OBJECTIVE OF RISK DEEP SPACE: Be the first to build four bases
NUMBER OF PLAYERS: 2 – 4 players
CONTENTS: 1 gameboard, 128 recruits, 20 bases, 36 action cards, 31 gem tokens, 31 ore tokens, 2 force field tokens, 3 space dog tokens, 2 planet covers, 2 dice, and instructions
TYPE OF GAME: Strategy Board Game
AUDIENCE: Ages 10+
INTRODUCTION OF RISK DEEP SPACE
Risk Deep Space is a strategy war game based on the original Risk game, in which players are racing to complete a certain number of bases. The game incorporates elements of battle, area control, and resource management in a simple enough way for both kids and adults to enjoy.
Each turn, players will move their recruits around the galaxy in order to build bases on planets. Special actions, battles, and even loyal dogs will all come into play.
CONTENTS
Out of the box, players get 1 Deep Space Gameboard, 128 recruit figures (32 for each color), 20 bases (5 for each color), 3 space dog tokens, 2 planet covers (used for the two player game), 2 dice used for combat, and an instruction booklet.
SETUP
Place the gameboard in the center of the table. If there are only two players, use the planet covers to cover two planets in opposing corners.
Each player chooses a color and collects that color’s recruits and bases. There are four home stations, and one station belongs to each player. The player should begin the game with three recruits on their home station (which matches their recruit color).
Give each player 2 gem tokens and place all remaining gem tokens, ore tokens, space dogs, and force field tokens in piles near the board.
Shuffle the action cards and give each player two cards face up. The remaining cards are placed face down near the board.
THE PLAY
Roll the dice to determine who goes first. Highest roll wins.
BEGINNING A TURN
If a player begins their turn with one or zero Action cards, they start their turn by drawing from the deck until they have two.
If a player wants, they may exchange two action cards for one new recruit at the beginning of their turn. That recruit starts in their home station.
MINING
A player can mine one gem or one ore from a planet if they have two or more recruits on it. They can mine from more than one planet on their turn. This must be done at the beginning of a player’s turn before any other actions are completed.
RECRUIT
Buy a recruit from your pile by spending one gem. The player can buy as many recruits as they can afford. New recruits begin on that player’s home station.
MOVE
A player can only make two movements per turn, and the movement can be completed with one recruit or a crew (multiple recruits at once). A crew can have any number of recruits in it. Any time a recruit or crew is moved from one planet to another, it counts as one movement.
One or zero movements are also allowed. Also, players do not have to make both of their movements in a row. They can perform the other actions listed below between movements.
There is a gem warp in the center of the board that allows players to navigate the board more quickly. If players pay one gem, they can pass through the gem warp and move to any connected planet. The move from planet to planet through the gem warp counts as one movement.
Recruits cannot be moved to an opponent’s home station or back to their own.
If recruits are moved onto a planet that has an opponent’s recruits, a battle must occur immediately.
BUILD A BASE
Bases can be built on planets that contain three or more recruits of that player’s color. Once a player gets three recruits on a planet, they may build one base upon it. Only one base per color can be built on a planet, and it is possible for planets to contain more than one player’s base on it. If the player has three recruits on a planet, they may pay three ore tokens to build the base. Bases cannot be removed from the board. Players can build as many bases as possible on their turn.
PLAY AN ACTION CARD
When an action card is played, the player reads the card allowed and fulfills the action. Discard it when the action is complete. Players may complete as many action cards as possible per turn. Some action cards are free, some are activated by paying a gem, and some are activated by paying with a recruit.
REPLENISH YOUR RESOURCES
A player ends their turn by placing recruits on their home station. The player gets 1 recruit plus 1 additional recruit for every base they have on the board.
If the player wants, they may discard an action card and draw a new one from the pile. Neither card can be activated or played. If the player has 1 or zero action cards in their hand at the end of their turn, they draw back up to two.
BATTLE
When a recruit or crew is moved onto a planet that has an opponent’s recruits, a battle must occur immediately. The player that moved the recruits onto the planet is the attacker, and the play that was already on the planet is the defender.
Both players roll one die. The highest number wins, and the defender wins ties. When a player loses the roll, they remove one recruit from the planet. That recruit is placed back in the player’s recruit pile off the board. Each player rolls until only one player’s recruits remain on the planet.
Even if the attacker loses, they may still complete their turn.
PAW THE SPACE DOG
After a player has drawn a space dog action card, they may pay one gem to activate the card. The space dog card is discarded, and the space dog token is added to any planet that the player has recruits on. The card must be activated before a battle begins.
The first time a player with the space dog loses a roll, the space dog is removed from the board rather than a recruit. The space dog must be removed first. If the player never loses a roll, the space dog moves with the crew. It must always accompany at least one recruit. If an opponent uses an action card to remove a player’s recruits from a planet and leave it empty, the space dog that was attached to those recruits may be moved to any other planet with that player’s recruits on it.
WINNING
In a 3 or 4 player game, the first player to build four bases wins. In a 2 player game, the first to build five bases wins.
- TRIPLE SNAKES - February 15, 2021