Stage Zero is more than a board game. Each element shares the story of Starship as players race to not only win the game but also solve side-quests and learn some aerospace engineering along the way. The game objective is to attain 42 Progress Points before the Boss returns by building the launch tower (Mechazilla), installing Raptor Engines on your ship & booster, all while surviving events occurring around the Launch Site, named Starbase.
Players are dealt a hand of 2 Tower Cards, and on their turn choose 2 of 4 available actions. 1) They can try to build Mechazilla, Starship, or its booster by trying to match one of their cards to another players. 2) Activate an Event Card and play out its effect. 3) Deliver engines for installation on the rocket. 4) Attempt to launch the rocket in its current status.
Turns continue clockwise, with the group gaining more Progress Points from how successful launches are. The game ends when the Boss token returns to Starbase after 42 turns. If enough points have been scored, everyone wins!
-description from designer