Master of Orion: The Board Game

Lead an alien race to galactic glory through conquest, espionage or building, in a board game of the classic video game.

Designers: Ekaterina Gorn, Igor Sklyuev
Published by: Cryptozoic Entertainment
Editions by: Rebel Sp. z o.o., Hobby World, MINDOK, Grimspire, Last Level

Master of Orion: The Board Game takes the cult 4X video game into cardboard, and puts you in charge of an alien race. Secretive Darloks, genius Psilons, all-round Humans and the others each lead you down a different path. You can go military, training spies and attacking planets, or play builder, steering the weather of your worlds and growing space fleets. Cards do double duty, you juggle action points and watch your rivals for the right moment to strike. Whoever has built the most successful empire when the game ends is crowned Emperor by the Galactic Council. Two to four players, around an hour.

Lead one of several alien races with its own strengthsWin by war, spying or buildingCards serve several purposes at once

Who it's for

You grew up with the video game, or you like space strategy with distinct factions and multiple paths to victory, played with three friends.

Not for you if…

You want a sprawling, civilisation-style epic that mirrors the video game. This is a compact card-driven version.

Vibe's take

Strategic and slightly scheming, with a clear sense of choosing your own path. Cards do many jobs at once, which makes every turn a trade-off between growing and attacking.