Tabletop Spotlight: Planet Defenders
Control robots to defend the planet – it’s Planet Defenders under the Tabletop Spotlight!
Sometimes you just want to send robots to battle with other robots. Our friends at Dragon’s Lair Comics & Fantasy know this and that’s why they brought over Planet Defenders:
The premise of the game is pretty simple – you and your friends are in control of three robots. You’re going to use these robots to move from planet to planet “collecting” old and busted robots that liter the galaxy. Now, I know the game says you’re collecting these bots…If fact, it has a whole part of the story dedicated to why you can’t just destroy the bots. And…sure. But you know what, when I play this game I like to pretend you’re sending them to robot-heaven, if you know what I mean.
Anyways – you job is to control the Planet Defenders by moving them to the different planets, spending resources, and capturing the rogue bots. It’s actually a pretty interesting setup because the planets are setup in a grid that the robots you control can move around. The goal is capture the most points worth of robots. However, once two piles of robots (labeled #3 on the picture above) the game ends. The strategy is figuring out how to manage your resources, and prevent the other players from benefiting from the robot placement while capturing points yourself.
If this games sounds like something you want to learn more about, you can read the rules for yourself HERE. Now, despite my interpretation of planetary robot vs robot battles, it’s actually really family friendly. Players of all ages will appreciate the easy of play with some real strategy behind this one. The movement, resource management, and interactions between all the players make this game more than the sum of it’s parts. It’s out and in stores now, so go check it out for yourself and “capture” those bots!
Planet Defenders
In the far future, humans have colonized hundreds of worlds throughout the galaxy. Robots have been in use for centuries and millions have been discarded over the years. Discarded robots litter the galaxy and have become a problem for man-kind. Luckily the Planet Defenders protect us and gather up these old robots before they become a real danger to our planets throughout the galaxy!
In Planet Defenders, players pay batteries to control the three defenders, moving them among the planets and collecting energies. Players can enhance their actions by spending energies or batteries to upgrade their technology. They earn the research points by catching the disposed robots in outer space and by collecting technology cards.
When robots from two different piles are depleted, complete the current round so that all players have an equal number of turns. The player with the most points wins.
Yes…”Capture” the robots. We’re nice to our robot friends – aren’t we Mr. Incinerator!
