High Frontier

About this board game

High Frontier is a strategic space exploration game for 2–5 players, with games lasting about 180 minutes. In the near future, players lead Earth governments racing to establish a space program capable of extracting resources and colonizing planets, moons, and asteroids across the solar system.

The key resource is water in LEO, or low Earth orbit. Players use it as currency when bidding on patents for thrusters, refineries, and robotics, while also accumulating water in orbiting fuel depots to supply their missions. Water can initially be supported from Earth, but nearby hydrated objects such as Luna, the moons of Mars, and other bodies offer a more efficient source.

Players must assemble functioning spacecraft from useful technologies and equipment. Every addition has consequences: heavier craft are less maneuverable and require more water as rocket propellant. Success depends on balancing powerful, functional components with lighter parts while sending remote-controlled robonauts to perform essential work.

• Race to extract resources from planets, moons, and asteroids.
• Bid on patents for thrusters, refineries, and robotics using water in LEO.
• Develop In-Situ Resource Utilization to obtain water away from Earth.
• Earn victory points through mineral extraction, key technologies, and exploration achievements.

At the heart of High Frontier is the strategic value of space-based industry. Establishing a buckytube mechanosynthesis factory on a suitable carbonaceous asteroid represents a major goal, while reaching important exploration points and pioneering technologies can also determine the winner. First released in 2010, this is the second edition of a demanding game about engineering, logistics, discovery, and the push toward exoglobalization.