Back in 2005 a little know and little talked about game was published by Asmodee. It didn’t do that well, and was by many considered a flop, because of its weird mix of genres that had not been seen before. However the game soon gathered a following among the geeks that could see the game for what it really was, and innovative great games with several layers of strategy.
Fast forward 10 years and the game is impossible to get hold of. So many people love and I treasure their version of the game, that never got reprinted… Until the rumors of the upcoming updated version finally came true.
Fantasy Flight Games will release an updated version of the cult classic later this year, with minor tweaks to the rules, new graphics and be playable with 2 – 6 players (the current version is limited to 3 – 5 players). So soon everyone will be able to own this great game (and the should). Even the lucky ones who has the Asmodee version will want this for the expanded player count and the minor tweaks.
Here’s a short (and very alluring) description from Fantasy Flight Games:
Mission: Red Planet is a steampunk-themed board game of planetary exploration designed by Bruno Cathala and Bruno Faidutti. As the leaders of ruthless Victorian-era mining corporations, two to six players compete to harvest the priceless mineral ores and ice found on the planet Mars. Players collect points for the resources they amass and the secret missions they complete. The player with the most points wins!
A team of nine canny characters guides your corporation’s astronauts on their expedition. Each round you play a single character in order to send your astronauts into space, make secret discoveries about the zones you occupy, or sabotage other corporations. You’ll need to develop a clever plan, keep an eye on your competitors, and even use a few dirty tricks to win the race for the red planet’s riches in this fast-paced, hotly competitive game!
Mission: Red Planet should plays in 45 to 90 minutes and is recommended for space explores of age 14 and up (so the little ones will have to sit this one out).
It should be available sometime in the fall this year…. And that is something that can’t come soon enough now.
Would you like to know more?
Fantasy Flight Games has an official mini-site for the:
https://www.fantasyflightgames.com/en/products/mission-red-planet/
Check out Bruno Faidutti’s (one of the designers of the games) blog post about the game:
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