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Description
The Expanse, a board game based on the Syfy television series of the same name, focuses on politics, conquest and intrigue similar to the board game Twilight Struggle, although with a shorter playing time. The card-driven game uses key images from the show, along with action points and events that allow players to move and place "Fleets" and "Influence".
In more detail, players represent Earth's UN forces, the military of Mars, the rebels of the O.P.A., and the mysterious corporation Protogen Inc. Each player has special abilities that must be maneuvered to gain advantage. Players increase their control over the solar system using characters and events from the universe of The Expanse.
Year Published
2017
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Transcript Analysis
Browse transcript mentions, sentiments, pros/cons, mechanics, topics, quotes, and references.
Total mentions: 1
This page: 1
Sentiment:
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mix 1 ·
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Video IDLf1gz7FSw
Unknown Channel game_review at 2:32 sentiment: mixed
video_pk 3499 · mention_pk 144554
Click to watch at 2:32 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
mixed
Pros
- player-controlled scoring creates meaningful decision points
- clear, teachable rules with streamlined complexity
- faction variety and expansion to improve uniqueness
- initiative track design helps maintain focus
Cons
- themes perceived as veneer, not highly thematic
- event cards often have small, repetitive impacts
- no solo mode mentioned in video; may limit solo play
- opportunity cost of keeping cards by spending victory points less compelling
Thematic elements
- geopolitical conflict in a contested outer solar system
- Space, solar system with Earth, Mars, Belters, outer colonies
- space opera with political intrigue; veneer of The Expanse universe
Comparison games
- Galilean Moons
- Fire in the Lake
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Area Control — points awarded for controlling territories and sectors; fleets influence scoring
- card-driven actions with ops points — cards provide events or operations; players spend ops points to perform actions
- Compound Scoring — score cards determine scoring; players choose bonus sectors facedown
- hand management — select cards for immediate action or save them by paying victory points
- hand management and keeping cards — select cards for immediate action or save them by paying victory points
- initiative track and event triggering — order of play and when events resolve based on initiative placement
- scoring track and bonus sectors — score cards determine scoring; players choose bonus sectors facedown
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- the best thing about this game is the player controlled scoring
- the expanse theme is there but it's a veneer and it feels like one of the least thematic adaptions I've played
- it takes the essence of those games strips away a lot of the complexity making it a lot easier to teach and learn
- the initiative track and being able to use events on other players actions is really solid
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
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