Jump Drive

Race for the galaxy wasn't too hard for me to grasp, but was intimidating to start trying to grasp, but when I saw this was coming I thought 'I've already learned it, and will only play with my own skill level anyway, why get Race light?' Amswer, it's not Race light light, it's similar for so many reasons, so we'll point out my favorites: Analysis paralysis (AP) gamers don't take as long to play their turns. Income (card draw) and VPs happens every turn. Faster gameplay. Easier to teach. (I hope to bring this game to work) If any of those things xatch your eye, buy it and you won't regret it.

Race for the galaxy wasn't too hard for me to grasp, but was intimidating to start trying to grasp, but when I saw this was coming I thought 'I've already learned it, and will only play with my own skill level anyway, why get Race light?' Amswer, it's not Race light light, it's similar for so many reasons, so we'll point out my favorites: Analysis paralysis (AP) gamers don't take as long to play their turns. Income (card draw) and VPs happens every turn. Faster gameplay. Easier to teach. (I hope to bring this game to work) If any of those things xatch your eye, buy it and you won't regret it.

Jump Drive is a great tool for introducing players to the Race for the Galaxy universe, but it's also a good filler-plus game in its own right. Each player has a hand of cards that represent planets to be colonized or conquered and developments to be researched. Each turn, every player simultaneously chooses to: (1) Play a development or planet card in front of them to their "empire," and receive a bonus (2) Play BOTH a development and a planet card to their "empire," but without any bonus (3) Play NEITHER card and choose to "explore" by drawing a number of cards, mixing them with the cards in your hand, then discarding the number of cards you drew minus two (essentially, gaining a net total of two cards). As in Race for the Galaxy, whenever you play a card (other than military planets, which must be conquered using military power on previous cards you've played), you have to pay for it by discarding from your hand a number of cards equal to the cost of the card you just played. For instance, if you play a planet with a cost of 3, then you must discard three additional cards from your hand to pay for it. Unlike in Race for the Galaxy, there is no phase selection step -- essentially, this game is all about playing developments and planets, with the production and shipping stages removed. This makes for a simpler game that has less player interaction, but one that's much, much easier to teach. There's still a good game here, though, as gameplay ramps up extraordinarily quickly. Once one player reaches 50 Victory Points, the game ends (which makes me wonder if one of the other reviewers on this product page was playing the game right, as it's impossible for the game to end without anyone reaching 50 VPs) -- this usually happens in 6-8 turns (15-20 minutes), and by the last turn, it's very easy to score 20+ VPs per turn. Ultimately, this game will appeal to Race/Roll for the Galaxy players who are looking for something simpler in the same universe, or to players who want a sci-fi card game that's not difficult to learn and which plays quickly. It's a good introduction to some of the ideas and iconography found in Race for the Galaxy, so it should also function as a solid entry point for those who want to work their way up to the more complex game. This game is not perfect -- it's very swingy, with the luck of the draw playing a significant factor, and the main method of mitigating luck (the "explore" option) seems to be underpowered. There's also very few ways to influence your opponent's "empire," other than cards which give you points based on certain types of cards that they've played. Despite these issues, however, it's a very good filler game that's even more of a race to the finish line than Race for the Galaxy, and it certainly has a place in many collections.

Jump Drive is a great tool for introducing players to the Race for the Galaxy universe, but it's also a good filler-plus game in its own right. Each player has a hand of cards that represent planets to be colonized or conquered and developments to be researched. Each turn, every player simultaneously chooses to: (1) Play a development or planet card in front of them to their empire, and receive a bonus (2) Play BOTH a development and a planet card to their empire, but without any bonus (3) Play NEITHER card and choose to explore by drawing a number of cards, mixing them with the cards in your hand, then discarding the number of cards you drew minus two (essentially, gaining a net total of two cards). As in Race for the Galaxy, whenever you play a card (other than military planets, which must be conquered using military power on previous cards you've played), you have to pay for it by discarding from your hand a number of cards equal to the cost of the card you just played. For instance, if you play a planet with a cost of 3, then you must discard three additional cards from your hand to pay for it. Unlike in Race for the Galaxy, there is no phase selection step -- essentially, this game is all about playing developments and planets, with the production and shipping stages removed. This makes for a simpler game that has less player interaction, but one that's much, much easier to teach. There's still a good game here, though, as gameplay ramps up extraordinarily quickly. Once one player reaches 50 Victory Points, the game ends (which makes me wonder if one of the other reviewers on this product page was playing the game right, as it's impossible for the game to end without anyone reaching 50 VPs) -- this usually happens in 6-8 turns (15-20 minutes), and by the last turn, it's very easy to score 20+ VPs per turn. Ultimately, this game will appeal to Race/Roll for the Galaxy players who are looking for something simpler in the same universe, or to players who want a sci-fi card game that's not difficult to learn and which plays quickly. It's a good introduction to some of the ideas and iconography found in Race for the Galaxy, so it should also function as a solid entry point for those who want to work their way up to the more complex game. This game is not perfect -- it's very swingy, with the luck of the draw playing a significant factor, and the main method of mitigating luck (the explore option) seems to be underpowered. There's also very few ways to influence your opponent's empire, other than cards which give you points based on certain types of cards that they've played. Despite these issues, however, it's a very good filler game that's even more of a race to the finish line than Race for the Galaxy, and it certainly has a place in many collections.

This game is a fantastic filler sci-fi game! Each game lasts only 20 minutes or so (the box is correct for Jump Drive) and once you get the feel of the game after a few rounds, the game goes quickly. It has the feel of Star Realms in that players are building their empires and trying to outdo one another. Instead of fleets and bases though, players are settling and conquering planets and building developments. Because of this, it feels more like multiplayer solitaire (Race for the Galaxy) than a PvP experience (Star Realms). Unlike Race for the Galaxy and Roll for the Galaxy, there is no selection of phases. Instead every player can build ONE development (at a -1 cost discount), settle ONE colony planet (at full cost but draw a card afterward), conquer a military world (as long as players have the appropriate fleet size for the planet (draw a card afterward), build and settle ONE development and ONE planet each (no benefits), or select Explore (draw 2 + # of Explore icons on existing cards, add them to your hand, then discard # explore icons on existing cards). After every round, players tally victory points (VPs) for all cards in their respective empires, collect VP tokens, and draw as many $ that are listed on their current empire cards. The first player to reach 50 VPs wins (or has the greatest number of VPs when the token pile runs out.) This game is fast, fun, and easy to teach. I would recommend it for "Race" and "Roll" fans as it does not have the steep learning curve those game may have for new players. It is not quite a "easy mode" for Race for the Galaxy though as the gameplay is more straightforward and not as complex. Also, I would recommend this for two or three. At four, the games typically end without a player getting to 50 VPs. My only frustration with Jump Drive is the price. This game fills a similar void as Star Realms and yet costs nearly twice as much. Also, a minor complaint is that the art is recycled from "Race". Overall, if you are looking for a quick sci-fi building game that can accommodate more than two players. have a look at Jump Drive.

This game is a fantastic filler sci-fi game! Each game lasts only 20 minutes or so (the box is correct for Jump Drive) and once you get the feel of the game after a few rounds, the game goes quickly. It has the feel of Star Realms in that players are building their empires and trying to outdo one another. Instead of fleets and bases though, players are settling and conquering planets and building developments. Because of this, it feels more like multiplayer solitaire (Race for the Galaxy) than a PvP experience (Star Realms). Unlike Race for the Galaxy and Roll for the Galaxy, there is no selection of phases. Instead every player can build ONE development (at a -1 cost discount), settle ONE colony planet (at full cost but draw a card afterward), conquer a military world (as long as players have the appropriate fleet size for the planet (draw a card afterward), build and settle ONE development and ONE planet each (no benefits), or select Explore (draw 2 + # of Explore icons on existing cards, add them to your hand, then discard # explore icons on existing cards). After every round, players tally victory points (VPs) for all cards in their respective empires, collect VP tokens, and draw as many $ that are listed on their current empire cards. The first player to reach 50 VPs wins (or has the greatest number of VPs when the token pile runs out.) This game is fast, fun, and easy to teach. I would recommend it for Race and Roll fans as it does not have the steep learning curve those game may have for new players. It is not quite a easy mode for Race for the Galaxy though as the gameplay is more straightforward and not as complex. Also, I would recommend this for two or three. At four, the games typically end without a player getting to 50 VPs. My only frustration with Jump Drive is the price. This game fills a similar void as Star Realms and yet costs nearly twice as much. Also, a minor complaint is that the art is recycled from Race. Overall, if you are looking for a quick sci-fi building game that can accommodate more than two players. have a look at Jump Drive.