Tabletop Spotlight: Planetarium
Take on the birth of a new star system in Planetarium!
Our friends at Dragon’s Lair Comics & Fantasy love science as much as we do. To celebrate our mutual geekery, they brought over Planetarium to check out under the Tabletop Spotlight:
Planetarium puts you in the role of…well, a new system and the laws of physics. Yeah…you read that right. At first we thought you were playing as a planet, but it turns out you’re just a taking a role as a different force of nature! You are trying to influence the development of this new system. Players score points based on the evolution cards you can score. To do that you have have to cause the planet to pick-up different types of matter from asteroids/matter floating around the new system. The entire point of the game is to be the player that best guides the formation of the system based on your own vision/goals.
It’s a really cool concept, but it’s a little hard to grasp without seeing some of the gameplay in action. If you’re curious I would highly recommend checking out their online rulebook – they have some excellent diagrams explaining how the planets and other matter moves around the board.
What I really like about this game is that at a very high level it explains the core concepts of how planets form, and while it’s not exactly perfect, it also simulates things like gravity and those concepts too. If you’re an educator and you’re looking for a cool way to engage your students you might want to take a good look at this one. This game is also great for family game night because players are never really “out of the game” – there are 4 planets to manipulate and lots of ways to interact with the board so players will always have something to do.
Overall, this is a beautifully crafted game with some great art, a cool concept, and a really fun execution. If you have a love of science, astronomy or just want to geek out about planets for a bit then check out Planetarium!
Planetarium
In Planetarium a new and unique solar system will be forged from the swirling mass of matter that orbits its star. Players will take part in this creation, moving tokens to simulate gravity and the accretion of matter, crashing it onto planets that have begun to form. Cards will be played that evolve each planet in significant and varied ways; from scorching one into a barren waste, to transforming another into a potential nursery for life. Planets also migrate in their orbits, and each game ends with a completely unique system.
Planetarium is designed for growing families, science-lovers and hobby gamers. Simple rules combine with interesting and challenging game play. The thematic elements of the game have been developed with an eye on the science, led by a scientist working on NASA’s search for life on Mars, and are complimented with stunning and original artworks.
I’m a PLANET?! No – you’re FOUR Planets!
