Imagine trying to build a new home on the moon. Everything seems to be going well, but suddenly, things start to go wrong. The robots turn against the humans, and people start dying. It sounds like the beginning of a scary movie, but it is actually the setup for a board game called Moon Colony Bloodbath. This game is published by Rio Grande Games and was designed by Donald X. Vaccarino. It is a game where you try to survive chaos on the moon.
The game is designed for 1 to 5 players. It has a score of 7 out of 10. If you enjoy games like Galaxy Trucker, you might like this one too. The goal is to manage your colony while bad things happen around you. You need to be ready for anything because the game can change very fast.
How to Start Colonizing the Moon
At the start of the game, every player gets their own board and a set of cards. You also get resources and 30 colonists. The game warns you not to get too attached to these colonists because they might not survive long. You build a deck of cards to play the game. You shuffle together four Work cards, two Trouble cards, and two random twist cards. This shared deck runs the game, and you will add more cards to it as you play.
One player flips over the top card of the deck. All players play the card’s action at the same time. After that, the next card is flipped, and you do it again. When the deck runs out, you shuffle it and start over. The game keeps going until one player loses all their colonists. When that happens, the game ends, and the player with the most colonists left wins.
Playing the Game and Taking Actions
When a Work card is flipped, you can take an action on your player board. You can choose to Mine to get money, Farm to get food, or Research to get building cards. There is also a Restock action to put crates on cards you have played, and a Build action to play a building card. To build, you pay the cost shown on the card and put it in front of you. The number on the top right of the card tells you how many colonists live in that building.
Some cards are color-coded and give you bonuses when you take actions. Others give you ongoing abilities that help you throughout the game. Some buildings let you add new cards to the shared deck. There are two types of cards you can add: Perk cards and Development cards. Perk cards are special to your character, while Development cards can be used by any player.
When Things Go Wrong
When a Trouble card is flipped, you must add the next event card to the deck. There are 13 event cards in the game, numbered in order. If you are told to add a card, it goes right on top of the deck so it is drawn next. Since everyone plays at the same time, if many cards are added in one turn, they are shuffled together and placed on top. Event cards are bad news. You will have two of them added to the deck every round.
You can see what the next event is before it gets added, which gives you a little time to prepare. Events usually make you discard cards, lose colonists, or add robots to the deck. These robots have broken their programming and are not friendly. They represent a real danger to your colony, leading to screaming and death.
Losing Colonists and Winning the Game
As the game progresses, you will start to lose colonists. When this happens, you remove them from the supply on your board first. If you run out of colonists on your board, you must start destroying your buildings to pay the cost of the bad events. Some colonists might survive the destruction, but they usually do not last much longer. The game ends when one player has no colonists and no buildings left.
The player with the most colonists remaining at the end is the winner. The game is a race to survive longer than your opponents. You have to balance building your colony with protecting it from the constant threats. It is a game of managing resources and hoping for good luck with the cards.
Chaos That Escalates Quickly
If there is a game that fits the phrase “well, that escalated quickly,” this is it. You can try to prepare people for the chaos, but it is hard to predict just how fast things will fall apart. Usually, by round two, the first robot is added to the deck. By round three, the real panic sets in. Players start to see the bloodbath, with people running and screaming. It is a chaotic and silly theme that makes for a memorable game night.
At first, the game feels like a standard engine builder. You build your buildings, get your perks, and take actions. For a little while, it is calm. You have four Work cards coming out, and you can get a good combo going. It feels like a delightful time on the moon. However, this calm does not last. The game tricks you into thinking it is simple before the chaos begins.
The Odds and the Tension
Mathematically, at the start of the game, you have a 50/50 chance of drawing a Work card. This allows the game to run smoothly at first. However, as the game goes on, more cards are added to the deck. The odds of drawing a Work card get smaller and smaller. As the odds drop, the tension rises. You start to get desperate for those Work actions.
When you lose colonists, you need to play a building to replace them. You might have a building ready to play, but you need a Work action to pay for it. You also need that Work action before a bad event makes you discard the card. Every time a card is flipped, players pray that it is something helpful. They hope to pull back from the brink of total loss.
Managing Expectations
If there is one piece of advice for this game, it is to manage expectations before you start playing. Some people might get annoyed if they are not prepared for the chaos. If you tell them it is a light, quick engine builder, they might get excited. Then, when the destruction starts, they might feel cheated. It is important to let people know that the game is chaotic and silly.
Explain that you are essentially lining up dominos only to have them knocked down immediately. The game is like a depressing version of a song where you get knocked down but do not get back up. If you explain this properly, players can embrace the silliness. They will have a much better time if they know what to expect.
Engine Building and Comparisons
Despite the chaos, the engine-building aspect works well. It is luck-driven because of the cards you draw, but getting a good combo feels satisfying. However, if you dislike games with rampant destruction, this is not for you. It sits in a weird niche, similar to Galaxy Trucker. It is a “Marmite” game—you either love it or hate it.
Interestingly, this game might appeal more than Galaxy Trucker because it is less chaotic. It feels more measured by comparison. The theme, the art, and the title embrace the silliness. They do not lull you into a false sense of security, unlike the moon base in the game. It is a fun, fast-paced game for those who enjoy a little chaos.
