Galaxy Trucker – Victor Gannon Games

I’ve spoken before about Galaxy Trucker and as you probably know it’s a firm favorite at Knavecons. It’s a mess. A glorious, riotous, sand pit of construction where it’s just as much about sticking it to your friends as helping yourself. It’s a game best suited to those who enjoy the frustration and despair of others…..

I notice none of you have left so I’m guessing you’re that type of gamer.

Galaxy trucker recently (last year) came out on the iPad and more surprisingly the iPhone. You can get it for android too and I think the PC is either here or WIP. They’ve done a fine job.

I played it on the phone. I’m still playing it on the phone. It’s good. It’s really good

As a fan of the cardboard version I was surprised they were able to squeeze it all into the diminutive screen of the iPhone. The other thing that surprised me was just how well it all works on small screen land. What took my whole kitchen table in RL works just tickeyboo in VR.

Unlike the base game the single player features a very neat campaign (as well as bot matches) where your character earns cash and levels up and gets to travel along increasingly hostile routes. The mechanics of the game are clearly visible as the game proceeds which I like, you’re never in doubt you’re playing a boardgame, however the graphics, music and sound effects add more life to an already lively experience. The music is catchy, the voice overs humorous and the graphics continue the lovely cartoony feel of the original.

The app features a good solid multiplayer which comes in either real time or curiously turn based. This makes for a very different style of play, less a cat fight and more a gentleman’s/lady’s pursuit.

I’m still trying this game out, the mutiplayer I need to explore a bit more and I may do a more comprehensive article on it later but in the meantime, I’m having a lot of fun with this game and I highly recommend it

Huzzah!

Vic

Galaxy Trucker

It’s been a long time since this game hit the table. Someone had mentioned it and I was duty bound to bring it out. Having played it and the expansion a number of times in the past I was surprised how much I’d forgotten

Galaxy trucker is a fun. Light. schadenfreude game. The game is all about laughing and possibly pointing at your opponent as their higgled piggledy space ship comes apart under stress.

(What more do you want. You get to laugh at someone else’s misfortune. Surely this is the fillet of every game)

The game operates in two parts the first bit everyone assembles their ship from the collective pool of parts caracassone style. Careful attention must be paid to how the whole thing hangs together and incorrect connectors will mean a design change and probably losing your position on the starting line

So one ramshackle country design job later you’re the nervous owner of a ship that would make a space Ork tut and it’s off into the oily blackness with your opponents in pursuit.

A flight consist of a series of events. Pirate attacks. Meteor showers . Planet falls. Other stuff that you all try and weather as best as you can. You can be unlucky and parts of your ship get knocked off or you can be very unlucky and large parts of your ship get taken out all to the cackling delight of your opponents.

Once you arrive you score points for arriving first, not losing bits, selling cargo. Having a purdy ship. There’s certainly an element of luck but design decisions and use of power during the mission make for a fairly skillful game.

Each missions of which you play three sees you building bigger and more complex ships from the limited resources

This game is pure hurt joy. It is immensely enjoyable to see someone’s creation coming apart at the seams while you thrundle along unharmed

There’s a number of expansions for it which is pretty much just more of the no bad thing same. I have one of them.

I like this game. It’s simple it’s fun and it plays five with the first expansion. For some reason it’s very expensive which is a pity as you should really try it and the price tag is a definite barrier

I’ll bring it to the next KNAVECON and you can see for yourself. Until then watch the skies (for falling debris)

Huzzah

Vic

So anyhow. It was looking like a small group but within a short while we had a solid five and talk turned to galaxy trucker which is due out on the iPad soon. Having both it and the big expansion we quickly decided to give the cardboard version a lash

It has been a long time since it saw light and it took a wee while to re familiarize myself and the group with the rules. I’d forgotten how funny they were. In short you need lots if everything and every component is important

Galaxy trucker is a game about frantically constructing a spaceship from a dwindling set of parts before the other guys do and having hammered it together after a fashion (and of course cursing yourself and others for not attaching some useful systems) piloting it into the unknown and hopefully arriving in one largish piece before the others do.

Some skills lend themselves to this game very well. Those in the architectural or kitchen design area have an unfair advantage. So too those with knowledge of electrical systems. In short not me.

It’s important to realize and I can’t stress this enough. PLAYING is the reward. All those who take part are the real winners and the score may say different we were all winners that night… Just some more than others

The game rattled on to a fine old hour with some stupendous losses of ships and some radical designs all held together with one or two lynchpins.

Great game. Great gaming and let’s forget about silly old scores. I think everyone will agree we all won that night

Huzzah!

Tag: Galaxy Trucker

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