Moonbase Alpha
A game for 2 players designed by <PERSON>
"If you're gonna die, you might as well die on Alpha." Commander <PERSON>, Space: 1999
Introduction
I grew up in the era of Star Trek in syndicated re-runs, the real Star Trek, with <PERSON> and <PERSON> and company, Space:1999, the original and oh so cheesy Battlestar Galactica, and the occasional episode of <PERSON>. I also saw the original Star Wars on the big screen, and a host of other sci-fi too. These were also the halcyon days of Metagaming and their Microgame series, which produced such classic titles as Ogre and G.E.V.
Those original Microgames are ones I remember with a lot of nostalgic fondness as they were all interesting but perhaps most importantly, fun! This brings me to good old Victory Point Games. I love them, I really do. They produce games that have interesting ideas or themes in them, and I love the core philosophy that they're willing to put out interesting games.
Moonbase Alpha is a small wargame set in a not too distant alternate future pitting two mining companies, Mond Bergbau and Luna Mining Corp, against one another in the harsh environment of the moon. Of course, in space, nobody can hear you scream, so the disputes over lunar stake claims are easily resolved through the use of private security forces, but the media may report on your failings on the lunar surface and drive down your stock price.
Wait a minute! Your stock price? Yes! Your stock price! For what gives Moonbase Alpha its beautiful and clever twist that you, as the CEO of one of our two lunar mining conglomerates, care about your options package, and so the victory conditions of the game revolve around getting your stock price to €1.600 before your rival does.
Components
I bought the Gold Banner edition of Moonbase Alpha which comes in a box, with a laser cut mounted board that comes in a five piece puzzle board showing the lunar surface divided into areas. The game is also available in ziploc format that comes with a paper map (included in the boxed edition). Either edition comes with the thick laser cut counters. Also included is a deck of technology cards, and in the boxed edition, four high quality medium sized six sided dice.
I have always appreciated the games produced by VPG for their interesting topics and fun game play. 92
Although the production values once spoke to their print-on-demand nature (never forgetting that their raison d'être is to be a games idea incubator and training ground, with an expectation and attendant philosophy that a game that only sold a couple hundred copies ever is perfect ok), the new Gold Banner standard components are of excellent quality.
The lunar surface provides a lovely high contrast backdrop for the counters.
The lunar surface isn't very exciting, being mostly shades of grey, but it produces a lovely and good contrast backdrop for the green and orange counters. The colours and artwork for the cards and counters are modern retro, by which I mean they are what one might have expected to see in those heady science fiction TV days of my youth, but with the three intervening decades of experience in graphic design and all the advantages that brings along being used. As a result, we have something that visually looks and feels like a pastiche of those bold shows from the past, but thoroughly modern in readability and usability.
Rules & Game Play
Moonbase Alpha has as its core premise the idea that two mining companies on the moon are fighting it out, both literally and figuratively, for access to the best mining and resource sites on the lunar surface. There are three aspects of the game play that need to be paid attention to: the stock price of both companies; the lawsuit being fought back on earth; and the actual fighting on the moon. The rules for the game resonate strongly with the theme, and are not only well written and clear but also include plenty of examples. The start player is the last person to have walked on the moon, and from that statement alone you can infer just how fun the rest of this game is!
The players start in opposite corners of the board and have the same set of counters to begin - one media unit and three military units. In addition, each players is dealt five cards from the technology deck, which represents the R&D departments of either company. The rest of the cards are unused and set aside for the rest of the game.
The intervening spaces on the board are divided up into areas and movement can take place across area borders. Spaces with a mountain icon are cratered areas that cost extra movement to enter, and those with pickaxes are mining sites, and the little flasks represent areas of scientific interest. Areas are controlled individually by the side that has the largest number of units in it. 336