
- BGG rank
- BGG #10,624
- BGG rating
- 7.2
Viking Raiders
- 2–6 players
- 240 min
- Complexity 2.4/5
- 1987

1979
Rules assistance for Colonisator: The Twelve Planets' War
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.
Colonisator: The Twelve Planets' War is a board game released in 1979 for 2 players, 120 minutes per game, and ages 15 and up. It was designed by Duccio Vitale, Marco Donadoni, and François Nedelec and its main mechanics are Race, Dice Rolling, and Grid Movement.
A space war between two races. The goal of the game is colonizing the higher number of planets. The two armies contain the same units, but only a few units are already deployed in the beginning, so a strategical option is to choose which kind of unit are to be produced every turn. Transport ships are the way for the colonization, but they are weak and unarmed... Other units are Fighters, Cruisers, and Mobile Bases. The first edition published by International Team was Kroll & Prumni; Euro Games cleaned up the rules for Colonisator. This is your basic two-player SF game of colonization & war.
Colonisator: The Twelve Planets' War supports 2 players according to the catalogue. This is the publisher’s listed player count, so the game is designed for exactly that number of participants. Variants for other group sizes, if any, are described in the rulebook of your edition, so check it before setting up a different configuration.
The listed playing time for Colonisator: The Twelve Planets' War is 120 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 Colonisator: The Twelve Planets' War for ages 15 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.
Colonisator: The Twelve Planets' War has a complexity rating of 2.5 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.
Colonisator: The Twelve Planets' War belongs to these categories: Wargame and Science Fiction. Its main mechanics are Race, Dice Rolling, and Grid Movement. 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 Colonisator: The Twelve Planets' War are: Duccio Vitale, Marco Donadoni, and François Nedelec. 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 Colonisator: The Twelve Planets' War 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.