GT is a tile-laying game, wherein 2-4 players are attempting to build ships and then transport cargo across the stars to worlds where it’s needed. There are two phases in the game. In the building phase, all the tiles begin facedown in the center of the table. Players grab them and start working to create their ships. They can return tiles they don’t want to center of the table faceup. Each one represents some aspect of the ship they want to build – guns, cargo containers, engines, crew cabins, batteries, and shields.
This all happens in real time, with a timer running, forcing participants to work as quickly as they can. At any time, a player can declare their ship done and take an order marker. So there is an additional incentive for working quickly, since the slower you build, the more likely you will have to go last. Of course, space is a dangerous place, and a hasty construction could result in a ship that doesn’t survive the second phase.
When the timer runs out, everyone begins the flight phase, driving their interstellar eighteen-wheelers through space. A deck of flight cards is shuffled, and then they are revealed one a time. Players may choose to interact with the cards in the order they finished their ships. The cards represent a variety of encounters which can earn them points but also damage their vessels and set them back on the flight track. The object of the game is to have the most credits at the end, so participants have to measure risk versus reward. Damaged space trucks lose parts and maybe even cargo. If your space semi is destroyed, you’re eliminated. But without facing down pirates and other hazards, you won’t earn enough credits to win the game.
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