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Description
Cities on the moon! This will be humanity's crowning achievement. At last, no longer bound to the Earth — the moon, a stepping stone to the stars. The rockets are loaded with supplies and colonists; the robots are programmed and ready. Everything has been planned down to the tiniest detail, and there is no chance whatsoever of failure. To the moon!
Moon Colony Bloodbath is an engine-building, engine-losing tableau game, with a shared deck the players build that makes things happen, many of them bad things that kill people in your moon colony, but some positive, and some that let you build up.
More specifically, each turn one card is revealed from the shared deck, which starts with four work cards, two trouble cards, and two twists. For work, each player takes an action of their choice simultaneously: mining for money, farming for food, research for cards, build a new building, or restock boxes on buildings. Twists vary from one game to the next. Trouble adds a new event card to the deck: hunger, paperwork, glitches, accidents, leaks, power failure — whatever can go wrong will go wrong, then whenever the deck is shuffled, you can prepare for all those events once again.
Players can add cards to the shared deck, too, whether perks that are only for you or developments that affect all players.
The game lasts until one player's moon colony has no people remaining, or until the players reach the bottom of the event deck. At that point, the player with the most survivors wins.
Year Published
2025
Transcript Analysis
Browse transcript mentions, sentiments, pros/cons, mechanics, topics, quotes, and references.
Total mentions: 8
This page: 8
Sentiment:
pos 7 ·
mix 1 ·
neu 0 ·
neg 0
Showing 1–8 of 8
Video 1C2PQbJFuXk
Stonemire Games analysis at 0:06 sentiment: positive
video_pk 12392 · mention_pk 36192
Click to watch at 0:06 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Intuitive setup with surprisingly quick play pace for a deck-building engine centered on a single shared deck.
- Innovative blend of simultaneous play with a strong deck-evolution mechanic that rewards timely deck-building decisions.
- Clear thematic hook: a lunar crisis where players must balance growth with fragility, creating meaningful tension.
- Structures provide multi-use value and sustain engine parts across early and late game phases.
- Twist cards and asymmetry inject replayability and anticipation for different playthroughs.
Cons
- Randomized twist and robot effects can introduce volatility that some players may find frustrating or overly swingy.
- The reliance on a shared deck may reduce a sense of individual agency for some players and increase perceived interaction noise.
- Potential difficulty for new players to quickly grok all card interactions and the evolving deck state, despite streamlined rules.
Thematic elements
- crisis management, resource scheduling, and deck-building as a collective engine with individual agency
- Lunar colony under crisis where players must balance survival with competition, while a shared deck evolves under player influence.
- emergent, driven by event-driven twists and evolving deck state; simultaneous play accentuates tension and interaction
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Deck reshuffle and repeated cycles — After the deck is exhausted, it is reshuffled and run through again. The game thus emphasizes repetition with incremental change, as previously seen cards reappear in new contexts, keeping the experience fresh through multiple passes.
- Development/structure cards — Development-type cards (structures) provide ongoing benefits and can also grant additional people or resources. They serve as engine components that work early in the game for acceleration, yet retain relevance later by offering multi-purpose utility (sustained income of people, resources, or activation effects).
- Endgame condition via population management — There is no default action to simply accrue people; instead, people must be earned through structures and card effects. The end condition hinges on not losing all your people, tying victory to careful resource and structure management while staying ahead of losses.
- Perk cards added to the deck — When a perk card is played, it is added to the top of the deck, creating a near-term impact on future draws. This mechanic directly links player decisions to the tempo and potential surges or misfires in the upcoming rounds.
- Robots and disruptive effects — Some cards introduce disruptive elements (robots) that can hamstring players’ plans. These random or semi-random hindrances force players to adapt on the fly and reinforce the competitive tension of a crisis-management theme within a mostly cooperative mechanism.
- Shared/deck-building engine — Players contribute cards to a single shared deck that drives the entire game. Some cards are added automatically, while players can actively add cards that shape future draws. The deck evolves as the round proceeds, creating a dynamic pulse to the whole experience rather than isolated player turns.
- Simultaneous action selection — All players act concurrently rather than following a strict turn order. This keeps downtime low and increases the sense of shared fate, since everyone is watching the deck and the evolving board state as it changes with each revealed card.
- Twist cards (asymmetrical setup) — At game start, two twist cards are placed in the deck, creating asymmetry and surprises from the outset. The deck is relatively thin early on, so twist cards have a pronounced and frequent impact, shaping early strategy and long-term expectations.
- Work card action choices — Work cards give a player a choice of five possible actions when drawn, enabling flexibility. Choices typically include gaining new people, collecting resources, playing another card, or triggering special effects, which makes each draw carry meaningful decision points.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- This is a competitive game where all players are doing kind of two things.
- you are revealing the top card of the deck and you are doing what that card says.
- fully simultaneous, but you are still interacting with other players.
- I am just so impressed with this design.
- There's no default way to get people in this action system.
- We went through it like six times in the game.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video b7oAU0Q6TZI
The Grumperon top_10_list at 7:24 sentiment: positive
video_pk 11729 · mention_pk 34393
Click to watch at 7:24 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Engaging engine-building with high emotional payoff
- Dynamic tension from the destruction mechanic
Cons
- Theme can feel grim; not for all audiences
- Domination by one engine can overshadow others
Thematic elements
- Resource management and survival under pressure
- Moon colony under threat; survival with building and engine building
- Engine-building with tragic player-elimination dynamics
Comparison games
- Other engine-builders with escalation and destruction themes
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Destruction phase — Robots attack and destroy player improvements later in the game
- engine-building — Players craft and upgrade their own engine via cards/buildings
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- The visually most pleasing board game, Euro game of all time.
- I can't stop thinking about this game and want to play it again and again.
- The box is actually part of the game.
- It's the best character building in board games, period.
- The historic flavor, the politics, the negotiation, the backstabbing makes this an amazing game experience.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video dzEhLZz3lfc
Unknown top_list at 16:24 sentiment: positive
video_pk 10231 · mention_pk 30221
Click to watch at 16:24 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Legendary designer (created Dominion)
- Communal deck building mechanic
- Twist cards for variability
- Humorous theme with serious gameplay
Cons
none
Thematic elements
- retro 1950s
- moon base
- science fiction
- space disaster
Comparison games
- Dominion
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
Mechanics unknown.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- I'm not here to talk about that I'm here to talk about games
- catch-up games has been on fire
- I love his Cooperative design sensibilities
- how does this game not already exist
- I want more games that tell in 2025 a positive story about how we can work in unison with nature
- 2025 might be the year of co-ops
- pure Feld simple Elegance that leads to deep challenging decisions
- Coming of age is by far my number one most anticipated game
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video dd8KTlibFys
Board Gameco general_discussion at 2:16 sentiment: mixed
video_pk 8495 · mention_pk 25030
Click to watch at 2:16 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
mixed
Pros
- Unique "everything falls apart" theme
- Fun competitive element
- Interesting mechanics
Cons
- Can drag on too long in endgame
- Losing players may have unfun experience watching slow decline
Thematic elements
- Post-apocalyptic survival and collapse
- Moon colony
- Apocalyptic deck-building
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Comparative survival — Try to make your stuff fall apart slower than opponents
- Deck building — Build your tableau from central deck
- Deterioration — Everything slowly falls apart over time
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- I love Huton. Oh my gosh.
- Oh my gosh, I am in love with that game.
- It knocks out of the water.
- One of the better games I've played in a long time.
- The components are so much better. It makes a better game.
- It's a fun little like watch the world fall apart and burn and see who can survive that process the longest.
- One of my favorite party games, if not my favorite party game.
- It's a lot going on. Very thinky. But very rewarding, too, at the same time.
- When trick taking gets to a point where I feel like I'm just trying to math out every probability and it starts to feel like homework, I start to like it less.
- I cannot wait to play it again.
- My ideal would be combining the best parts of Bruges and Hamburg into one game, but I can't do that.
- It's just easy, straightforward, satisfying.
- There's not quarterbacking, there's assisting, because it's so much happening at once and so much daisy chaining that the quarterbacking is almost impossible.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video ovBi-cXr9Zg
Tabletop Turtle top_10_list at 22:11 sentiment: positive
video_pk 8041 · mention_pk 23674
Click to watch at 22:11 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- unique and memorable feel unlike Galaxy Trucker
- variety in outcome and dramatic turns
Cons
- can feel punishing and chaotic
Thematic elements
- engine-building with destruction and rebirth
- Chaotic moon base with destruction and defense themes
- punishing, dynamic, and cinematic
Comparison games
- Galaxy Trucker
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Engine builder and engine loss — build a tableau that gets repeatedly damaged and must be rebuilt
- Rotating round cards that introduce new negative events — round-based downtick with increasingly harsh effects
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- This is the kind of game you play when you want to feel smart.
- Everything feels like a good decision.
- The card play in this game is absolutely stellar.
- A lot of little things come together to feel cohesive and satisfying.
- You reap what you sew, you know, you need to be strategic and methodical about it.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video _EUQBEewBhQ
No Rolls Bar playthrough at 0:00 sentiment: positive
video_pk 6598 · mention_pk 19586
Click to watch at 0:00 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Engaging engine-building with multiple synergies across buildings and perks
- Fast-paced rounds with dramatic 'blood bath' endgame
- Strong table presence and player interaction
- Thematic Moon setting with humorous space banter
- Dynamic resources mix (food, mining, boxes) creates engine variety
- Perk cards add depth and variability
Cons
- Can be chaotic and rule-heavy for new players
- Some rule interactions around boxes are ambiguous and may require house rules
- Deck-order luck can influence late-game outcomes
- Tracking multiple resources and effects can be demanding
Thematic elements
- space colonization, survival under evolving threats, and a haunt/traitor-like element
- Lunar surface colony aiming to attract settlers and build a utopia while weathering a dangerous progress/event deck
- humorous, chaotic, banter-rich with space-themed humor and occasional space facts
Comparison games
- Moon Fallout
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- building activation & effects — buildings provide permanent effects or activated effects that modify resource generation or usage, and can incorporate boxes for extra effects.
- deck-building / progress deck — players flip work cards to take actions; the progress deck introduces twists and new event cards that can alter the game state and flow.
- Endgame scoring — the game ends when a player runs out of colonists; winner is the one with the most settlers on their board plus those printed on their buildings.
- event-driven peril — hunger and robot/event cards come from the progress deck, causing penalties and driving the game toward an end condition.
- perks & restocking — perks grant ongoing bonuses and can be triggered as specified on cards; restocking can generate boxes and mining tokens.
- Resource management — players manage colonists (people), food (apples/food tokens), mining tokens, and boxes placed on buildings to activate abilities.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- This game is a fight to not finish last.
- Ash's engine firing off.
- The rich get richer.
- We got burgers on the moon.
- Moon colony full of cabbage patch kits.
- I love working.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video oWdTsMlqw5Q
Friendly Ties game_review at 0:00 sentiment: positive
video_pk 4475 · mention_pk 13150
Click to watch at 0:00 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Innovative communal deck-building mechanic provides a fresh twist on a familiar mechanic
- Tense pacing and short playtime provide a satisfying middle-weight euro/card-game experience
- Theming and humor land well, adding flavor and engagement
- Strong variability with player counts and twists, supporting solo and group play
Cons
- High randomness from tableau draws and event order can feel unfair or swingy
- Endgame elimination can be disheartening for some players
- Two-player games can lack the table talk and chaos that many enjoy at larger player counts
Thematic elements
- destruction, communal deck-building, survival against an escalating threat
- Moon colony under threat from rebellious robots; colonists and infrastructure endangered
- tongue-in-cheek, retrofuturistic, campy yet brutal in its setting
Comparison games
- Empire's End
- El Paso
- Last Will
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- communal_deck — A central deck of events and developments is shared; events unfold in a fixed order but are enriched by added cards, twists, and perks.
- deck-building — Players share a central deck of events and build their own engine by acquiring cards that modify actions, money, and draws.
- endgame_triggers — The game ends when a player runs out of colonists (people) or after all 13 events have resolved, creating a finite but variable conclusion.
- perks — Perks are cards that give unique benefits when drawn, but only for the player who added them; they influence long-term strategy.
- player_interaction — Most interaction is indirect via the shared deck and endgame timing; players monitor others’ engines and timing to anticipate collapse.
- robot_events — Robot-themed events add negative effects that accumulate, driving tension and risk as the deck thickens with bad outcomes.
- tableau_and_actions — In addition to the shared deck, players build a personal engine through buildings that grant actions, money, or draw capabilities.
- twists — Two twist cards are added at the start that dramatically alter the initial setup and ongoing pacing.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- Moon Colony Blood Bath is a Donald X game of Dominion fame that just came out this year.
- And everybody dies.
- The endgame trigger is when one player at the table runs out of people.
- This is a tableau building game.
- There are four cards in there you really care about.
- The fat deck of twists.
- You start with nothing and you make it.
- I think it's best three plus because there isn't that laughter of five around the table.
- You can play solo.
- The art is cartoonish.
- Fallout. That kind of a Fallout like vibe.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video NllpLe1iBq4
Getting Games update_vlog at 17:34 sentiment: positive
video_pk 3422 · mention_pk 10159
Click to watch at 17:34 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Cooperative, engaging endgame dynamics
Cons
none
Thematic elements
- deck-building with narrative chaos
- Moon colony vs rogue robots
- cooperative with a twist
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- deck-building — Cooperative tableau that evolves against robotic threats
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- I had so much anxiety about making this change for months and months, arguably years if you watch the last update, but people really took to it.
- You mean Getting Games? That just that really sealed the deal.
- It's just a fun thing to consider.
- I'm really looking forward to it as opposed to putting these things off and like stressing about them.
- recording my opinions episodes live as well as other vlogs. I did a 2024 favorites video talking about all my favorite games from last year.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
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Showing 1–8 of 8