Beyond the Sun (2020) Board Game

Beyond the Sun is a civilization-building board game that was released in 2020 by Rio Grande Games. Designed by Dennis K. Chan, this game combines elements of science fiction and space exploration to create an engaging and strategic gameplay experience.

Game Components of Beyond the Sun

Main Game Boards: Technology board and Exploration board.

Player Boards: Each player has a personal board with slots for discs and cubes, and asymmetric upgrade options.

Cards: Tech tree cards, achievement cards, and planet cards.

Resources: Population, ore, and ships represented by discs and cubes.

Tokens: Tokens for food, ore, and end-game points.

Rulebook: Detailed but somewhat dry.

How To Setup Beyond the Sun

To set up Beyond the Sun, start by placing the Technology board and Exploration board in the center of the playing area. Each player selects a personal board and places it within reach. Shuffle and lay out the achievement cards, with two constant achievements and two randomly drawn ones. Set up the tech tree by placing the initial Tier 1 technologies. Each player starts with basic resources and discs on their player board. The exploration deck of planet cards is shuffled and placed alongside the Exploration board.

Gameplay Mechanics and Game Objective

Action Selection: Players take turns selecting actions on the Technology board.

Resource Production: After taking an action, players produce resources (population, ore, or trade resources).

Tech Tree Progression: Researching technologies unlocks new actions and bonuses.

Space Exploration: Moving ships to colonize systems on the Exploration board.

Achievements: The game ends when four achievements are claimed, triggering final scoring.

Objective: The player with the most points, earned from researched technologies, colonized systems, and public objectives, wins.

Player Experience

Playing Beyond the Sun is a engaging and strategic experience. The game is divided into action and production phases, with a simple yet deep mechanic of removing resources to gain new ones. The tension is high as players can see their rivals’ progress and must make timely decisions to achieve the laid-out objectives. The game’s variability, with random achievement cards and different planet setups, ensures high replayability.

Pros

Deep but Simple Mechanics: Easy to learn, but with significant depth for strategy.

High Replayability: Randomized achievements and planet cards ensure each game is unique.

Clear Iconography: Uses words to describe actions, reducing the need for frequent rulebook consultation.

Asymmetric Player Boards: Offers different upgrade options for each player.

Tense Gameplay: Players must make critical decisions under pressure.

Cons

Visual Appeal: The game’s aesthetic is minimalistic and lacks table appeal.

Rulebook: While clear, the rulebook is somewhat dry and lengthy.

Box Organization: The box is not optimized for storage and setup.

Limited Initial Content: The base game has limited end-game objectives and Tier 1 technologies.

Personal Thoughts on Beyond the Sun

Beyond the Sun is perfect for fans of Eurogames and sci-fi themes. It offers a great balance of strategy and resource management, making it an excellent choice for players who enjoy games with a medium weight and high replayability. Despite its visual shortcomings, the game’s engaging mechanics and clear design make it a must-play for anyone looking to explore the galaxy through a board game. It is particularly suitable for players who enjoy games like *Lost Ruins Of Arnak* and are looking for a new challenge with a low barrier to entry.

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