Welcome To The Moon Review

WELCOME TO THE MOON

 Welcome to the Moon is a game for 1-6 players created by Benoit Turpin and Alexis Allard , with illustrations by Anna Heidsik . This is a remake of Welcome To... ("Paper Quarters"), which was first published by Blue Cocker Games in 2018.

 Welcome to the Moon includes eight scenarios that describe the story of humanity's resettlement from Earth and its attempts to find a new home. These scenarios can be played individually in any order or as part of a sequential narrative campaign with additional features added as you progress. This provides a huge amount of content in a very small but very heavy box (heavy because it contains six copies of laminated player tablets for each scenario).

 There is a basic format that each scenario follows, with additional rules, mechanics, and scoring methods that vary depending on the scenario itself. Each player takes a tablet corresponding to the scenario being played out. The main deck of playing cards is shuffled and divided into three equal piles face down in the center of the table. Three mission cards are drawn from the six available for each scenario and placed face up in front of all players. After that, you can start playing!

 The central deck of cards is the engine of all the decisions you have to make. In each round, the top card is played, which is placed face up next to its deck. Each of these cards has a number (1-15) on the back and a symbol on the face. So in each round you will be presented with three numbers and three symbols. For example, 14/Energy, 3/Astronaut and 11/Water.

 Each player then chooses a combination of number and symbol and applies it on their tablet. By writing the number in the appropriate place, according to the rules of the script, and if possible, taking the action that follows from the symbol. This review would be very long if I were to list all the possible actions, as they are different in each of the eight scenarios, so the best way to illustrate the situation is to use one scenario as an example.

 In Scenario #2, humanity travels from Earth to the Moon, collecting food and water along the way. You will need to complete the 40 odd steps of the route with numbers in ascending order. This is complicated by the fact that you only have access to numbers 1-15 on the cards, using the energy action to get breaks/stops. This will allow you to break up your long route into several smaller sections, with the increasing numbers starting over after each break. This makes it much easier to fill in all the numbers, but also makes it much harder to get points. There are several space stations along the way, which can be reached using the "robot" action and then using the "plant" action to score points. However, the action "plant" can be used only if you wrote a number in the section with this station. The more you break up your route into smaller sections, the fewer places and chances to use the plant action with the correct number.

 The "water" action gives you points if you place a number in the "water" space. It's as simple as it sounds, but it gets really complicated when you have to balance getting the right number in the right place and using the right action at the right time to avoid running out of space to accommodate larger numbers. The "plan" and "astronaut" actions give you limited bonus actions (wildcards) that allow you to use any action with any number. They are extremely useful and often allow you to break a large pot or advance further.

 The player with the most points is the winner: in this scenario, points are awarded for space stations, water collection and changing mission maps. For example, one of the mission cards gives you points for being the first to place numbers next to four consecutive water spaces.

 This scenario, at first glance, is very simple. After all, this is not rocket science! However, after only 15 minutes of play, we found ourselves staring intently at our tablets, muttering to ourselves and trying to figure out what number and action we should be using. As the game got closer to the end of the game, it escalated to the point where a misplay on my part would practically kill me from continuing the game, while my opponent raced ahead to victory.

 Welcome to the Moon is a tough game to review, as it's essentially eight games rolled into one, with a campaign to boot! It strongly resembles Wolfgang Warsch's Ganz Schon Clever, also known as That's Pretty Clever! ("The Right Move"), the classic Roll & Write game from Schmidt Spiele, albeit with a slower pace and more planning elements. The combination of scenarios allows for a truly huge level of replayability, not to mention the campaign and single player options.

 The pure and simple core of the game includes a lot of smart, thoughtful improvements and mechanics that I've only just begun to explore. With scenarios ranging from the very simple to the cerebral, Welcome to the Moon really has something for everyone.

 I think you'll be hard-pressed to find a better deal on the gaming market. Six player games are hard to come by. There are almost no six-player games that work equally well for large family gatherings or intense one-on-one battles. I will definitely be adding Welcome to the Moon to my collection and look forward to playing through each of the remaining scenarios before embarking on the big campaign. An excellent, elegant little game that exceeded my expectations in every way. A must-have for any collection!

USEFUL LINKS

Welcome to the Moon on the BGG portal

https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/339789/welcome-moon

VIDEO REVIEWS