Borderlands

About this board game

Borderlands is a strategy game for 2–4 players, designed to play in approximately 120 minutes. Released in 1982, it combines political negotiation, conflict, and resource management in a contest shaped by ambition for conquest.

The game was designed to bring the core experience of Diplomacy into a more reasonable amount of time. Political wrangling is essential, making negotiation and deal-making central to the way players pursue their goals.

Alongside its diplomatic tension, Borderlands features a free market society that fuels the ambition for conquest. Its resource management is similar to that of Settlers of Catan, adding an economic dimension to the political and military conflict.

• Designed for 2–4 players
• Approximately 120 minutes of play time
• Political wrangling and deal-making
• Conflict and conquest
• Resource management inspired by Settlers of Catan

This combination gives Borderlands a distinct identity: players must balance the demands of a free market society with the pressure to expand their influence. Negotiation is not merely an optional feature, but a necessary part of the game’s political struggle.

The German edition, Ascalion, contains elements from both Borderlands expansions. The game was later reimplemented by Gearworld: The Borderlands, connecting its design to a later take on the same foundation.