Orbita

About this board game

Orbita is a tactical two-player card game of planetary influence and precise timing, with games lasting about 15 minutes. Players take the roles of rival astronomers, competing to control the changing power of four planets as they move around an orbital track.

Each round, players choose 1–3 cards of a single planet type and use them to move that planet’s marker along the track. The planet in the higher position wins the round, and the player who moved it claims all the cards played. Every decision affects both the current contest and the cards that may be available later.

Hand management is central to Orbita because the order of cards in your hand can never be changed. You must carefully judge when to commit cards, when to hold back, and how much influence to build across the different planets. Precise timing can matter more than simply winning the most rounds.

• Compete head-to-head across four planets.
• Play 1–3 cards of one planet type each round.
• Move planet markers along an orbital track.
• Manage a hand whose card order cannot be changed.
• Balance short-term victories against long-term control.

The game’s key twist is that winning by too much can backfire. When one player can no longer play, the players compare their collections for each planet. For every planet, the player with fewer cards must surrender those cards to the rival for points.

Success therefore depends on finding the right margin rather than dominating every contest. In Orbita, the strongest play may be a carefully measured victory that preserves your position across all four planets while limiting your opponent’s future advantage.