- BGG rank
- BGG #25,873
- BGG rating
- 5.6
King's Bounty
- 1–8 players
- 45–300 min
- Complexity 2.6/5
- 1991
- BGG rank
- BGG #9,819
- BGG rating
- 7.1
Liftoff!
1989
Rules assistance for Liftoff!
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 1–4 players
- 45–300 min
- 12+
- Complexity 2.9/5
For 1 player
Rules assistant for Liftoff!
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Liftoff! is a board game released in 1989 for 1–4 players, 45–300 minutes per game, and ages 12 and up. It was designed by John Olsen, Robert L. Sassone, Fritz Bronner, and Fritz Bronner and its main mechanics are Dice Rolling and Simultaneous Action Selection.
Similar games
- BGG rank
- BGG #1,597
- BGG rating
- 7.3
Last Light
- 2–4 players
- 45–75 min
- Complexity 2.8/5
- 2023
- BGG rank
- BGG #3,554
- BGG rating
- 6.9
Star Fleet Battles
- 2 players
- 180 min
- Complexity 4.2/5
- 1979
- BGG rank
- BGG #176
- BGG rating
- 7.6
Roll for the Galaxy
- 2–5 players
- 45 min
- Complexity 2.8/5
- 2014
- BGG rank
- BGG #2,386
- BGG rating
- 7.1
Exodus: Proxima Centauri
- 2–6 players
- 180 min
- Complexity 3.6/5
- 2012
- BGG rank
- BGG #5,151
- BGG rating
- 6.3
Asteroyds
- 2–6 players
- 30 min
- Complexity 2.2/5
- 2010
- BGG rank
- BGG #8,086
- BGG rating
- 8.6
Phantom Epoch
- 1–4 players
- 45–180 min
- Complexity 3.2/5
- 2025
- BGG rank
- BGG #206
- BGG rating
- 7.6
Star Wars: X-Wing Miniatures Game
- 2 players
- 30–45 min
- Complexity 2.5/5
- 2012
- BGG rank
- BGG #663
- BGG rating
- 8.0
Star Wars: X-Wing (Second Edition)
- 2 players
- 30–45 min
- Complexity 3.1/5
- 2018
- BGG rank
- BGG #684
- BGG rating
- 7.1
Draftosaurus
- 2–5 players
- 15 min
- Complexity 1.2/5
- 2019
- BGG rank
- BGG #933
- BGG rating
- 7.1
Steampunk Rally
- 2–8 players
- 45–60 min
- Complexity 2.6/5
- 2015
- BGG rank
- BGG #1,335
- BGG rating
- 7.6
The Reckoners
- 1–6 players
- 60–100 min
- Complexity 2.7/5
- 2018
About the game
Liftoff! sees up to 4 players competing to be the first nation to land a man on the moon, and successfully return them home again. During the activity turn all players receive their current income, an event card which may help or hinder, and can buy new hardware (rockets / satellites / capsules etc), try and develop the reliability of systems they already have (by buying dice and adding the total to the current safety), hire astronauts, and secretly plan future missions. The launch phase sees players carrying out their missions in turn (as being first to achieve certain mission goals such as 'first man in space' is rewarded). The relevant hardware must be purchased, including a rocket powerful enough to lift the weight of the other items involved. The mission is carried out by following a series of steps, and rolling percentiles against the safety rating of specific items each turn - e.g. liftoff roll against rocket, orbital burn roll against space capsule, space walk roll against space suit etc. If a player fails a safety roll, the advanced game contains several possible failure outcomes (requiring one or more further rolls) ranging from a bulb failure to a catastrophic explosion, which will reset the safety factor of your equipment! Once missions are completed, players’ incomes are adjusted depending on successes / failures, and the next year begins. Multiple development options are available, with 1, 2, 3 and 4 man capsules, a shuttle, several rockets, a couple of lunar landers and many other items. Do you follow the US methodical strategy or do you develop a space shuttle in 1961 and glide to the moon? Challenge is to determine when to take risks to get the extra income boost, do you use an untested new rocket now, or do you hope your opponents haven’t planned the same mission as you giving you time for one more year of research? There is a new version of the game in the works, by designer Fritz Bronner. LIFTOFF! Race into Space 2.0
Categories
Publishers
- Task Force Games
Questions and answers
Liftoff! supports 1–4 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 Liftoff! is 45–300 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 Liftoff! 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.
Liftoff! has a complexity rating of 2.9 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.
Liftoff! belongs to these categories: Science Fiction and Space Exploration. Its main mechanics are Dice Rolling and Simultaneous Action Selection. 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 Liftoff! are: John Olsen, Robert L. Sassone, Fritz Bronner, and Fritz Bronner. 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 Liftoff! 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.