Stats:
No. of players: 2-5
Amount of time to play: 45-60 min
Age requirements: 14+
Set-up time: minimal

Space Base is a dice rolling, engine-building game. You need to score 40 victory points first to win.

Space Base Rules Description:

All players start Space Base with a set group of ships numbered one to twelve. You earn gold to buy ships or outposts that replace your starting ships. Any ship that is replaced is flipped over and stuck under your player board.

On each player’s turn they roll two six-sided dice. Then all players can assign the sum or each individual die to their ships. One your turn you use the ships on your player board. On other people’s turns you use the ships tucked under your player board. Most ships get you gold, income or VPs. But some have special abilities.

When you buy ships they can be of three different levels. Ships in level one are the cheapest and least powerful. The higher level ships get you better things but are more expensive. A ship’s special ability can let you increase the sum of the dice, claim additional ships for free, or even win the game. Outposts get you instant VPs but keep that slot from getting you things on your turn. You’ll still be able to use that number on others’ turns though.

After allocating dice the active player may buy a new ship. No matter the cost of the new ship your remaining gold drops to your income level.

Once a player gets to 40 VPs, you finish the round and the player with the most VPs wins.

Quick Review of Space Base:

Space Base is a fun dice game with little to no downtime. Both young and old can enjoy it, making it good for families and gaming groups.

The components are very nice. Some of the spaceships look a bit silly, but everything looks good on the table. The rules are easy to read, follow, and explain.

Even though you roll 2d6 focusing on ships in slots six through eight is not always wise. You can split them and use each individual die. That means you can usually use ships in slots one through six. To balance this, the lower numbered ships are less powerful. It creates an interesting dynamic that you need to decide how to navigate.

This game is not perfect though. Even if you try to mitigate a lot of risk, it relies on luck and with five players it can overstay its welcome. It would also be nice if there was more direct player interaction.

Space Base is a fun game you can play with most anyone. It is fairly light-weight, but young and old, gamers and non-gamers will enjoy it. If you are looking for an accessible dice game, pick it up.

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