I enjoyed it but not as much as I expected to. It feels simpler and more accessible than Root. I’ve heard it described as a trick taking 4X game, but I don’t think either of those are very accurate. There’s really no exploration happening so at best it’s a 3X game and the trick taking barely feels like trick taking, it’s something else entirely.

It’s a very mean game since you can attack and steal from other players and they can’t really do anything about it, because the aggressor is the only one that has any agency in combat.

It also requires players to balance the game. If one player is left unchecked they will run away with the points, similar to in Root.

The card play is the most unique and interesting part of the game. You definitely use your brain but in a way that I haven’t seen before.

I’m not a big fan of the map. It’s very abstract and sometimes feels like you are moving ships across the face of a clock than across star systems.

I need to give it a few more plays, but so far I like Root and Eclipse: Second Dawn for the Galaxy more.