Stats:
No. of players: 2-4
Amount of time to play: 180-240 min
Age requirements: 14+
Set-up time: 5-10 min

Galaxy Trucker (Second Edition) gets its first expansion, Keep on Trucking. It adds new mechanics and content as well as some items released in the previous edition’s expansions.

Keep on Trucking Expansion Rules Description:

Keep on Trucking is an expansion for Galaxy Trucker (2nd Edition). It is not a stand-alone board game and you need the base game to play it. I reviewed Galaxy Trucker (2nd Edition) when it was released and covered the basic gameplay in that review. This post is going to focus on the new elements introduced in this expansion.

This expansion is actually five modular expansions that come in one box. You can add some or all of them to the base game however you’d like.

There are 52 new technology tiles that get added to those from the base game. Then you remove some of the mixed up tiles based on the number of players. Some of these tiles have indestructible sides, others combine previous components into a single tile, and some contain brand new items. Boosters can boost shields, cannons, or engines. The reactor furnace lets you burn cargo to refill adjacent batteries and stasis chambers attached to a non-alien cabin let you refill crew members. Catapults shoot in three directions and allow you to destroy asteroids by hurling your cargo at them. But do not need to be on the outside edge of your ship like cannons. And now there are blue aliens that grant you unique bonuses to help your flight go smoothly.

You may also add new event cards to the game. The new ones are simply shuffled in with the originals. These new cards might let you move twice your engine strength, force you to remove a component if you have less than your opponents, or decimate your crew and ship and have a bad day.

If you’d like more variety in the shape of the ships you build, you can try out the three new ship boards added in the Keep on Trucking expansion. They are more likely to be hit by asteroids. But one looks like the Starship Enterprise.

The Transgalactic Trek gets two new title tiles. One of them must be used with the new ships, but otherwise you add them to those from the base board game. Also included is a dock to place the titles in that shows how many points they are worth (which has been increased). There are rules for a two player double title variant and a new rule when you need to give up. When counting up scores for titles, players who gave up count half their score (not rounded up).

Rough Roads cards make the game harder. You draw a certain number at the start of each flight depending on your desired difficulty level, hard, extreme, or insane. They are titled appropriately, they make your trip rough. Things might explode, ship components might hit your ship, or your crew might go crazy. All of these cards make sure your trip is even more chaotic and that your ship reaches its destination in worse shape. These cards can be used to handicap more experienced players when they are playing new players too.

Quick Review of Keep on Trucking Expansion:

The Keep on Trucking expansion adds some fun new elements to Galaxy Trucker Second Edition. Once you have your fill of the base game adding this expansion allows to to add more variety and extend its replay value. The modular nature of the expansion lets you add new elements at your own pace.

The components for this game are great. They are in line with those from the base game and everything looks great on the table. The rules are hilarious and well-written with examples. The expansion tiles are marked with a star making them easy to separate from the base game tiles.

I like the way you can add what elements from the expansion you want to create unique game experiences. This expansion amps up the game play. Not all the new additions are bad, but if you use the Rough Roads cards it increases the chaos and destruction. The new aliens can help you meet your goals. Catapults start with one blue good but you still must decide if you want to hurl points out of your ship.

The new ship boards are cool looking and provide more options but be aware. They are definitely harder to use too. They are almost guaranteed to be shot as there are less safe rows and columns.

If you have played Galaxy Trucker Second Edition and feel it is getting stale or too easy, pick up the Keep on Trucking expansion. It adds fun, new elements, adds some challenges, and will keep this board game hitting your table.

Score and synopsis: (Click here for an explanation of these review categories.)
Strategy 3 out of 6
Luck 4 out of 6
Player Interaction 3 of 6
Replay Value 5 out of 6
Complexity 4 out of 6
Fun 5 out of 6
Overall 5 out of 6