Age of Wonders: Planetfall (2022)

About this game

The heyday of the Star Union has come to an end. Setting off massive gravity bombs designed to create spatial rifts to new worlds led to the Collapse, and many planets were cut off from the rest of the Empire. The surviving factions began gradually rebuilding civilization and rediscovering lost technology. Being once part of a single state, they will have to meet again and find out who is worthy of succeeding the great power. In Age of Wonders: Planetfall, you are the Commander of one of the six surviving groups that have set out to explore the once-abandoned parts of the Star Union. Your expedition will explore seven planets in search of valuable resources and technology, battle hostile units, and seize landmarks. Will you be able to create a new world from the shards of the old Empire? The game is played over seven rounds, and a new planet is explored each round. Each player may conduct two explorations on every planet. The players will gain Empire points by defeating units, studying technology, claiming landmarks, and running operations on those planets. At the end of the game, players score Empire points for meeting certain conditions listed on a particular goal sheet. Whoever scores the most Empire points wins.

Does it fit your group?

• Group size. Works with 2 to 6.
• Rules load. At 2.2/5 this is a mid-weight game — expect a proper rules explanation before you start.
• Age. The publisher suggests 12 and up. That rates the rules rather than the artwork, so judge the box yourself for younger players.