WizKids: The Expanse
The acclaimed SyFy series is coming to the tabletop!
The upcoming board game The Expanse, based on the Syfy hit television series by the same name, will be released this June as announced by WizKids president Justin Ziran.
Geoff Engelstein, whose credits include the popular board games Space Cadets, Dragon and the Flagon and the upcoming Fog of War, designed the new game. Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck, the authors of the best selling original book series published under the pen name James S. A. Corey, collaborated on the project.
The Expanse board game can be played with two to four players and focuses on politics, conquest and intrigue similar to the board game Twilight Struggle, although with a shorter play time. The card-driven game uses key images from the show along with action points and events that allow players to move and place “Fleets” and “Influence”.
Players represent Earth’s UN forces, the military of Mars, the rebels of the O.P.A. and the mysterious corporation Protogen Inc. Each player has special abilities that must be maneuvered to gain advantage. Players increase their control over the solar system using characters and events from the universe of The Expanse.
“We’re big fans of The Expanse series and are thrilled to be creating an exciting and strategic game set in this captivating universe,” states Ziran. “It is a welcome addition to our growing board game portfolio.”
Syfy’s series The Expanse is financed and produced by Alcon Television Group and recently returned for a highly anticipated second season earlier this February following its success amid the 18-49 age bracket. Mark Fergus and Hawk Ostby (Iron Man, Children of Men) created the show that stars Thomas Jane (The Mist) and Shohreh Aghdashloo (X-Men: The Last Stand).
The game is due out this summer for $49.99 MSRP. That includes a game board, Influence cubes, Fleet tokens, player mats, action cards, tech cards, misc. tokens and rules.