Last week at the shop we learned Ganymede, a thematic space exploration games for up to four players! Ganymede looks great on the table and is fairly simple to learn. This lightweight strategy game features card drafting and  tableau building mechanics. In Ganymede, players select from a pool of cards to build their own board. Play as your own corporation, working to recruit settlers only to launch them into space and colonize.

The goal of Ganymede is to recruit settlers on Earth to later be used to colonize space. From there they may be launched to Mars, and then eventually to Ganymede. On Ganymede, once you have gathered enough settlers, the ship may be launched further into space. After a player’s fourth ship has been launched from Ganymede, the game ends. Become efficient in moving your recruits through space and gain enough victory points to win the game! After the end of the game has been triggered, players add up their victory points. This comes from the victory point tracker, as well as any from launched ships from Ganymede.

During each turn, players may choose one of three available actions. The first option is to choose a settler tile. Select one from the table, add it to your player mat, and then activate it. You will also activate other settler tiles that share the same symbol. The second option is to move settlers from Earth or Mars, and launch them into a different zone by using one of your cards at the bottom of your playmat. Note that each card has different requirements to use, along with a possible bonus action you may take when launched. Lastly, you may choose a basic action to perform. These include recruiting or replacing a single settler, gaining a reputation point, and drawing a settler ship and adding it to your hand.

And those are the essentials to play Ganymede! We love the components, especially the miniature, colorful meeples! Ganymede looks beautiful on the table, and is a great addition to lightweight strategy games. This game is worth checking out, we have it on the demo table this week at the shop. Join us next week for our blog post on Journey: Wrath of Demons. Join forces as pilgrims in this cooperative game to defeat the demons that threaten China. We will be playing the first quest featured in the box, which should give players a feel for the mechanics and gameplay. See you next week!