Factions of Sol | Review

About Factions of Sol, from BoardGameGeek:

In Factions of Sol, humanity launched an early space-age in 1927, spearheaded by Mark Megacore, CEO of MegaCore Inc. In the years following, factions grew their power in various regions of the solar system, establishing a tense but stable status quo–until Mark Megacore announced his retirement. Now, the mega-billionaire's entire fortune is at stake, and everyone in Sol is racing to earn it. You will take command of one of these 8 factions and do your best to bring them to victory. The path you choose is up to you–and could lead to unimaginable riches. But like all things, accomplishing your mission is easier said than done. To impress Megacore, your ship must travel from planet to planet by spending energy onto the board. But moving into a sector costs energy equal to the amount already in the sector, plus one. Because the energy cost is exponential, the board locks down fast. And your ship can only recharge on one planet: Mercury. So while you may need to travel all the way to Neptune, you also need to make sure you can make it back. Each player only gets one movement and action per turn. Actions include using Mars to upgrade your ship, obtaining explorers at Venus, picking up secret objectives at Saturn, and more. But many actions cost resources, which can only be mined from asteroids. Each round, a limited amount of asteroids are placed on the board. Getting to them before your competitors is key. When a player can't take a movement or an action, they must pass. When all players pass, the board is cleared of energy and the race to planets and resources begins again. At the end of the third round, the game ends and you total up your victory points from machine upgrades, explored exoplanets, secret objectives, and resources. Knowing this, you may want to come up with a plan and stick to it. But just when you think you have your strategy figured out, a number of things might stand in your way– or help you cross the finish line. Gameplay highights. -Stellar events: Each round, players can vote between two game-changing options, each of which break the game in a new way. Make sure your favored event is chosen, or you may be left behind when it takes effect. -Orbiting planets: Throughout the game, the planets will orbit, mimicking the actual movement of planets in our solar system. Players can use them to perform well-planned slingshot maneuvers. -Faction abilities and machines: Each faction has a special ability and machine that changes the way they interact with the game. When used well, your faction ability and machine can give you a much-needed boost.