
- BGG rating
- 4.3
Moons: Hi Energy Gravity Tractor
- 3–6 players
- 20 min
- 2017

2017
Rules assistance for Moons
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.
Moons is a board game released in 2017 for 3–6 players, 20 minutes per game, and ages 8 and up. It was designed by Robert Burke and its main mechanics are Set Collection and Trick-taking.
Moons is a trick-taking card game in which suits are represented by different planets in our solar system, and card ranks are represented by the moons that orbit them. Set Up Separate all the planet tokens and place them off to one side of the table within reach of the players. (Saturn, Jupiter, Neptune and Uranus) Remove all the scoring reference cards and give one to each player. Put any extra reference cards back in the box. Shuffle all the small Asteroid cards and deal two to each player. Place the remaining Asteroid cards in a draw deck off to one side of the table within reach of the players. Shuffle all the larger Moon cards and deal the whole deck out to the players one at a time in clockwise order. Put the block token (red circle with a line through it) off to one side of the table within reach of the players. Quick Play 1. Complete the set up 2. All players create a face down three card tableau 3. All players reveal tableaus simultaneously 4. Highest card in tableau gains first player marker (first round only) 5. The first player may play an Asteroid card if he/she wishes 6. First player leads first trick by playing one Moon card 7. In clockwise order from the first player, all other players may play one Asteroid card if they wish, and then must play one Moon card (must follow suit if able) 8. The player with the highest numbered on-suit card wins the trick and gains a planet token that matches any suit in his/her tableau 9. The lowest off-suit card wins a token matching the off-suit played (if tied, low off-suits do not get a token) 10. The winner of the trick leads the next trick 11. After all cards have been played, the winner of the most tricks gains 1 planet token of their choice (does not have to match tableau) — In the case of a tie, all tied players receive 1 token of choice 12. Players who earned zero tricks may take one token that matches any card in their tableau 13. Pass the first player token to the left (the Earth’s moon token) — the Earth token should never be moved as it marks the starting point 14. The new first player deals out all cards for the next round and leads the first trick 15. Repeat until all tokens are gone or until all players have dealt one time Players score points based on sets of tokens.
Moons supports 3–6 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 Moons is 20 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 Moons 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.
Moons has a complexity rating of 1.5 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.
Moons belongs to these categories: Card Game, Educational, and Space Exploration. Its main mechanics are Set Collection and Trick-taking. 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 Moons are: Robert Burke. 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 Moons 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.