Is the crew ready to fly? – review of the game “Ganymede” and the “Moon” expansion

Embark on a space adventure where gravity does not exist and weightlessness is the order of the day. Our society and technology are developing so fast that soon the proverbial ordinary Kowalski will be able to go on an intergalactic journey and, like the heroes of the Guardians of the Galaxy, enjoy the flight. However, at the moment we are left with slightly closer equivalents of such voyages, and one of them is Ganymede .

 

Let’s start!

The culprit of all the fuss is Hope S. Hwang known, among others, from Sherlock or Mercenaries , and Oliver Mootoo is behind the graphic design. Thanks to the reliable Rebel publishing house, we can enjoy the Polish version. With the help of Ganymede and the Moon expansion , we can play the role of great powers who dictate the conditions. We command a large corporation that deals with space flights and allows us to colonize new areas and planets. Our task is to find new specialists in various fields, recruit and then transfer them to a special base, to then send them around the galaxy and expand our influence. Of course, everything must be done so that no one has any suspicions about our reliability.

Space boxes

The basic game is packed in a large box, but the expansion is much smaller. Ganymede includes fifty-two colonizer pawns, four reputation markers, thirty worker tiles, ninety shuttle and shuttle cards, four player boards, and rulebook. The Moon has four Moon and Ganymede Council boards, sixteen advisor tiles, nine tokens, six wooden pawns, a reference sheet, and tips on how to play.

It must be admitted that in terms of performance, Ganymede and the Moon are really respectable. There are a lot of elements, and the cardboard is thick and of good quality, so there is no fear that the title will not stay with us for long. The illustrations themselves are really well chosen and introduce the atmosphere of intergalactic travels. Wooden pawns are probably my favorite element, and the biggest of them are boards for each participant, on which celestial bodies such as Earth or Ganymede can be seen from the side view.

It’s time to start having fun

Each participant becomes an employee of a corporation and fights for the best results. There is no room for sentiment anymore, it’s time to start competing. Our task is to send colonizers and discover new areas in the great galaxy. Of course, we are interested in specialists from various industries, each is represented by a specific color. It starts with handing out one board to each player. All other elements, such as colonizer tiles and decks of cards responsible for space flights, should be within the reach of all participants. Don’t forget that everyone also gets a reputation marker so they know where they stand.

Ahoy adventure!

When everything is ready, the participants draw four cards from three decks. Then everyone decides to take two space shuttles and puts them on Ganymede. Once the preparations have been completed, it’s time to move on to the action, specifically one of the three in each turn. The first suggestion is to choose a colonizer tile, with which you recruit volunteers, and if you collect tiles of the same type, their effect increases. You can only have a maximum of three pieces, so if there are too many, something must be discarded. Then follow the instructions on the cardboard. The second option is to use the shuttle card to transfer your employees between Earth and Mars or between Mars and Ganymede. You can also often find bonuses in the type of a specific specialist. There is also a third version focusing on basic activities, namely discarding colonizer markers and recruiting more interested ones. You can also trade them or focus on yourself and raising the level of reputation, which is important because it can mess up the final score. It is only up to the player what he decides to do and what he needs at the moment.

After completing these steps, our employees land on Jupiter’s moon and can board one of the two space shuttles, but as always, nothing is easy. The first ferry accepts crew members only in one color, wara in another, and representatives of all colors must appear in the second. If during our activities the employee does not get anywhere, all he can do is glide through space alone. When the ship is full, it goes on a quest, and the needed card is put away somewhere nearby, because it will be useful at the end of the game. We replace the old with the new. The finish occurs when one of the participants sends four shuttles into action, and the person with the most points wins.

Details are important in Ganymede , if you miss them, you can lose the ability to perform additional actions. For example: each tile has a stamp and if an identical one is drawn during the draw with the one we have at home, the action can be performed several times.

What happened here?

One of the elements that brought quite a lot of frustration is the manual. It’s supposed to help, but this time it was different. It was often confusing, and the next steps were unclear. Especially when it is up to the players how they will perceive a given save, which can cause unnecessary conflicts. I am sure that it will be quite a challenge for those unfamiliar with the subject or new to the gaming world.

Time for extras

But man does not live by the stand alone, because the Moon can be added to the fun . It definitely gives you more options. Each participant receives a new location, i.e. the titular Moon. It is added to the board you have. It is on it that the best of the best are trained, the most outstanding minds that will help us in our activities, if only they get to Ganymede.

Thanks to the expansion, you can draw an additional action tile and place it on the board with the moon. This allows you to recruit more people, and thus fill the ferries faster, and develop your potential and surprise your opponent with unusual plays.

When it comes to physical actions, players get a new character – a pawn that moves from the moon, and when everything goes our way and reaches the finish line, we get an advisor sheet and place it on the board. I do not hide that specialists can help a lot, but also mess up. Everything is quite confusing and you have to really concentrate to make the whole point. In addition, it extends the turns, which can be a plus and a minus.

It is certainly an interesting diversification of the basic version of the title, and the manual is much better digestible than the one in the base. Of course, I recommend playing without the add-on first to “bite” into the title a bit. Boring and complicated descriptions can put off, but once you get the hang of the mechanics, everything really flows smoothly. The moon is an interesting addition and worth buying.

The verdict is in

Taken as a whole, Ganymede is a title worthy of attention. The rules are not complicated, and after getting acquainted with all the mechanics, the game flows smoothly and at a specific pace. Everything is based on logical and well-thought-out actions, because every move matters, and it’s up to us which of the three actions we use. Different things matter at different stages. First of all, you need to be able to use the funds received and manage them well.

The title is intended for a maximum of four people from the age of fourteen, and one game lasts on average from thirty to forty minutes, unless you add the Moon , then you sit a little longer. It must be remembered that this is not an offer for laymen who may be discouraged by unsuccessful attempts without the right attitude. The more persistent I recommend it, because Ganymede is a rather unusual position.