How to Build a Space Ship

T minus 3...2...1...blast off! How to Build a Space Ship (HtBaSS) is a supremely light worker placement game where you get to use your creation once it's built.

You work for Snark Enterprises, one of the greatest next generation military and commercial grade technology laboratories there is. Your task is to create a space ship with the inventory on hand. However, there are other teams performing the same task. The first to make a workable space ship that survives the flight test wins the game!

Each player has a collection of workers that are placed on locations to obtain the components (nose cone, fuselage, engines, heat shield, and fuel) necessary to build a space ship. Don't worry, this isn't rocket surgery, the required components are listed clearly on the game board. After all workers are placed, the mini-games begin. In some cases, you are simply given the component. In other cases, dice rolls, giving up other components, or performing certain actions are required to earn the component. Once the round is over, worker placement begins again.

After the minimum number of components are acquired, a player can launch into space for a test flight. But a smart player will stick around and gain extra fuel, more engines, and a second heat shield for a stronger ship. Once in flight, the space ship is tested using various random events from the event card deck. You may crack your nose cone, solar winds may knock your ship off course, or you may run out of fuel. Depending on what components you picked up (and if you picked up spares), your ship may or may not survive the test flight. If it fails, you can pick up the remaining pieces of your test flight and begin to acquire more components in the hopes to relaunch. Meanwhile, other players continue to launch their ships into space.

May the best team win!