Learn how to play Gaia Project, a route-building and resource-management game.

Year Published: 2017

Designer: Jens Drögemüller, Helge Ostertag

Publisher: Z-Man Games

Players: 1-4

Game Time: ~150 minutes

Set-up Time: ~10 minutes

Ages: 12+

Theme: Terra Mystica, in space!

Mechanisms: Route/Network Building, Variable Player Powers, Resource Management

How to win: Score the most points

Game Description

Fourteen different factions live on seven different kinds of planets, and each faction is bound to their own home planets, so to develop and grow, they must terraform neighbouring planets into their home environments in competition with the other groups. In addition, Gaia planets can be used by all factions for colonization, and Transdimensional planets can be changed into Gaia planets.

All factions can improve their skills in six different areas of development — Terraforming, Navigation, Artificial Intelligence, Gaiaforming, Economy, Research — leading to advanced technology and special bonuses. To do all of that, each group has special skills and abilities.

How to play Gaia Project

A quick how-to-play of Gaia Project including all the rules to be used as a rules refresher.

Round-Up

Pretty much everything I need to say about this game I said in my Terra Mystica Review.

But to sum up:

• The factions all play differently
• The round bonus and endgame scoring change from game to game
• Turns are quick
• You fight for space to build, but also adjacency to build cheaper and gain power
• The Power bowls are fun
• The building, upgrading and income are fun things to balance

However, Gaia Project adds a bit more:

• The board scales in size meaning it’ll be better with lower player counts
• The tech track replacing the cult track is AWESOME

Yes, the tech track is really good fun and demolishes the cult track from Terra Mystica. It adds a lot to the game and also gives you more variability while playing.

Rating

There’s far too much to this game that I love to mention here but it’s easy to say that it’s one of my favourite games ever, love it!

I give it a 10/10

Gaia Project Ups & Downs

The Ups & Downs! I look at the game over different areas and give the bits I like a point and the bits I don’t a minus point.

First Impressions October 2017

My first impressions from playing the game in the hotel at Essen 2017. Excuse the dark background, the cafe was not well lit!

Jesta ThaRogue