Race for the Galaxy

2007

In Race for the Galaxy, engage in interstellar exploration, build a thriving civilization, and outsmart your opponents to claim victory in this thrilling card-based board game.

60
minutes

2 - 4
player(s)

12+

Medium

About the game

Race for the Galaxy is a highly immersive and strategic board game that transports players to a unique, expansive universe bustling with diverse civilizations and mysterious cosmic phenomena. The game’s theme, setting, core mechanics, and distinctive features combine to offer an engaging and rewarding gaming experience.

In Race for the Galaxy, you find yourself in the heart of a burgeoning galaxy during the era of space exploration and colonization. Each player leads a civilization striving to establish the most successful empire. The setting is vast, featuring several planets teeming with resources, technological advancements, and potential allies. The unpredictable cosmos, filled with its challenges and opportunities, brings an additional layer of excitement and strategy to the game.

Game components Unboxing the fun!

Race for the Galaxy is a strategy board game that involves exploring, settling, developing, trading, and producing in a unique galaxy-themed setting. The game includes multiple components, each playing a vital role in the gameplay. Here’s a detailed description of each:

1. Cards:

The main component of the game is the cards, which represent various game elements such as planets, developments, and special powers. Each player uses these cards to build their own galactic empire. There are four different types of cards:

World Cards: These represent planets that can be settled or invaded. Each world provides specific benefits like resources, special abilities, or victory points.
Development Cards: These represent technological advancements. They can provide a player with an advantage, new abilities, or victory points.
Action Cards: These cards determine the actions a player can take during a round. Actions may include exploring, developing, settling, trading, or producing.
Goods Cards: These are placed face down on a world and represent resources that can be traded or consumed for victory points or cards.

2. Player Mats:

Each player is provided with a player mat that serves as a guide for the gameplay. It lists the phases of the game, the actions that can be taken during each phase, and the corresponding benefits for each action.

3. Victory Point Chips:

These chips are used to keep track of each player’s accumulated victory points. The player with the highest number of victory points at the end of the game wins.

4. Rulebook:

The rulebook provides comprehensive instructions on how to play the game, explaining the use of each component, the game phases, and scoring.

Each component in Race for the Galaxy is interconnected, and understanding their use and interaction is key to mastering the game. The cards form the core of the game, with players strategically using them to explore, settle, develop, trade, and produce. The player mats help guide the actions during each phase, while the victory point chips keep track of the progress towards victory. The rulebook ties everything together by explaining how these components interact in the game world.

Game setup Lay it out, line it up, let’s go

‘Race for the Galaxy’ is a strategic board game where players aim to build the most prosperous and powerful empire in the galaxy. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to set up the game:

Step 1: Preparing the Game Area

Place the game board in the center of the playing area.
Separate the cards into their respective decks: the development cards (with a diamond symbol), the world cards (with a circle symbol), and the action cards (with a star symbol).
Shuffle each deck separately and place them face down on the designated spots on the game board.

Step 2: Setting Up Player Roles

Each player chooses a color and takes the five action cards of that color. The action cards represent the roles that players can choose during each round: Explore, Develop, Settle, Consume, and Produce.
Players should keep their action cards hidden from other players.

Step 3: Distributing Initial Resources

Each player is dealt six cards from the world deck to form their initial hand.
Players then select two world cards from their hand to keep and place face-down in front of them. These are their starting worlds.
The remaining cards are returned to the bottom of the world deck.

Step 4: Managing Random Elements

The top card of the development deck is flipped over and placed in the center of the table. This represents the current development goal that players can strive for.
The first player is determined randomly. That player takes the first player marker.

With these steps, you’re now ready to start your race for the galaxy! Remember to carefully choose your roles and manage your resources to build the most successful empire.

Game flow Round and round we go

Race for the Galaxy is a card game where players build galactic civilizations by playing game cards in front of them that represent worlds or technical and social developments.

Gameplay:

Players start the game with a hand of 7 cards. On their turn, each player secretly and simultaneously chooses one of seven different action cards and then reveals it. Only the selected phases occur. For these phases, every player performs the action, while the selecting player(s) also get a bonus for that phase.

Phases of Race for the Galaxy:

Explore: Players draw cards from the deck. The player who selected this phase can draw additional cards or keep an additional card.
Develop: Players can play a development card from their hand, paying its cost in cards from their hand. The player who selected this phase pays one card less for the development.
Settle: Players can play a world card from their hand, paying its cost in cards from their hand. The player who selected this phase can draw a card after settling.
Consume: Players can use their worlds and developments to consume goods for victory points or to draw more cards. The player who selected this phase can get double victory points from one consume action.
Produce: Production worlds produce goods. The player who selected this phase can produce on one windfall world.

Ending the Game:

The game ends at the end of a round if at least one player has 12 or more tableau cards in front of them, or if the draw deck has been exhausted.

Scoring:

At the end of the game, players add up their victory points from cards in their tableau and from their victory point chips. The player with the most victory points is the winner.

Players'turn One turn to rule them all

During a player’s turn in Race for the Galaxy, the player has a variety of actions they can choose from. The action that a player chooses to take can greatly affect the gameplay and strategy. Here is a detailed breakdown of those actions:

1. Explore Phase – The player draws cards from the deck.

Explore (+1): Draw two cards from the deck and keep one.
Explore (+5): Draw seven cards from the deck and keep two.

2. Develop Phase – The player may place a development card from their hand into their tableau.

The cost to place a development card is equal to the number in the top left corner of the card. This cost is paid by discarding other cards from the player’s hand.
Developing strategically can provide players with powerful abilities and victory points at the end of the game.

3. Settle Phase – The player may place a world card from their hand into their tableau.

Similar to the Develop phase, the cost to place a world card is equal to the number in the top left corner of the card. However, some worlds are military worlds, which do not require a traditional payment but instead require sufficient military power from other cards in the player’s tableau.

4. Consume Phase – The player can consume goods from their worlds to gain either cards or victory points.

Consume (x2): This action allows the player to consume goods for double the normal victory points.
Trade: This action allows the player to consume goods specifically for cards.

5. Produce Phase – The player produces goods on their production worlds.

These goods can be used in the Consume phase to generate either victory points or cards.

It’s important to note that not all phases occur in every round. At the start of each round, players secretly and simultaneously select one of these actions, and only the phases corresponding to the chosen actions will occur. Therefore, a player’s strategic choices can influence not only their own gameplay, but also the actions available to their opponents in that round.

End of the game All good games must come to an end

Race for the Galaxy is a strategic card game where players aim to build the most prosperous and powerful galactic empire. The game concludes under two main conditions. Below, we outline these conditions, victory conditions, and all necessary actions before final scoring.

The first game-ending condition occurs when a player has built 12 cards in their tableau. It is important to note that this includes the player’s starting world. Once any player has reached this total, that round is the last one of the game. After the last round, players should not start a new one.

The second game-ending condition is when all victory point chips (VPs) are consumed. In the base game of Race for the Galaxy, there are 12 times the number of players in VP chips. For example, in a four-player game, there would be 48 VP chips. Once these are exhausted, the game also concludes at the end of that round.

Once the game ends under either of these conditions, players proceed to the scoring phase. Here, they need to calculate their total victory points from three sources:

Card Points: Most cards in a player’s tableau will award a certain number of victory points, indicated by the number inside a laurel wreath symbol on the card.
Victory Point Chips: Any victory point chips a player has earned during the game from consuming goods or from other card effects.
Scoring Powers: Some development cards give additional victory points at the end of the game, based on certain conditions in the player’s tableau. Players should carefully review all cards in their tableau to make sure they don’t miss any of these extra points.

The player with the highest total victory points is declared the winner. In the case of a tie, the player who has the most leftover goods and cards in hand (combined) is the winner. If there is still a tie, the victory is shared.

Scoring Did you outsmart your rivals?

In Race for the Galaxy, players amass victory points by developing their galactic empire. These points are accumulated from different sources and are tallied at the end of the game to determine the winner. The full scoring system is as follows:

1. Victory Points from Cards:

Development Cards: Each development card has a victory point value printed on the upper left corner. Players add up these points.
World Cards: Both non-producing and producing world cards may have victory points as indicated in the upper left corner. These are added to the player’s total.

2. Victory Points from Chips:

Throughout the game, players may earn victory point chips for consuming goods. These are kept hidden from other players and are added to the player’s total score at the end of the game.

3. Victory Points from 6-cost Developments:

Some 6-cost development cards offer bonus victory points based on certain conditions. These points are calculated and added to the player’s total at the end of the game.

In the event of a tie, the tie-breaking rules apply:

The player with the most total cards (worlds plus developments) in their tableau wins.
If there is still a tie, the player with the most goods on their worlds at the end of the game wins.
If a tie persists, then the victory is shared.

Particular Cases and Exceptions Wait… is that legal?

Race for the Galaxy is a strategic card game where players aim to build the most powerful space empire. While the game’s rules are generally straightforward, there are some special circumstances and exceptions that can sometimes be confusing. Here are some of those rare or special rules:

1. Phase Selection

At the start of each round, each player secretly and simultaneously chooses one phase, but not all phases will take place each round. Only the phases that have been chosen by at least one player will take place.

2. Drawing Cards

While the general rule is to draw cards during the draw phase, some powers also allow players to draw cards in other phases. However, it’s important to note that a player can’t have more than 10 cards in their hand at the end of the phase, unless they have a card with a special ability that allows more.

3. Discarding Cards

Players need to discard down to their hand limit at the end of each phase. It’s also worth mentioning that when a player pays for a card by discarding other cards, the discarded cards must be from the player’s hand and not from their tableau.

4. Settling and Developing

When developing or settling, a player can only place a card in their tableau if they can pay its entire cost. Partial payment is not allowed.

Rule clarification: If a player’s tableau is full (12 cards for a 2 player game, 10 cards for 3-4 player game), they cannot develop or settle anymore.

5. Consume Phase

In the Consume phase, players must consume all possible goods if they have a consume power available, even if this is not advantageous for them. They cannot choose to not use a consume power. However, if a player has multiple consume powers, they can choose which one to use first.

Exception: If a player has a windfall good and no regular goods, they can choose whether or not to consume the windfall good.

6. Trade Phase

During the Trade phase, a player can only trade one good, even if they have a card or power that allows them to draw more cards when they trade. They cannot trade multiple goods to draw multiple sets of cards.

Rule clarification: A player cannot choose the Trade phase if they do not have any goods to trade.

Tips and tricks Play smarter, not harder!

Advanced Strategies for Race for the Galaxy:

Focus on a single strategy and build your tableau accordingly. It could be military, production, or developments. Trying to diversify can lead to a lack of focus and thus, an ineffective tableau.
Always keep an eye on your opponents’ tableaus. Try to piggyback on their chosen phases whenever possible. This allows you to save your own phase choices for actions that solely benefit you.
Learn to manage your hand effectively. In Race for the Galaxy, cards are your currency. Knowing when to keep a card and when to spend it is key to winning.

Beginner Tips for Race for the Galaxy:

Start by focusing on production and consumption. This is a straightforward strategy that can help you understand the game mechanics whilst accumulating victory points.
Try to keep a diverse hand. This will give you more options and make it difficult for your opponent to predict your next move.
Remember, cards are both resources and actions. Use them wisely.

Common Mistakes to Avoid in Race for the Galaxy:

Don’t ignore the consume phase. It might be tempting to focus solely on exploring, developing, and settling, but consuming is a reliable way to earn victory points.
Avoid getting stuck with a one-dimensional strategy. While focus is good, flexibility allows you to adapt to the cards you draw and the strategies of your opponents.
Don’t forget about 6-cost developments. These cards can be game-changers due to their powerful abilities and high victory point values.

Ways to Optimize Gameplay in Race for the Galaxy:

Try to predict your opponents’ actions and choose phases accordingly. This will allow you to benefit from their actions while using your own phase choices for more specific needs.
Keep an eye on the victory point pool. The game ends when it’s depleted, so make sure you’re ready for the endgame when it nears.
Remember to balance your strategy. While it’s beneficial to have a focus, make sure your tableau is versatile enough to adapt to different situations.