/b] - Rules are sometimes not clear - Lack of customization for each faction (fixed by new technology cards in the expansion) - Reading the event cards available on the track is not easy for all players - Does not scale well with different player counts [b]Game with similar feel: [/b] * Twilight Struggle (similar action point / card event system for 2 players only) * COIN series (intertwined assymetric factions, area control) * El Grande (area control with card selection)