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In the distant future, the home planet is overpopulated and riots loom. The only solution seems to be to advance into space and to settle planets. Several technically advanced nations emphatically try to put this into practice.
Under the name of Solarius Mission they begin a project to explore other planets, build space stations and conduct interplanetary trade. Who is able to use the technical means available and to fulfill the vital Solarius Mission?
With their space ship, the players explore far away planets, develop new technologies with their tech dice, and send settlers into space. They try to prevent space contamination.
Solarius Mission is a very eclectic game – it is important to think ahead and to optimize the personal strategy. Who acts especially prudent, who will win in the end?
Solarius Mission is a tactical and strategic civilization game in a pulp science-fiction setting, with a dice-draft, dice manipulation, and resource-management mechanism. It can best be described as a mid-weight euro-style game.
- great dice draft mechanic
- works well as a two-player game
- space exploration vibe
- rules explanation can be frustrating at first
- long play time
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- the bones of this game the stuff that's going on is so cool and so I'm looking forward to playing this one some more
- it's evolving game State as you play game to game it's sort of like a legacy style thing going on but you're not permanently altering the game
- this is a quick game
References (from this video)
- strong thematic ambition
- notable design ambition and experimentation
- rule clarity and documentation can be variable
- experimental nature may deter some players
- exploration and moral choices
- historical exploration with a focus on space and colonial-era ethics
- historical strategy with ethical dimensions
- Arkwright
- Colonialism
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- card play with rules editing — cards drive actions, with evolving rules dictated by playtesting.
- variable scoring — scoring based on dynamic objectives per session.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- "There is a golden age of gaming for every taste; the challenge is standing out as a publisher."
- "A game needs a soul; polish should not erase character or narrative voice."
- "Gateway games can turn people away from the hobby if they imply other games are beyond reach."
- "Rulebooks are the first impression; getting them right matters more than most other components."
- "The journey matters more than simply harvesting victory points."
References (from this video)
- Huge variety of actions
- deep economy and strategic depth
- Complex to teach
- heavy analysis required
- Exploration, colonization, and trade across the galaxy
- Pulp sci-fi universe; spacefaring civilizations
- Dense economy with many moving parts
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Dice Drafting — Draft dice to allocate actions and resources.
- Resource Management — Tight economy with many resources and needs.
- Tech progression — Techtory advancement and mission completions.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- deliciously confrontational game with everything out in the open, no hidden information.
- you only have 16 actions for the entire game
- There are two ways you can go in the game. You can stay a merchant for the entire game, and there are definitely some advantages for that, like there's a lot of income, but you can also decide to become a monk
- the action selection progress
- this is the most player interactive game I have in my list, and it is mean, but so much fun
- I love the aliens; at the beginning of the game, there are random aliens placed on the board face down
- you don't roll your dice. You set them to whatever numbers you want