
- BGG rank
- BGG #5,839
- BGG rating
- 7.1
Lunar Base
- 2–6 players
- 15–30 min
- Complexity 2.1/5
- 2021

2016
Rules assistance for Alienation
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
For 2 players

What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Alienation is a board game released in 2016 for 2–4 players, 15–30 minutes per game, and ages 8 and up. It was designed by Chris Lombardi and Coryn Lombardi and its main mechanics are Take That, Tile Placement, and Open Drafting.
Welcome to the highly lucrative world of intergalactic real-estate! In Alienation, you will assume the role of a real-estate agent attempting to satisfy various alien creature clientele. But watch out for your rival competitors, because they will surely be trying to corner the market. Finish with the most points after 3 rounds to win the game! Players will draft a hand of 9 alien creature cards. Creature cards may have 1, 2, or 3 creatures displayed in one of 6 races: Friendlies, Meanies, Rowdies, Sleepies, Matchies, and Sunnies. Each race has very distinct personalities and interacts differently with their neighbors. On his/her turn, the starting player will take one of 2 actions: 1. Play 1 card in his/her own solar system. 2. Play 1 card in another player’s solar system. All cards must be played either adjacent or diagonal to the sun card. Play proceeds left. The next player then takes one of the 2 actions. Once your solar system has 8 creature cards surrounding the sun, it is full. You may now ONLY play cards in other players’ solar systems. The round ends once all solar systems are filled. The final card in each player’s hand is placed into the discard pile. Each player will now score his/her solar system.
Alienation supports 2–4 players according to the catalogue. This range comes from the publisher’s listed player count, so the game can be set up for any group size within it. Some setups, rules and scoring details may still vary by player count, so check your edition’s rulebook for the exact configuration.
The listed playing time for Alienation is 15–30 minutes. This is the publisher’s estimate for a full game. The actual duration depends on the group, the player count and familiarity with the rules: first sessions usually run longer, while experienced groups often finish faster. Setup and teaching time are not included in this estimate.
The catalogue lists Alienation for ages 8 and up. This is the publisher’s recommendation and reflects reading demands, rule complexity and small components rather than theme alone. Younger players can often join with help from an adult, so check the age guidance on your edition and consider your group’s experience with board games.
Alienation has a complexity rating of 1.1 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a light game. The rating reflects how much rules knowledge, planning and decision-making a typical game demands. Expect a longer first teach for heavier games, and use a preparation guide before game night.
Alienation belongs to these categories: Card Game and Science Fiction. Its main mechanics are Take That, Tile Placement, and Open Drafting. Categories describe the theme and setting of a game, while mechanics describe what players actually do on their turns. Each mechanic links to a catalogue hub with similar games, which helps when you want something comparable.
The credited designers of Alienation are: Chris Lombardi and Coryn Lombardi. These credits come from the published game data and name the people responsible for the game’s design, not its illustrators or publishers. Designer pages on MeepleRules collect other titles by the same designers, which helps when you enjoy a game and want to find similar ones.
The catalogue lists Alienation as a base game. It can be played on its own with the components in the box and does not require any other title. Expansions, if any exist, add new content or rules on top of it and are listed separately in the catalogue with a link back to this base game.