Tiny Epic Galaxies Blast Off Review

At a Glance: Tiny Epic Galaxies Blast Off

“Lift off! We have a lift off.”

– Jack King, NASA

Intro Story: Sacrifice for Humanity

Syltavia looked around through the viewport. Nothing but the blackness of space. Little dots of light flickered all around, too many light years away to even consider visiting. Besides, if those stars were anything like her home solar system, they were already teaming with life forms that refused to make room for anyone else. She shook her head. That’s why they were out in this black pit of nowhere in the first place; with nowhere in their whole galaxy to expand, the Emperor ordered expansion into the far reaches of the universe. The journey this far had been long and boring; the company was far from pleasant.

The passengers—refugees, really—weren’t allowed in or even near the cockpit. Not like they would want to; they had all the amenities they could ask for in the bowels of this behemoth. Parks, sports, famous holo-casts from back home…there was no need to inquire after the captain and his first mate.

“Check the scanners, would you?” Doss glared at Syltavia out of the corner of his eye, head tilted slightly so as to see her over his bent nose.

“Nothing’s here, sir,” said Syltavia.

“Star scat,” Doss cursed. “Check the coordinates.”

Syltavia sighed, but double-checked their location with the coordinates sent to them from the Emperor’s intelligence network. “We’re right where we should be,” Syltavia said, leaning back in her seat. All that time spent traveling and for what? Dead space? She massaged her temples with her fingers. “What now?”

“We head to the rendezvous,” said Doss.

No point lingering around here anyway, thought Syltavia. “I’ll input the new coordinates.”

Syltavia punched in some numbers in the main console, and then began to move the lumbering ship around to point towards their next target. Hopefully their planet hasn’t gone missing in that quadrant.

As the World Wanderer turned, a large, round object filled the viewport.

Syltavia sat up in her chair. “You’ve got to be kidding me…”

Doss grunted. “How’d you miss that?”

Syltavia rolled her eyes, careful not to let her captain see. “The sensors gave no reading. They must be damaged…”

Doss leaned over and tapped on one of the screens near the sensor readout. Instantly, the display for the sensors came to life, and there—a large, blinking orb near the center of the display—was the planet.

Click here to read the full story.

Note: I was provided a complimentary copy of Tiny Epic Galaxies Blast Off for the purposes of review. The thoughts and opinions in this review are my own.

Overview/Roadmap

This review has two parts. First, there is the Short Review, where various aspects of the game are discussed. Then comes the Gameplay Review, in which the setup and gameplay are discussed in detail, along with initial thoughts. Following the Gameplay Review section are some final thoughts and a final verdict of the game. Feel free to jump around, or read it all in one go.

Short Review

Tiny Epic Galaxies has long been my favorite of the Tiny Epic Games. In fact, I started playing Tiny Epic Kingdoms shortly after it first hit retail, so I’ve been playing the Tiny Epic games for a while now. And still Tiny Epic Galaxies has always been my favorite of the lot (and I have them all). 

But the new Tiny Epic Galaxies Blast Off comes as a more streamlined version—great for families and younger gamers alike. And, everything is icon-based—no card text—which makes it easier for kids. There are a few differences between Tiny Epic Galaxies Blast Off and and the original Tiny Epic Galaxies, and we’ll dive into those in this review. Suffice it to say, however, that I really love this new version. It really is easier for others to jump into, and even my five-year-old did well learning the game (although I wouldn’t necessarily recommend it for someone that young).

For this review, I will try to refrain from comparing it to its predecessor, Tiny Epic Galaxies (sans Blast Off) and stick mainly to what the individual game is. However, I think that a fair number of folks may very well be coming here to learn about some differences. While I will be putting together a post comparing all three Tiny Epic Galaxies games, I’ll still insert a few similarities/differences here; at least, the ones that are big enough to warrant it.

Let’s launch into this, shall we?

Immersion

As I mentioned, I love Tiny Epic Galaxies. The theme is fun and the mechanics play well with it. But I think that Tiny Epic Galaxies Blast Off immerses players even better into the theme. It’s the bright colors, streamlined gameplay, and easy-to-follow card icons that really make this possible. 

Theme

The science fiction theme is strong with this one. It’s the exact same theme as Tiny Epic Galaxies, but more vibrant. I love the idea of flying to planets and then either colonizing them or using a planet’s special ability. Also, upgrading your empire to get more dice and more available ships helps portray your empire’s growth as you move to explore and, well, conquer the universe.

Components

From cards to dice, the components are very nice. The dice are large—more so than the original TEG game—and the icons on them are clear and easy to discern. The cards are illustrated with bright, vibrant colors that show the worlds for what they are. So far, everything seems to have been manufactured with good quality.

Standout Performances

• Easier to learn and jump into than its predecessor
• Follow Action (players may pay a resource to copy another player’s action)
• Entry-level game with mid-weight gameplay
• Kid friendly (you be the judge of your own child’s abilities, but 6-7 years is probably a good starting age)

Breaking the 4th Wall

In theater, breaking the fourth wall refers to when characters (or something else) directly address the audience, thus pulling them out of the narrative and making the astutely aware that they are, in fact, watching a performance and that’s it’s not actually real.

My biggest gripe about Tiny Epic Galaxies Blast Off is the lack of an official solo variant. Well, I misspoke. There is an official solo variant, just…not included in the game. It is available to print from Board Game Geek, and it is still very good. Still, I’d prefer to have it included in the game, but I’m still happy they created the variant anyway.

Gameplay Review

First Impressions

This is one of those spots where I am obligated to compare the different versions of the game. Suffice it to say, however, that I was very impressed with the smooth gameplay of Tiny Epic Galaxies Blast Off. It is much more streamlined than its predecessor and the icons on the cards make understanding abilities that much easier. The rules changes—such as only the first three dice played can be followed by others—were good changes, ones that I much prefer over the original.

I was very pleased after my first play and have continued to be happy with the performance each and every time.

Setup

Setup is pretty straight forward:

• Everyone takes a galaxy mat and tokens/counters in their color
  • Two ships go on your galaxy and the other two go on your Empire track
  • Start with one culture and two energy
• Deal n+2 planet cards to the middle of the table, where n is the number of players
• Decide who goes first and get playing!

Gameplay

The game plays until someone has reached or surpassed 21 points, after which play continues until everyone has had an equal number of turns. Points come from planets colonized, and the most points wins.

On your turn, you roll dice. You start with four dice, and as you upgrade your empire, you unlock more. Depending on what you roll is what you can do. If you don’t like your roll, you can spend an energy to re-roll all unused dice from your previous roll. Actions from dice include:

• Moving a ship
  • Move a ship to a planet’s surface to immediately use that planet’s ability
  • Move a ship to the starting position of the colonize track (reach the end of the track to claim the planet and score those points)
• Gain energy (1 energy per ship on a galaxy/planet with an energy icon
• Gain culture (same as energy, but for culture)
• Upgrade your empire
  • Pay resources to upgrade your empire, or
  • Use an ability from a planet you have already colonized
  • Advance on colonizing tracks
    • Plant —> Advance on Life planet tracks
    • Cog —> Advance on Technology planet tracks

When using a die, it is placed in the activation bay. The first three dice played can be followed by other players. To follow, a player spends a culture resource and then uses the die as if it were their own. It’s the following action that really makes this game so great, as it gives everyone a chance to be involved even when it’s not their turn. Also, following is a necessary strategy to winning, and so you have to manage your actions accordingly. For example, you don’t want to try climbing up a colonization track only to have an opponent—who is already ahead of you on that same planet’s track—beat you to the end due to following. Ah, yes. Good times, that.

The various planet abilities help you by giving you additional ways to get resources, move ships, advance on tracks, and the like. You don’t have to use the communal planets, either; instead, you can opt to use one of your already colonized planets using the Upgrade action from your dice. This makes it important to capture colonize planets that have abilities you really want and need before another player does.

The entire gameplay of Tiny Epic Galaxies Blast Off is focused around rolling dice and activating them for abilities. While dice can be random, there are ways to mitigate that luck of the roll, such as by paying an energy and a die to convert another die to any side, planet abilities, and paying to re-roll. I find the balance of luck and strategy to be well adjusted, and I *generally* don’t complain about my rolls, since there’s usually a way around it.

Thoughts on Gameplay

The game plays quickly and smoothly. The gameplay stays true to the original Tiny Epic Galaxies while making it easier to learn and play. When some games get streamlined, they’re essentially watered down versions. Not this. Nope, Tiny Epic Galaxies Blast Off cuts off the fat and leaves you with a lean game with plenty of meat.

Solo Play

The game box shows a player count of 2-4, but there is an official solo mode—created by Gamelyn Games—that can be downloaded online. This solo variant is very similar to what you have with the original, with a few small changes. All you need to print are the rules (and you can keep those on your phone, computer, etc.) and the Alien Adversaries mats, which are essentially your Rogue Galaxies from the original TEG. 

Solo play with Tiny Epic Galaxies Blast Off is tough, but it’s fast, fun, and still one of my favorite solo games, especially within the Tiny Epic line of games. 

Final Thoughts

I think it’s safe to say that Tiny Epic Galaxies is still my favorite Tiny Epic game; the only issue is I can’t decide between the original TEG and this Blast Off version. Both are so good.

I appreciate the time Gamelyn Games took to re-design Tiny Epic Galaxies into something more family/beginner friendly. I also appreciate how they went about streamlining it, giving it new rules updates (not changed entirely, just updated), a new look, and new life.

I always loved teaching Tiny Epic Galaxies to new players, because I love sharing one of my favorite games. Now, however, I think I’ll be using Blast Off to teach new players, since the game is just as fun but that much easier to learn and play.

Final Verdict

I want to give Tiny Epic Galaxies Blast Off the best rating there is—Standing Ovation. However, standing ovations are reserved for the pinnacle of performances. Does Tiny Epic Galaxies Blast Off reach that mark? It’s tough to say. For me? I think it just misses the mark, perhaps due to lack of included solo variant, not as deep as I’d like (yet it’s still a favorite, so go figure), or some other minuscule thing. Of course, for each point lacking, it gains from new changes—art, rule updates, etc. 

With all that in mind, Tiny Epic Galaxies Blast Off is getting a rating of Captivating. Not quite a Standing Ovation, but you’ll be hard pressed to find this type of game with this kind of juice. 

Verdict Scale (Lowest to Highest)

The Final Verdict is based on a scale of 1-7, although this scale is not numbered. Instead, it uses thematically appropriate words to describe the performance of the game.

Tomatoes – This game was emotionally taxing and difficult to finish.

Uninspiring – This game had me daydreaming about other games.

Lackluster – This game had its moments, but it probably won’t see much table time.

Laodicean – This game is decent. It works. There’s a reason people like it.

Two Thumbs Up – This game is very good.

Captivating – This game is outstanding! It’s more than good; it’s practically a staple.

Standing Ovation – This is the best game you will ever play. Period.

Read short fiction inspired by board games at BGI’s stories page!

Please follow and like us: