
- BGG rank
- BGG #3,590
- BGG rating
- 7.5
Brink
- 2–5 players
- 60–150 min
- Complexity 3.2/5
- 2025

Rules assistance for Moonrakers: The Shard
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.

What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Moonrakers: The Shard is an expansion for Moonrakers released in 2021 for 1–5 players, 60–120 minutes per game, and ages 14 and up. It was designed by Max Anderson and Austin Harrison and its main mechanics are Hand Management, Trading, and Dice Rolling.
We first encountered the Shard under the guise of peaceful trading. They had fairly priced and exotic goods, even if they were a bit eclectic. It wasn't long until some of our ships disappeared. Missing ships aren't unusual in this galaxy, but finding one of our Gatling Lasers in the Shard's trade inventory was... unexpected. It takes nerve to sell goods back to the people you stole them from - and we'd learned how much to trust our new friends. Expand your Moonrakers universe with new contracts, crew, and ship parts. Includes 15 cards and is compatible with all versions of Moonrakers. Available first through Veiled Fate Kickstarter and Moonrakers official website.
Moonrakers: The Shard supports 1–5 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 Moonrakers: The Shard is 60–120 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 Moonrakers: The Shard for ages 14 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.
Moonrakers: The Shard 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.
Moonrakers: The Shard belongs to these categories: Negotiation, Science Fiction, and Expansion for Base-game. Its main mechanics are Hand Management, Trading, and Dice Rolling. 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 Moonrakers: The Shard are: Max Anderson and Austin Harrison. 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 Moonrakers: The Shard as an expansion for Moonrakers. Expansions add new content, rules or scenarios to the base game and usually cannot be played on their own, so you need Moonrakers to use it. Check that your edition of Moonrakers is compatible, as some expansions were revised between editions.