Solarquest
Solarquest is a space-age real estate trading game published in 1985. Patterned after Monopoly, the game replaces pewter tokens with rocketships and hotels with metallic fuel stations. Players travel around the sun acquiring monopolies and fending off attacks. They seek to knock their opponents out of the game through a combination of bankruptcy, laser blasts, and dwindling fuel supplies.
Renowned for its playability and appealing design, this board game developed a devoted fan base before going out of print in the late 1990s. The company that introduced it, Golden Press/Western Publishing Company, is now a part of Hasbro. Solarquest has attracted a renewed following in recent years due to its availability on eBay and other auction sites.
Players travel through the solar system acquiring properties, charging rent, and building fuel stations within individual planetary systems. The player who builds the greatest financial empire and survives the perils of space travel to become the last player on the board wins the game, according to the 1986 Solarquest rules.
A journey around the Sun encompasses:
- 34 moons;
- 9 planets, of which 5 can be landed on;
- 9 federation stations;
- 6 research labs; and
- 5 space docks.
Players roll dice and travel along a blue flight path from planet to planet. There are also Red Shift cards directing players to specific destinations (e.g. Advance to Mars). Players can buy planets and moons, and trade with one another to acquire monopolies. They can also build fuel stations on these bodies, and charge fees for refueling. Each planet has a deed card with instructions on rent and fuel costs.
Research labs and space docks are similar to the utilities in Monopoly. Federation stations cannot be owned, but offer an opportunity to collect cash and purchase spare fuel stations.
There are also 16 black dots, representing planets' gravity, and 17 blue dots, representing floating in space. Altogether, the board has a total of 91 spaces.
Players have to watch their fuel level carefully since getting stranded with no way to refuel means the loss of the game. Fuel is only used when leaving a planet or moon. According to the rules, "This occurs because the ship must escape the gravitational pull of the planet or moon." Thus, fuel is not used when leaving a man-made satellite or an empty space.
It is always good to have spare fuel stations on hand. If a player runs out of fuel after landing on a planet that has no fuel station, he can force the sale of the property, build a fuel station, and replenish his fuel tank.
A suggested variation is that players who are close enough to each other can fire lasers. A roll of doubles damages the ship, allowing the aggressor to charge for repairs. A roll of double sixes completely destroys the opposing ship, knocking them out of the game.