Ad Astra has players explore the galaxy for fun and profit.

Assuming you get everything in the right order.

Humans have evolved into five different races, each of them adapted to life in different planetary conditions. Guide one of the five human factions in its exploration of the galaxy, while exploiting resources, terraforming planets and creating advanced space colonies. You may even find artifacts of a long-lost alien civilization and use them to your advantage.

Ad Astra Game Overview

Quick Rules Summary

Players have an identical set of action cards in their player colour.

They take turns playing actions cards into any space on a track with spaces numbered one to 15.

When enough cards have been played they are resolved in numerical order. Starting with the player that played the card and going clockwise, players may take that action.

These are to take off from a planet or land on a new one in a system, exploring a face down tile when doing so. When on a planet, you can build different buildings on them.

All of this requires resource which can be mined if you occupy the correct planet.

The other action cards score for having certain ‘things’ on the board.

How do you win?

After a number of rounds, there is some end game scoring and the player with the most points wins.

Main Mechanisms

The main one is action programming, everything else takes care of itself. The is a touch of resource management.

USP

I just checked, it came out 2 years after Container that also uses the space on the table as part of the board. I’m not sure if it was the first, but it always seems fun.

Theme

It’s fairly generic to be fair. I don’t think there is any really story to why you are doing what you’re doing.

Setup

Layout the planet tiles, shuffle a few cards and hand out pieces.

Components & Artwork

Everything looks aged now and some of the planet symbols look too similar. There is an updated version called “The Artemis Odyssey” that looks much better.

Ease of Teaching

It is easy to teach but it is a bit fiddly in places.

Similar Games

I already mentioned Container which is the closest to this for me. Not gameplay-wise, just spatially.

Ad Astra Review

Positives

A good use of the table space.

Tough choices with very strict resource management…

…and once you know what you’re doing you can use your actions, and what you think others may do to get some really good turns.

Negatives

It’s too light to be this thinky.

It looks old.

Summary

I’d like to try the more updated version.

Jesta ThaRogue