Rio Grande Games have really embraced the "we make Sci-Fi board games" thing right now it seems. A new game is on the cards that has you heading off into the black called Space Station Phoenix.

Space Station Phoenix // Rio Grande Games

Here is the background to this one...

"The Galactic Council is considering expansion into a recently discovered solar system, one with a yellow dwarf star and some interesting-looking planets, including one that holds a species that could soon develop the technology required to join them. Before establishing a permanent home in the system, the Council needs a space station as a base of operations. There are lucrative government contracts to be awarded, and the player who can build the best station will have the inside track."

Space Station Phonix is a new worker-placement game that also brings resource management into the mix. Come at things from the other side, playing as the Galactic Council as you build space stations and watch over humanity.

You start the game with nine ships and a station hub and throughout the game, you'll be gathering resources, exploring planets and then using what you've collected to build your station.

Space Station Phoenix Components // Rio Grande Games

A turn is also pretty simple. Either take an action based on your ships or take income. The interesting twist in this game is that whilst most of the time you begin with a small "engine" and build it up, here, you're starting with lots of resources at your fingertips as it slowly dwindles away. YOU need to make the right choices as you break down your ships and turn them into your new space station.

Space Station Phoenix Components // Rio Grande Games

Because of the different starting options you get for each player, Space Station Phoenix opens out into a game that could feature plenty of replayability. I like games where you get given a set of tools, which could be wildly different from the last game you played, and have to make the best of it.

Rio Grande has done some great work in the past for the likes of Race For The Galaxy so I'm very eager to see what this new game is like. I look forward to seeing what Gabriel J. Cohn can do!

Are you tempted by Space Station Phoenix?