I'm always trying to think of ways to do a space resource / Empire game that doesn't involve a huge rule book. This rough idea came to me and I thought I'd get the basics down here.
PREMISE
You are a fledgling interstellar species setting off to explore your local region of the galaxy. Each turn you take resource cards (like Ticket to ride maybe) which will include fuel, Metals, water and life support.
Each player starts with 1 hex 'homeworld' tile and 1 exploration vessel.
PLAYING TILES
Tiles have combinations of locations and 'space routes' leading to some of the edges (like villages and roads in carcassonne). Some tiles may not have a location at all. The back of each tile shows only the cost and the space route connection points.
EXPANDING
To begin with, you explore your local region by buying a new tile and connecting it to your own layout (like Alhambra), moving an exploration vessel to the new tile when it is laid. You must play the tile not only so that it connects correctly to your layout but you must place it adjacent to an exploration vessel such that that vessel can move to your new tile.
Each location shows the resource cost to build there.
BUILDING
Colonies (maybe small and large upgrade available) represent your population. You score VP for these.
Outposts represent your military presence.
Space stations are more expensive but have both a VP and military benefit.
Orbital Fleet yards are needed to build more ships.
Types of vessel that you can build:
Exploration ships are used to... explore, obviously.
Military ships are used to attack and defend when you come into contact with your opponents.
Moving one ship from one tile to and adjacent tile along a space route requires one fuel.
LOCATION TYPES
Most tiles are planets, some are lush and cheap to build on, others are harsh and costly. Some locations are 'asteroid fields' or gas giants and only space stations and fleet yard can be built there. Some tiles are wormholes. Wormholes change the scope of the play. Instead of only building your own layout, wormholes allow you to move vessels to the layout of other players (as long as their layout also has a wormhole) and continue to explore and build there.
CONFLICT
This is what you need military ships for. With these you can got to a location where there is an opponents colony and take it over. Doing so adds to your VP whilst reducing you opponents so the 'swing' is larger than just building on your own.
Battle mechanic
I'm not sure yet. I'd like some variable element like using resource cards so it's not just numbers.
Perhaps to start simple.
Capturing 1 small colony requires 1 military ship and spending 1 metal and 1 life support.
Capturing a large colony... You get the idea.
Enemy military ships at the location make it more difficult... somehow.
There needs to be a way for ships to battle. No idea how to make that work at the moment. Perhaps once I sort it out, outposts and space stations can add into the mix and actively resist being taken over.
To win, you just be the first to reach a set VP. It's going to be a good 90 minute, maybe two hours Settler of Catan type of game I think but if I boil down all the actions to resource cards, it should keep the economics simple.
Considerations:
If fuel is needed to move ships around, it could become a resource where cards need to have various values or players will just not have enough fuel cards to get anywhere.
There are six types of thing to build which would mean lots of moulds, I suppose.
So it's carcasonne meets Alhamba meets Settlers... IN SPAAAAAAACE!
Thoughts.
