Whether it’s science, aliens, or futuristic, board game designers have utilized the sci-fi genre to create wonderful games.
Sci-fi is an extremely popular genre in all forms of media whether it be movies, TV shows, comic books, or even tabletop gaming. Several new sci-fi board games come out every year and many of them see great success.
The sci-fi genre is so popular due to how open it is to interpretation. Sci-fi can focus on science, creating a world of breakthrough technologies; sci-fi can go beyond the stars to alien worlds and encounter new life forms; sci-fi can even be as simple as taking place in the near future. Board game designers have utilized the sci-fi genre to create wonderful games.
Specter Ops is a hidden movement game where one player at the table secretly moves on the map while all other players try to find them. The hidden player has a sheet of paper that shows the board and a pen to track their movements. When the hidden player is seen, they put their miniature on the board, but can go back into hiding the following turn by running away. As Specter Ops goes on, it gets more and more intense as the players that are hunting continue to zero in on the hidden player’s location.
Many Star Wars fans do not enjoy the prequel trilogy as a whole — especially Episode I: The Phantom Menace. However, whether they are a fan of the film or not, many gamers agree that Star Wars: The Queen’s Gambit is an excellent game.
Star Wars: The Queen’s Gambit encapsulates the entire third act of Episode I: The Phantom Menace where the battle at Naboo, the battle at The Queen’s Palace, the fight between Obi-Wan Kenobi, Qui-Gon Jinn, and Darth Maul, and Anakin flying the Starfighter is all happening at the same time.
T.I.M.E Stories was one of the biggest games to come out in 2015. The game offers a unique game system and a world that was unlike anything at the time. In T.I.M.E Stories, players work together to uncover the truth and restore the timeline of whatever scenario they are in. The core box comes with a scenario set in a mental asylum where something nefarious lurks underneath the surface. However, there are eight other scenarios available set in completely different worlds and times that expand the universe T.I.M.E Stories sets itself in.
At its heart, Cosmic Encounter is a simple negotiation game where players are trying to land their ships on five opponent planets before anyone else. However, instead of fighting players, they attempt to negotiate with each other, which can sometimes even lead to multiple players winning at the same time. The big twist in Cosmic Encounter is that each player has crazy alien powers that completely change the game. One player might simply never lose ships, while another wins negotiations when they lose negotiations. Cosmic Encounter is an insanely wild and insanely fun game.
Dinosaur Island is a euro-style game with an American flare. In the game, players own and operate a theme park featuring dinosaurs. Players attempt to grow the park, increase attendance, increase excitement, and hopefully not let too many customers be eaten. Players use DNA to create more dinosaurs and resources to build attractions. Players also must hire security to keep the attendees safe and not allow the dinosaurs to get out and run rampant in the park. Dinosaur Island has a lot of variability which makes each play session feel fresh.
Space Base is a dice game where each roll is beneficial and sometimes is beneficial to everyone at the table. In Space Base, players will earn money by rolling dice and then spend that money on new ships that replace old ones. Each ship is placed on a number 1-12, representing the numbers on the dice.
When a ship is replaced, it is turned upside down and will now activate when another player rolls that number. Space Base is fast and punchy and it quickly snowballs into players having tons of ships and crazy things happening on most turns.
King of Tokyo has been a popular game since it was first released in 2011. The game has been extremely successful and many gamers credit it as one of the games that brought them into the hobby. In King of Tokyo, players will roll and re-roll dice on their turn, similar to how dice are rolled in Yahtzee. However, these dice are not basic dice. The dice allow players to fight other monsters, gain health, earn points, and gather energy which can be spent on powerful cards that will hopefully give the player the edge they need.
Terraforming Mars is one of the most beloved board games in the world at the moment. The game currently sits in the top 5 board games of all time, according to hobbyists on the website Board Game Geek. In Terraforming Mars, players take on the role of different corporations that are attempting to terraform and mine resources from Mars for greed and political gain. The game has tons of unique cards, combos, and strategies which is what keeps players coming back to it time and time again.
Twilight Imperium has been around for over twenty years. The game is now on its fourth edition — and it is just as popular as it ever was. In Twilight Imperium, each player takes on the role of an alien race, all of which have unique starting forces, technology, planets, abilities, and stats.
Twilight Imperium combines combat, politics, and negotiation in a giant galaxy full of rich planets. Each play of Twilight Imperium takes a long time to play, but many players feel that what they get out of it is one of the most rewarding experiences that gaming has to offer.
Scythe is a beloved board game that many players feel is one of the best games ever made. In Scythe, players control a faction that has unique abilities and mechs. On its surface, the game seems as though it may be about giant mechs fighting over the land. However, that isn’t necessarily the case. While combat is part of the game and controlling territories certainly helps with scoring, the game is also heavily focused on farming, gaining resources, and exploring the land. Scythe combines different genres, play styles, and ideas to create something unique.
Marc Musso is a writer, board game enthusiast, and aspiring board game designer based in Dallas, TX. He posts pictures and reviews of board games on his Instagram at @MarcMusso He has been a semi-professional game reviewer, a miniature-painting Etsy seller, an amateur musician, and is now a list writer for CBR.com. Marc loses most board games because he’s usually too distracted by the quality of the cards. His favorite games include Everdell, Gloomhaven, and Dungeon Fighter.
