Board Games
Skymines…Moonbase…Moonbasa?
The long-awaited reimagining of Mombasa!
“Mine the Moon and invest in promising companies to make yourself a fortune.”
Ladies and gentlemen, it’s with much joy that I present to you the successor to Alexander Pfister’s classic Euro-Strategy game Mombasa!
This long-awaited “reimagining” had been hinted at for several years and many of us awaited none too patiently for its arrival. When it was hinted that a space theme was likely, I joked with a friend of mine that it could be called “Moonbasa”. It was almost too perfect.
Before we dive into the game, let’s mention the twenty-foot purple elephant in the room. For those that don’t know, Mombasa has been out of print for some time. Not from lack of enthusiasm from the public, but because the designer himself has been troubled by the problematic theme he tacked on to the original game. He even mentioned at one point he’s resisted reprinting it (and making lots of money!) because he was troubled with the theme and how it has been perceived.
Even though the controversial topics are the ones in which content creators tend to get the most engagement, I’m not looking to restore the debate on whether any changes were necessary. I agree with the game designer that it was a problematic theme that was implemented in a shallow and perhaps naive way, but I’m really happy that he has taken the opportunity to address the issues and give us somewhat of a new experience.
What was the initial problem with Mombasa?
1) The colonization and subjugation of indigenous peoples have been seemingly invisible for quite some time. Those of us blissfully unaffected or unaware would tend to shrug off or even push back against any efforts to handle the subject with maturity.
2) Mombasa itself has a long history of being under the control of various European countries that in turn repressed local languages, culture, and people.
3) The theme of Mombasa doesn’t teach us anything about this history and is merely tacking it onto an otherwise dry (but fun!) eurogame. You play as colonial Europeans subjugating the people across Africa and taking their natural resources.
Much has been discussed online about this, so I’ll leave you to do further reading if this controversy interests you. Needless to say, I agree with the designer that this game could be done justice by a less problematic theme.
Fifty years ago, humanity began mining the Moon and the asteroids, and for decades that task was firmly kept in the hands of the World Government. But the turmoils of recent years have caused this enterprise to collapse. Now, adventurous companies and private investors take to the sky to revive this mining network.
As investors, you try to earn the most CrypCoin over the course of seven rounds. You do this by investing mined resources in companies and by spreading their outposts. You can improve your earnings by supporting your scientists’ research and by having them collect precious helium-3.
The heart of Skymines is a unique card programming and hand management system that requires careful and clever planning. It provides deep player interaction by letting you invest in any of the four companies as you see fit.
And as the combination of company abilities changes each game, there are endless synergies and strategies to explore.
While the name Skymines would not have been my first choice, I do like what I see so far. The activity of the theme is not different — gathering resources and building up the various competing factions — but the Sci-Fi change is immersive. We have a lot of games with similar themes — On Mars, Terraforming Mars, Underwater Cities, et al. — but I like the idea of going to the Moon (and beyond!) that Skymines promises.
This is an economic game with mechanisms like Hand Management, Investment, Stock Holding, Variable Player Powers, and Competitive Play. Skymines plays 1–4 players with a playtime of 75–150 minutes for ages 12+. It’s a comparatively heavy game (likely in the range of 3.5–4+ out of 5).
What’s New?
- Skymines has a Campaign Mode and Modules that can be added to any game of Skymines. The campaign has 4 chapters with each chapter providing a different starting set-up for players to optimize.
- The Mission Cards Module includes 6 Mission Cards that add additional play options to the game. For example, completing assigned tasks could open a personal bonus space!
- The art, theme, and components are all new! We have a brand-new style, color pattern, and new resources to play with.
- The mainboard is double-sided! Not only can players have the experience of mining on the moon, but they can also play in an asteroid belt! Shuttling from one asteroid to another. I’m very intrigued by the possibility of playing on such a different layout.
- New Threat Cards! These are optional but can add a little danger to the game!
Skymines has a release date set for September of this year, and I’m sure this one is going to be a big hit.
That’s all for this one! Thanks for reading, and remember to click on email articles if you want to see more (at no cost to you).
