I got to play Galaxy Trucker for the first time at BGG Con 07. I usually don't like to post a review until after I have had some time to think about it and really reflect on the experience. I think that its a good time now to put up a review about Galaxy Trucker. The intent of this review is to give a brief look at the game without reposting the rules. During this review, I give my opinion of what I think about it. Also, before I begin, I want to thank everyone that took pictures and posted them on the geek. This review wouldn't be half as cool without them.

Galaxy Trucker is a game about racing from one end of the galaxy to the other delivering goods while trying to avoid a galaxy full of dangers.

The game starts out with a frantic grab for miscellaneous parts in order to build your truck. Everything from engines to lasers, from shields to living quarters.



Thankfully, the author had included some rules as to how this is done. Tiles can only be grabbed one at a time and can only be revealed over the player's game board...oh did I mention, you can only use one hand? While this may seem a bit silly at first, it is easy to see that adding these rules turns what could be a Darwin-like "survival of the fittest" event into more of a controlled ordeal. Add in the fact that there are tons of different parts with different types of connections, it didn't seem that there was any one piece that everyone had to have, while preserving the feeling that towards the end, there wasn't exactly the piece you need left. While there is a Black Friday feel to getting the right part, I never felt that this phase totally overwhelmed me. I can see how the more experienced players would have an advantage, but it only takes a couple of rounds for everyone to be on equal ground. This comprises the meat of the game and decisions here have the most effect on how well you do.



The "race" part of the game is implemented in an abstract way rather than other traditional race games in that the race track is not treated in the traditional way where there is a start and a finish line. The track is used to determine what order the events happen and bonus points are awarded for first down to last place. When you stop to do an event, like picking up cargo, you have to move your marker backwards along the track, abstractly simulating the time it would take away from the journey. For me, this is the most dry part of the game. Fortunately, this is probably the part of the game that has the least impact as far as the game experience.



The actual events that transpire during the race part of the game test how well your ship is constructed. Events range from meteor storms to pirates that steal your crew. Not all events are bad. Some allow you to pick up cargo or man abandoned space stations for more points.



The events are randomly selected from a deck of cards and most events are determined with the roll of the dice. Too random do you think? Well, yes. This game is full of random, but the random events treat everyone equally and you find yourself wishing you had built your ship differently. This part of the game is by far the most entertaining. There is a strange phenomena that happens when your ship gets totally ripped apart in that instead of gritting your teeth in despair, you just die laughing. Have no fear, the game has 3 rounds, so if you find yourself pushing a heap of floating metal, you get to build another ship next round. The only thing about this is that usually round 3 is where the real damage happens...oh well, at least this game is good enough to play again.

The game parts are good quality. The money (victory points), ship parts, and boards are made of thick cardboard.



The crew parts are my favorite. They are miniature busts of either human astronauts or aliens made of a type of rubber/plastic.



The battery cells are tiny green plastic pieces that fit on to the battery ship parts. I don't know how they could have done better, but I just don't like the battery pieces. They are too small and could easily end up missing (either swept off to the floor or stuck to some gamer's arm). Either way, the parts are small enough to choke small children, so please be careful.



Time wise, this game falls somewhere between filler and medium game. The game rules are simple enough to be a filler, but the play time can take up to two hours. To the game's credit, there is very little down time as everyone is engaged all of the time. The only problem you will encounter is during the building stage where some people will take longer than others...however, there is a rule that you can use that involves a timer to help speed things along if you play with an over-thinker.



Is this game for you? The great part about this game is that it does not take itself seriously. The rules are written and illustrated in a comical, whimsical way that really helps to set the tone of whats to come. If you are put off by having your fate left to luck, there are some things you can do during the build phase to help you manage risk. For instance, most (not all) of the event cards are accessible to you during the build phase for planning your journey, so you can gauge what you may need. If you are one of those people that have difficulty playing a game where you don't have total control of your destiny or if you are one that believes that every part you pick up HAS to fulfill some purpose and will spend a lot of time trying to figure it out, I can see you having a problem with this game. If you crave a deep strategical stimulator or economic thriller, this game will not help.

I really enjoy this game. For me, its a welcome departure from the German cube pushers without being an American plasti-fest. My major complaints are that it only plays up to 4 and that there are not enough event cards that would keep this game fresh after many playings. This game could use an expansion (there is one out there, but it only includes 2 cards). Perhaps in future "expansions" there could be a system where you could fly different ships or play as different races. However, I would have to think that adding more to the game may impact its "not too serious" nature that makes the game refreshing.

I can't wait for this game to be available domestically. For me, its a must buy.

-ikiru

*enjoy the sauce*

I agree with you completely. After playing this, it was an instant 'must buy' for me too.

It's rare that for a boardgame such as this, it succeeds in making the 'fun' more important than the winning: bad luck/faith in Galaxy Trucker just makes you laugh. You normally find such characteristics only in dexterity games (eg Pitch car, Loopin Louie), or Party Games.

I advise everyone that considers GT to just read the rules, and you'll understand why you need this game in your collection.

Well, considering you gotta keep the other hand on the wheel to keep your rig on the road, I'd consider it a safety issue really.