Moonrakers Review
Deck-building meets social negotiation meets beautiful, stylized science-fiction artwork in the game of Moonrakers (2020), designed by Austin Harrison, Max Anderson, & Zac Dixon, and published by IV Studio. If you like building up a deck of cards to carry out your plans, making deals (which you may or may not keep), or if you just like owning something visually stunning, this game might be for you. In a world of making plans, upgrading a ship you can call your own, hiring the best crew, keeping the promises you make, or possibly lying right to the face of one or more of your fellow players, Moonrakers offers a variety of gameplay mechanics and interactions to bring a swath of different players and play styles together at the table.
PeteSteele (monologuing, as he tends to do): If the tabletop game review business ever dries up, I can see myself living out my days as a space mercenary operating from some remote lunar colony. I suppose I would have to be politically exiled from Earth first—but opportunities for that sort of thing seem to be in abundance these days and, to be honest, I don’t see that stopping any time soon. What I’m saying is this: Diving into the world of Moonrakers (2020) was easy, exciting, and a delight.
Left and above: the Moonrakers comic book.
RickHendricks: Which lunar body would your colony be on?
PeteSteele (sarcastically): What? Oh, I don’t know, the moon?
RickHendricks: Yes, I took that from “lunar,” but which moon? Phobos? Deimos? That’s most of your Mars lunar real estate . . .
PeteSteele: The moon.
RickHendricks: Io? That’s one of Jupiter’s moons.
PeteSteele: The moon.
RickHendricks: Clearly, you have not thought this through. It’s a big career change and a big move. I’ll help lay out the options for your lunar colony. Also orbiting Jupiter along with Io, you could consider: Europa, Ganymede, Callisto, Amalthea, Himalia, Elara, Pasiphae, Sinope, Lysithea, Carme, Ananke, Leda, Thebe, Adrastea, Metis, Callirrhoe, Themisto, Megaclite, Taygete, Chaldene, Harpalyke—
PeteSteele: Dude!
RickHendricks: Hang on, we still have options: Kalyke, Iocaste, Erinome, Isonoe, Praxidike, Autonoe, Thyone, Hermippe, Aitne, Eurydome, Euanthe, Euporie, Orthosie, Sponde, Kale, Pasithee, Hegemone, Mneme, Aoede, Thelxinoe, Arche, Kallichore, Helike, Carpo
PeteSteele: Moonrakers is the first tabletop game to come out of IV Studio (we never got around to asking them if it’s “Four Studio” or “Intravenous Studio,” so take your pick), which is, interestingly, an animation studio based in Nashville, Tennessee. According to their documentary on the making of Moonrakers, one of the employees at IV Studio said (we are paraphrasing), “Hey, I made a bad tabletop game when I was a kid. What if we used our combined creative talent at IV Studio to make a good tabletop game?” and Moonrakers was born.
Included in the Moonrakers box is one (1) armory board, one (1) dispatch board, five (5) command terminals, five (5) ship tokens, 40 metal credit coins, 37 ship part cards, 20 crew cards, 130 player cards, five (5) player reference cards, four (4) hazard dice, 23 objective cards, 40 contract cards, one (1) rulebook, and one (1) graphic novel that explains the origin of the Moonrakers. IV Studio has additional game components available for purchase on their website. The extra game components are certainly not needed to play the game, although we have to admit: the neoprene mat boards are really quite nice even though they do not fit inside the base game box.
Photo of Moonrakers with neoprene mats (in middle).
Moonrakers is a game of deck building, purchasing, social negotiation, and hidden agendas. The first player to gain 10 prestige points wins the game. Players accomplish this by fulfilling contracts (either alone or with the help of other players) and by fulfilling the requirements of hidden objectives that are unique to each player.
When I say “social negotiation” in the context of Moonrakers, I am really using the term as a polite way of saying “bribe, threaten, steal, backstab, and otherwise engage in mendacious and treacherous behavior with relatively few (if any) consequences.” One could even say this game allows for the successful moonshot of fantasy wish fulfillment.
RickHendricks: Eukelade, Cyllene, Kore, Herse, Dia, Eirene, Philophrosyne, Eupheme, Valetudo, Pandia, Ersa . . . and those are all of Jupiter’s named moons!
PeteSteele: Yes . . . very smart, now—
RickHendricks: Orbiting Saturn, you could settle on: Mimas, Enceladus, Tethys, Dione, Rhea, Titan, Hyperion, Iapetus, Phoebe, Janus, Epimetheus, Helene, Telesto, Calypso, Atlas, Prometheus, Pandora, Pan, Ymir, Paaliaq, Tarvos, Ijiraq, Suttungr, Kiviuq, Mundilfari, Albiorix, Skathi, Erriapus, Siarnaq, Thrymr . . .
PeteSteele: Ugh! So, players can bolster their ability to complete objectives by adding various action cards to their decks and buying upgrades for their ships. The combination of an increased number of action cards, mercenary skills, ship upgrades, and ability to collaborate with other players, increases players’ potential to complete more difficult objectives. The more difficult the objective, the greater the rewards in the form of prestige points, money, and additional action cards and upgrades.
In Moonrakers, money is neither rare, nor abundant. You’ll rarely be so poor that you feel like you can’t accomplish anything, but you’ll never be so rich as to feel that the universe is your oyster.
When upgrading your ship, each ship board only has four upgrade slots. By mid- and late-game, once you can afford the upgrades, you’ll find yourself desperately wishing that your ship board had a fifth, or even sixth, upgrade slot. Gritting your teeth and cringing, you’ll be forced to make painstaking decisions about which upgrades to keep and which upgrades to toss in order to make room for new and more powerful ones.
Metal coin pieces.
RickHendricks: . . . Narvi, Methone, Pallene, Polydeuces, Daphnis, Aegir, Bebhionn, Bergelmir, Bestla, Farbauti, Fenrir, Fornjot, Hati, Hyrrokkin, Kari, Loge, Skoll, Surtur, Anthe, Jarnsaxa, Greip, Tarqeq, Aegaeon—
PeteSteele: Are you done?
RickHendricks: Cleary not. Orbiting Uranus, you could consider: Ariel, Umbriel, Titania, Oberon, Miranda, Cordelia, Ophelia—
KeeganKing: Shakespeare in space!
PeteSteele: You stay out of this!
RickHendricks: Bianca, Cressida, Desdemona, Juliet, Portia, Rosalind, Belinda, Puck, Caliban, Sycorax, Prospero, Setebos, Stephano, Trinculo, Francisco, Margaret, Ferdinand, Perdita, Mab, and Cupid!
PeteSteele: Moving right along: As painful as this decision-making process can be, it forces you to think critically about how to make your ship complement your play style and achieve your goals. In addition, by modifying your ship, you end up creating something that is undeniably yours.
Command terminals, which are the player/ship boards.
A photo of Moonrakers without the neoprene mats.
SarahVasa: (Tiredly sipping her coffee) What is happening?
PeteSteele: Nothing. Ignore them. What do you think of Moonrakers?
SarahVasa: There are a lot of moving pieces in this game.
PeteSteele: I didn’t see any of the pieces move on their own. Are you drinking value-added coffee?
SarahVasa: (Silently sipping her coffee and glaring.)
PeteSteele: Did that make you like the game more, or less?
SarahVasa: Less. There was too much happening. You have to think about the ship parts, the objectives, the prestige, the coins, your action deck . . . and *waving contract cards around* you have to think about these. And then you have to think about the other players . . . wondering what their secret objectives are, if they are lying to you, or if they are willing to help for ulterior motives. It’s just too much.
PeteSteele: You don’t find it similar to the number of things to keep track of in other deck builders, like Dominion?
SarahVasa: I think Dominion is more straightforward. In Moonrakers, there is a level of systemic complexity that can be frustrating for people who are new to tabletop gaming who might have previous experience with more direct deck builders, such as Dominion (2008), where, for the most part, you can directly purchase cards that you want from the supply. And where you don’t have to worry about interacting with the other players nearly as much.
PeteSteele: Well, with a few exceptions, I can’t really argue with that. I also found it challenging to remember aspects, which just comes with practice and repeat plays of the game, I suppose. I think it is wonderful that IV Studio has combined deck building with negotiation, but this is certainly not an entry-level game. This is, perhaps, best suited for people who have enjoyed simpler deck builders and want to expand their horizons with deck building mechanics at the core. For those individuals, this game is the perfect next step.
A player aid.
The mendacious and treacherous behavior that Moonrakers so often rewards is certainly not the best way to rope in most newcomers into tabletop gaming. These game mechanics are much better suited for close friends and experienced gamers who will not be personally offended if other players stab them in the back.
Brutal gameplay aside, Moonrakers, in its stylized art form, is visually stunning! The card and board art forces all eyes upon it and grabs at the attention of even the most rushed coffee customer. This is not to say that it is appealing to all, but no one can possibly not notice it.
Ms.Shaw: Isn’t Triton a moon of Neptune?
PeteSteele: Not you, too.
RickHendricks: Yes it is! As are: Nereid, Naiad, Thalassa, Despina, Galatea, Larissa, Proteus, Halimede, Psamathe . . .
PeteSteele: It may also be difficult to engage newcomers in Moonrakers in a coffee shop because you can’t sit down and play one round to get the complete experience. The game really does take 1-2 hours, and it doesn’t really ramp up until halfway through the game. That challenge aside, if people like classic deck builders, they will almost certainly like Moonrakers. If people like space-themed adventure, they will almost certainly like Moonrakers. If people like semi-cooperative games and social negotiation, Moonrakers might very well be for them, too.
In terms of production, Moonrakers has the attention-grabbing appeal of three coffee tables stacked on top of one another, with the beauty and grace of a loon skimming across a lake at dawn. If you were going to discuss tabletop games over cigars and brandy with your banking executive buddies, this would be the board game that would dominate the conversation.
Appropriately stylized and absolutely beautiful, the box has an amazing quality to it, including printing on the inside of the box. The metal coins are beautiful and come in the base game, while the plastic ship tokens are okay. IV Studio produced metal ones, which became available in June 2021, for anyone willing to pay a premium price of $35.00 (a component upgrade we forwent). The cards are also good quality. Overall, we just think this is a top-notch production—the tuxedo of deck builders.
The inside of the box, which has fabulous storage solutions.
My gripe, and I recognize I may be in the minority here because I know I have a preference for larger cards, is that I don’t really like that the ship part cards are small and square. I have to acknowledge that I understand why they use smaller cards to fit on the command terminals, but I don’t know . . . Maybe my hands are just too big and clunky and my eyesight is too poor for small cards. I recognize that not everyone is going to have such a strong opinion about this as I do.
The Moonrakers rulebook is laid out in a clear, concise, well-organized, and beautiful way. I am a particular fan of the stylized art of the folder windows—a throwback to computer operating systems from a bygone era. The rulebook provides rules alterations for a solo player experience (which we have not tried) or for two players if you don’t have three to five. We did find that the rulebook is inconsistent in a couple of places, perhaps most notably in their explanation and definition about what happens to cards when they are “trashed.” This is a minor complaint, however, and is certainly not a major roadblock that will needlessly send players running to an online FAQ, desperately looking for clarification.
RickHendricks: … Sao, Laomedeia, Neso, and Hippocamp!
PeteSteele: This has got to stop—
RickHendricks: Orbiting Pluto we have—
PeteSteele: Wait-wait! Pluto is no longer a planet, so I am not sure that its natural satellites are technically “moons.”
A photo of the rulebook.
RickHendricks: Want me to call the International Astronomical Union and find out?
PeteSteele: *Sigh* No. Go ahead.
RickHendricks: Great! Orbiting Pluto we have Charon, Nix, Hydra . . .
PeteSteele: I am disappointed that there is not a reverse side to the command terminals that boast variable player powers. However, this could be easily “fixed“ using a house rule where each player begins the game with one starting ship part. Or perhaps that each player starts the game with one drafted crew member that is placed down next to their command terminal as a permanent ability. We can call this house rule the “First Officer variant.” However, we have not yet tried this, and we cannot guarantee that all crew cards are created equal. Perhaps a subset of them would be more appropriate for drafting for this purpose.
It would also be interesting to play a variant where hazard dice might knock down your prestige, simply damage your ship parts on your command terminal, or remove cards from your deck. The point is, Moonrakers is full of possibilities for house rule-based variants, as well as expansions, and we fully believe that the core mechanics and base game are solid enough to support these alterations without explicitly needing them to create a complete game.
With an MSRP of $65, Moonrakers is not cheap. However, it comes with a good amount of content, quality metal coins, and, as we have said, the game is so, so, so very pretty. Not only pretty, but handsome and elegant, as well. If I were ever to show up to a cocktail party or the opera with a tabletop game hooked under my arm, Moonrakers would be that game.
So, is it a good value for money? Well . . . maybe. If IV Studio supports Moonrakers with more content in the future, then absolutely—the $65 buy-in price is a good investment in an expanding tabletop world. But even if Moonrakers is not supported in the future, it is still a decent value for money if you consider it to be a luxury product rather than something you would buy on a regular basis. I will say that I winced when I saw the $65 price point, but I did not regret paying it.
Here’s the thing with Moonrakers’ replayability: The game certainly comes with enough variation in its cards to be replayed, however, the real replayability will not come from you playing different upgrades and pilots, but from your fellow players doing the same.
As soon as I played Moonrakers, I was desperate for an expansion to be released—not because the game needs one right off the bat, but because the core box hooked me so much that I just wanted to become further and further immersed in the Moonrakers world.
SarahVasa: So, will Corax & Coffee be recommending Moonrakers?
Pete: Well, as a game for newcomers to tabletop games, it’s a little bit complex with its many mechanics. As a game overall, in terms of core mechanics, theme, and production, I absolutely LOVE it! Even with the higher price tag, it’s absolutely worth it. I wholeheartedly give Moonrakers the prestigious Corax & Coffee Seal of Preeminence. However, due to the complexity, space considerations, and length of the game, it does not make the cut to be approved for cafe play, but don’t let that stop you from trying if you want to!
This game is going to remain in my personal collection for many years to come, where it will be put prominently on display, as well as taken down and played on a regular basis with friends, new and old. Unless you absolutely hate deck-building games, spaceships, or beautifully produced things, if you’re only going to get yourself one luxury game (or even one game) this year, let it be Moonrakers!
RickHendricks: . . . Kerberos, and Styx! And that’s all of them!
PeteSteele: What about the moon orbiting Earth?
RickHendricks: Oh, yes. Luna!
PeteSteele: Grand. Why, exactly, have you been doing this during my review?
RickHendricks: I just read a book about the moons of our solar system and thought this would be a good time to show off.
PeteSteele: You realize that you just sound pro-colonization, don’t you? Not cool.
IV Studio released a mini-expansion: Moonrakers: the Shard (2021) that we are just starting to explore and excited to review in the future.
Moonrakers (2020) earns the Seal of Preeminence!