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- BGG #157
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Forbidden Stars
- 2–4 players
- 120–180 min
- Complexity 3.8/5
- 2015
- BGG rank
- BGG #24,070
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Space Opera
2017
Rules assistance for Space Opera
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 2–4 players
- 30–90 min
- 14+
- Complexity 2.3/5
For 2 players
Rules assistant for Space Opera
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Space Opera is a board game released in 2017 for 2–4 players, 30–90 minutes per game, and ages 14 and up. It was designed by Anna Esplandiu, Marc Vinyes, Adhara Dominguez Castro, and David Martínez Díaz and its main mechanics are Area Movement, Area Majority / Influence, and Deck, Bag, and Pool Building.
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About the game
In a very, very likely future, in this very same galaxy… Many intelligent species have learned to travel between the stars, developing the technology necessary for interstellar jumps. The first encounters between them did not go peacefully. During centuries, war and conflicts expanded affecting almost every corner in the galaxy. During the longest part of the galactic history, different species used to settle on the systems they arrived to. Instead of just exploring the galaxy, they were sending their overpopulation to colonize new homes. That caused many wars, because it’s not easy to share your home planet with a foreign species who has nothing in common with you. But everything changed when The Plague arrived. The Plague was an illness that affected all intelligent species all across the galaxy, decimating their population to the brink of extinction and ending wars. Survivors of each species regrouped as well as they could and, following severe isolation protocols, finally the Plague was almost eradicated although their customs changed forever. Since that day on, all species are nomads, because the void of space is the most aseptic environment, and they no longer settle on the systems they visit. The biggest part of the population stays on the surface of a planet the necessary time to get their esources and nothing more. Space Opera is a card game for ages above 14. 2 to 4 players. Approximate duration of the game: between 30 and 90 minutes, depending on the number of players. Each player, represents an specie, fighting to achieve supremacy on the Galaxy (through the Extermination the other species or reaching Civilization Level 3 or more). The game could be played with using all the same deck or could be played in a Competitive Mode. In Competitive Mode, every player have their own deck with the specie and 40 resources cards previously chosen.
Categories
Mechanics
Publishers
- Games 4 Gamers
Questions and answers
Space Opera 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 Space Opera is 30–90 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 Space Opera 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.
Space Opera has a complexity rating of 2.3 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.
Space Opera belongs to these categories: Card Game and Science Fiction. Its main mechanics are Area Movement, Area Majority / Influence, and Deck, Bag, and Pool Building. 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 Space Opera are: Anna Esplandiu, Marc Vinyes, Adhara Dominguez Castro, and David Martínez Díaz. 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 Space Opera 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.