Gamelyn Games Tiny Epic Galaxies

This tiny game really packs a lot of action within it's small box! I was lured into buying this by the cute tiny wooden space ships and galaxy theme, but I discovered that it's actually such a fun and engaging game that I always reach for to play (both at home and when traveling).THE GAME: The game itself has so many different levels of strategy with each planet offering different abilities. However, there's also a lot of luck involved on what dice you roll and how you use those dice, and in what order. AND THE BEST PART - you can use your "culture" points to "copy" someone else's action. (Ha!) This mechanism keeps all the players engaged, even when it's not their turn, since they turn someone else's dice into their advantage. ALSO there's a solo version of this game built in, so you can play against the game itself when there is no one else to play with."EASY" to Learn? There are some intricacies on how to use each dice and how best to strategize that make it the slightest bit confusing. The first game or two, I would often refer to the rulebook just to double-check. With that said, I was able to play this with my friend and her brilliant board-game-loving 5 year old (reading the cards out loud for him and listing out his options). He was able to grasp the strategy very well and he fell in love with the game!While this is "Travel-Sized" aka it fits in a pretty small box that can fit in your travel bag, the game itself is NOT one to play while in an airport or on-the-go. While you can use the box to roll the die in, the cards would need to be set-up ideally on a stable flat surface.With all of that said, I've now owned this game for several years and it became and remains one of my all-time favorites to play. I still feel like there's plenty of strategies to play out still with all the different elements in the game and I highly recommend for anyone who enjoys board games (especially if you like space themes)!

FIRST OF ALL: I paid $20.00 for this game in June 2017, so don't pay these scalpers $40+ for this game. This game sells for $25 BRAND NEW in other stores online, so you'll have to do a quick Google search, but trust me -- they're there.Anyway...I bought this game to play as a solo game.Everything in the box comes in a bunch of small, resealable, clear plastic baggies, so everything is well organized and not bouncing around. Also, I sleeved all of my cards and they STILL fit in the box comfortably (i.e., I don't have to force the box to close), which is another plus for me because not many games fit all of their cards if you sleeve them. The pieces are high quality wooden pieces with nice paint jobs.As for the game itself? This is why I give it 5 stars for solo gameplay--I bought this game because I wanted to buy something a little different than what I was used to. Space theme isn't something I'm really interested in, but the game had good reviews to be honest, so I gave it a shot.The truth is that I wasn't a huge fan of it to be honest, BUT I am giving this product a full 5 stars because, on top of what I said before, I felt the rulebook was very well laid out and easy to learn from. You can pick up this game in less than 20 minutes and it's quite challenging (at least in my experience). The size makes it ultra portable, too! Then there's lots of replayability. Lots of pluses here.So in my personal taste, no, I would not buy another game like this. I would give it a 2/5 stars in terms of how much I enjoyed it. BUT just because I didn't like it doesn't mean that it deserves 2/5 stars. I am considering the quality, learning curve, size, and ease of gameplay in my review, hence the 5 stars. I can't dock the rating just because it doesn't fit my personal style.*PHEW* All that said, you're really into space themed games (or interested in picking one up), this is probably a really, really good game to pick up. There is also an expansion pack that you may want to pick up which totally changes the gameplay, so consider that as well!

The game is small and does not take long to earn. There are a couple of cards that could use more explanation or an example of how they are used. The rule book is short and easy to read. I know the point of the tiny epic series is to have games that are small and portable but the players boards are just a bit too small. Especially for some older players. At the very least the player boards should have been the same size as the inside of the box instead of being smaller ( for example the game instructions are exactly the same size of the inside of the box). Aside from that this is a really fun game and a good one to have around for a quick filler or if there's not time to play a long game.

I read a lot of online lists and reviews of solo games and this one kept popping up to the top.For good reason.It is interesting and deceptively simple.More than just a dice game, it requires thought and strategy -- and with many different levels of "opponents" (rogue galaxies) to challenge you. I found it a bit addictive, actually. I've been playing a couple of rounds each evening after work -- exploring what might be winning strategies and what strategies don't work. This was all in preparation for bringing it to a game night to play with other people. Which I did. And I found that I actually enjoyed the solo gameplay better than playing with the group!And I am not even a hardcore gamer -- just a middle-aged, young-at-heart female who recently got into gaming at a recent health-and-wellness retreat.While the game does have a pretty small footprint, it is important to understand that there are a lot of little pieces to move and place on cards -- which is why I don't think this game is particularly good for traveling. It would be difficult, for example, to play on an airplane or a train. Jostling of the pieces would be an issue. Maybe in the airport or train station -- but not while actually on the move.Perfect for home though!