As one of the leading scientific researchers in the galaxy, you're in high demand. You've spent the last two years on Alarria, a small terrestrial planet several light-years from Earth. You've been studying the diverse indigenous fauna, and your field research has already yielded some incredible results. However, your days as a simple scientific researcher are about to end.
An asteroid roughly the size of a small country has been picked up on radar hurtling towards Alarria — a planet killer. If something isn't done soon, the planet itself might cease to exist. Three distinct plans have been set into motion, each with a razor thin chance of succeeding:
A powerful laser is tracking the asteroid's approach and will fire as soon as it comes within range in hopes of reducing it to a mere pebble.
An energy shield might be just enough to deflect the approaching asteroid, altering its course and saving Alarria.
In a final desperate attempt to preserve some of the unique species of the planet, an evacuation plan has been ordered. The nearby forest moon, Fortuna, has been tested and can support life, and thankfully it's out of the blast zone. You just need to move as many of the species as possible before impact.
Your research work has been put on hold as the greatest minds on the planet have been recruited to develop the three plans. Time is running out as each second brings the asteroid closer to Alarria. Where will you focus your efforts? Which plan has the best chance to succeed? There's no time to waste...
How to Save a World is a worker-placement game with hand-building and resource management. Each turn, you assign workers to perform critical tasks or spend action cards to help advance your goals. At the end of each round, the projects will be assessed and the asteroid will move ever closer. Can you make the right decisions to avert disaster in this competitive science-fiction thrill ride for 2-4 players?
—description from publisher
- neat worker placement with player-driven outcomes
- interactive decisions shape the end state
- could use more clarity in rules or setup
- cooperative/competitive conflict over resources
- space / moon and planet defense against an asteroid
- player-driven, emergent
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- worker placement — two-part board gameplay with moon and planet areas
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- This is a two-player head-to-head game set in the world of Gatsby, kind of. And you are, it's kind of a tug-of-war over three different areas. It's very abstract.
- Moonrise part is the sideboard with tiles that fill up and then they go to one of the players for victory points and then there's just more buildings.
- I recommend it for anybody who plays the game a lot. Though, again, the game is sort of the kind of game you buy at Target.
- This is a neat worker placement game played over two parts of the board on the moon and on the planet. You're trying to blast an asteroid coming.
- the cursing was a little over the top and unnecessary. It didn't really bring anything to the table.
- Star Trek Captain's Chair. Wow, what a game. Nine out of 10. This game takes Imperium, a deck building game, adds a Star Trek theme to it, and does a really good job in that regard.
- Very mass market kind of racing game. You're playing out cards whether you're moving your own ships or your opponent's ships.
- I came in at a six on this game. Ultimately, I did enjoy this as a trivia game. It's a marriage of trivia and blackjack, right?
References (from this video)
- Burnt Island Games lineage (Endeavor Deep Sea) adds credibility
- combines worker placement with deck-building
- world-saving and heroism
- fantastic world threatened by catastrophe
- heroic, world-saving narrative
- Endeavor Deep Sea
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- deck-building — build and utilize a deck to perform actions and combos
- worker placement — place workers to take actions and place influence on the board
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- it's a strategic two-player game that's trying to keep the blood of Zo the feeling of the game but it's still two players where you do the light and the dark
- I can't wait
- I'm really excited about that one cuz you start as a child and you progress as an adult
- it's worker placement and deck building
- I love the title yes how to save a world
- Trans Galactica a dynamic worker placement engine building game that emphasizes High player interaction I love that
References (from this video)
- Three action tracks provide a clear strategic focus and a sense of pivoting toward the endgame
- Multiple action options per turn create meaningful decision space
- Rich resource and card system with tags and endgame scoring via species cards
- Two-world setup and project-driven engine add depth and replayability
- Prototype components not final; art and pieces may change
- High complexity with many resources, tags, and card types, which may be challenging for casual players
- Two-player pacing can be slowed by site occupancy rules
- Endgame scoring hinges on the pivotal project, which may require careful tallying
- Planetary defense, scientific exploration, resource management, and crisis response
- Planet Araria and its Moon Fortuna; scientists aim to avert an asteroid impact while studying Advanced life forms
- Crisis-driven, track-based progression with endgame scoring centered on a pivotal project
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Asteroid threat and bag draw — End-of-round asteroid advances; cubes are drawn from a bag to progress tracks, influencing endgame timing and rewards.
- Card system — Three card types (Action, Boost, Species) with distinct costs and effects; purchased cards go to hand immediately and can be reused.
- Resource management — Track five resources (Energy, Knowledge, Minerals, Organics, Ingenuity) and spend them to take actions or buy cards; Ingenuity acts as a wild substitute.
- Tech Lab upgrades — Each player has a Tech Lab with upgrades that can unlock ongoing abilities or modify costs; upgrades interact with knowledge and tags.
- Three project tracks — Lasers, Shields, and Evacuation tracks determine endgame scoring and rewards; progress advances via actions and tag spending, with a pivotal project determining the winner.
- Two-world flow — Actions can move Landers between Araria and Fortuna via markers or Express Shuttle; some spaces cause landers to swap worlds automatically.
- worker placement — Landers are placed on sites/locations on Araria and Fortuna to gain resources and trigger space effects; some sites are limited to one Lander while others are unlimited.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- a game for one to four players that features worker placement and resource management
- three plans of action that correspond to these three tracks on the board
- the end of the game you'll score points depending on how far along each of these tracks you were
- this game is currently on Kickstarter
- prototype copy
References (from this video)
- innovative fusion of worker placement and deck building
- unique deck building mechanic
- excellent theme integration
- multi-use card system
- flexible strategy system
- radically different from traditional deck builders
- first-time designer creation
- sci-fi
- alien world
- comet
- survival
- environmental
- hopeful future
- Lost Runes of Arnac
- Dune Imperium
- Endless Winter
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- hey everybody this month's Roundup is brought to you by Arcane wonders
- April was a fantastic month J and I played 15 really great games
- turning out is arguably a game of the year
- if anybody can make a traditional pickup and deliver palatable for me and Jen it's going to be Dev
- as a longtime Die Hard Gloom fan gloomy is my top five games of all time this thing is amazing
- one of the most um um thematically strong worker placement games I've ever seen
- I love everything about this game and I haven't even told you about the really cool way
- this is such a fun puzzly game and not for nothing a gorgeous game too
- a rising tide floats all boats
- 10,000 times better than the original castles of Mad King Ludwick
- Daybreak just broke in to my number one spot for best game of 2023