
- BGG rank
- BGG #4,599
- BGG rating
- 6.8
Mental Blocks
- 2–9 players
- 10–20 min
- Complexity 1.5/5
- 2019

2020
Rules assistance for Apollo: A Game Inspired by NASA Moon Missions
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.
Apollo: A Game Inspired by NASA Moon Missions is a board game released in 2020 for 2–5 players, 30–60 minutes per game, and ages 12 and up. It was designed by Jonathan Gilmour-Long and Sarah Addison and its main mechanics are Dice Rolling, Cooperative Game, and Communication Limits.
You are “Go for Launch!” 1961. President Kennedy challenged the nation to land astronauts on the moon by the end of the decade. Now it’s up to you to walk in the footsteps of NASA’s pioneers and embark on the missions that made history - FOR ALL MANKIND in Apollo: A Game Inspired by NASA Moon Missions, play as Mission Control and Astronauts. Work together and strategize to complete flight stages, overcome obstacles, repair the spacecraft, and keep communication clear. It’s the team that determines if the mission succeeds or fails. One player takes on the role of Mission Control on Earth, while the other players are Astronauts up in the command module. Astronauts must guide their craft through multiple flight stages by maintaining their flight systems including life support, power, comms, and flight control by rolling dice and assigning them to their tasks. In addition, Astronauts are charged with completing experiments by rolling dice and assigning them to their experiment, but they don't have all the information that they need to complete them. Mission Control can spend tokens to relay key pieces of information to the Astronauts that they need to complete their tasks or to aid the Astronauts by providing bonuses to their dice or boosting systems. Mission Control also tracks the flight and experiment progress on the ground via a panel of sliders. Failure to maintain flight systems can cause disasters like comm failures preventing Mission Control and the Astronauts from talking to each other. Missions are based on real-life NASA missions and missions are won by completing varying numbers of flight stages and experiments based on the mission.
Apollo: A Game Inspired by NASA Moon Missions supports 2–5 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 Apollo: A Game Inspired by NASA Moon Missions is 30–60 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 Apollo: A Game Inspired by NASA Moon Missions for ages 12 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.
Apollo: A Game Inspired by NASA Moon Missions has a complexity rating of 2.8 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a medium-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.
Apollo: A Game Inspired by NASA Moon Missions belongs to these categories: Space Exploration. Its main mechanics are Dice Rolling, Cooperative Game, and Communication Limits. 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 Apollo: A Game Inspired by NASA Moon Missions are: Jonathan Gilmour-Long and Sarah Addison. 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 Apollo: A Game Inspired by NASA Moon Missions 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.