
- BGG rank
- BGG #14,251
- BGG rating
- 6.7
Threaded: A Game of Needles and Points
- 2–5 players
- 30–45 min
- Complexity 2.4/5
- 2026

2021
Rules assistance for Uranus!
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
For 1 player

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Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Uranus! is a board game released in 2021 for 1–6 players, 45–60 minutes per game, and ages 10 and up. It was designed by Ellie Dix and its main mechanics are Variable Player Powers, Simultaneous Action Selection, and Cooperative Game.
You are the ruler of one of six alien races, each with their own special powers, which inhabit the lesser-known moons of Uranus. Until recently, your people have been living peacefully in underground dwellings to protect themselves from the noxious gases on the surface. But now you are besieged by violent and increasingly frequent asteroid attacks, which are causing irreparable damage and threatening your very existence. Working together with the other rulers, you must rally the troops to build infrastructure and develop technologies that will protect you from the asteroids and will ultimately allow you to escape. Use your race’s special powers to help you and your neighbouring moons, which are suffering the same fate, to settle on Uranus before your moons explode. This is a co-operative game: players work together to try to beat the game. Players win the game if they manage to get all of the moon races housed in completed modules on Uranus before the moons explode. No race must be left behind. Each round has four phases that must be completed in order. Players play simultaneously within each phase, but wait until all players have finished a phase before moving on together to the next. Phase 1: Asteroid track. If the asteroid track marker lands on an asteroid attack, the next attack is carried out. Areas of moons are damaged and 'go dark' making these sections unusable. Phase 2: Mine and transport. Each mine on a player's moon produces a moon rock of the appropriate colour. The rocks are then transported along tunnel and grouped together in connected networks. Phase 3: Use and remove. Groups of moon rocks are used together towards a single project. Progress is marked on the project board. Players may get ready to build tunnels and mines, construct launchpads and fortifications, load up their space gun or work towards developing different technologies. Each technology helps the players to progress in the game. Phase 4: Build and activate. Completed projects can now be constructed on your moon. Mines may be built or fortified. Tunnels constructed or removed. Networks will change as your need for different groupings of resources changes. When all players have discovered spaceship technology and habitation modules are constructed on Uranus, players may travel to Uranus. This is a race against time. —description from the publisher
Uranus! supports 1–6 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 Uranus! is 45–60 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 Uranus! for ages 10 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.
Uranus! 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.
Uranus! belongs to these categories: Fantasy and Space Exploration. Its main mechanics are Variable Player Powers, Simultaneous Action Selection, and Cooperative Game. 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 Uranus! are: Ellie Dix. 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 Uranus! 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.