
- BGG rank
- BGG #52
- BGG rating
- 8.0
Underwater Cities
- 1–4 players
- 80–150 min
- Complexity 3.6/5
- 2018

2019
Rules assistance for Orbital Conflict
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.
Orbital Conflict is a board game released in 2019 for 2–4 players, 30–60 minutes per game, and ages 12 and up. It was designed by Filip Stjernberg and Kim Astor.
As Earth’s political powers are collapsing and the global economy is on the brink of meltdown, humanity once again looks towards the stars. You have been given the task to oversee the daring project to establish your organization as the dominant force of the Earth’s orbit. Unimaginable market potential is now within arm’s reach, just waiting to be exploited. In the dawn of a new aggressive space race, conflict is inevitable! Orbital Conflict is a card game where each player during several turns build and modify a space station and manage its resources. Each turn is divided into three phases. Draw, Main and Combat phase. In the draw phase each player takes turn drawing two station cards and two investor cards. When all have done the draw phase the Main phase begins. In the main phase each player takes turn playing station cards from the hand to the player's station. They can either be played as a standalone module or extend existing once into more advanced modules. Cards can have production, requirements, attack, defense and victory points. The player will try to build a station that meets the demands of the two investor cards draw in previous phase. Investor are worth different amount of victory points, some are easy to claim while others require a big station. Some cards even has special abilities that apply when part of a station. When all have done the main phase the combat phase begins. Unclaimed investor cards are discarded (new once are draw in the draw phase). In the combat phase a player may choose to attack another player's station using modules with attack values or discard cards from the hand that gives additional attacks. When the last card in the draw pile has been drawn a last turn is played. Afterwards each player counts victory points from claimed investors and from the station. The player with the highest amount wins the game. Noteworthy mechanics are no hand limit, that station cards can extend by being placed on top or below existing once. Claimed investor cards have a mini-game like mechanic where they are pushed from the right or left. Orbital conflict balance station building, light resource management with aggressive combat and point gathering. There is no player elimination and stations can be destroyed and rebuilt several times during a game. —description from the designer
Orbital Conflict supports 2–4 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 Orbital Conflict 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 Orbital Conflict 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.
Orbital Conflict has a complexity rating of 3.0 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a medium-weight 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.
Orbital Conflict belongs to these categories: Card Game and Science Fiction. Categories describe the theme, setting and style of a game rather than its rules. Filter the catalogue by the same category to find similar games when you enjoyed Orbital Conflict and want something comparable for your next game night.
The credited designers of Orbital Conflict are: Filip Stjernberg and Kim Astor. 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 Orbital Conflict 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.