Space Escape

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Space Escape: SOS - Snake
Alert Mole Rats in Space
Game data
author Matt Leacock
graphic Jim Paillot
publishing company Peaceable Kingdom, Game Factory
Publishing year 2017
Art cooperative board game
Teammates 2-4
Duration 20 minutes
Age from 7 years

Space Escape with the subtitle SOS - Mole Rats in Space (English original title: Mole Rats in Space ) is a cooperative board game by the Canadian game designer Matt Leacock for two to four people. The game is based on the classic board game snakes and ladders and was published by Peaceable Kingdom in 2017, and a German version by Game Factory in 2018 . In the game, the players take on a team of naked mole rats who have to reach their escape pod on a space station after snakes have invaded.

Theme and equipment

The game is a cooperative game in which players have to bring a team of naked mole rats to their escape pod on a space station after snakes enter. As with other fully cooperative games, players can only win or lose together.

In addition to the game instructions, the game material consists of:

  • a game board showing the space station with its five levels, each connected by ladders and pipes,
  • four naked mole rat figures in four colors,
  • four first aid kits, each with a portion of antiserum in the four player colors,
  • 12 snake tokens in four colors,
  • 12 equipment tokens,
  • a set of 46 cards for the movements of the naked mole rat and snakes,
  • an envelope with challenge cards.

Style of play

To prepare for the game, the playing field is placed in the middle of the game and each player chooses a player color. He gets the matching figure and the first aid kit. The figures are placed on the corresponding starting space. The corresponding snake tokens are placed on the four colored snake fields and the equipment tokens are placed on the designated fields. The cards are shuffled and each player receives one card, the remaining cards form the draw pile.

Phases per round
  • play cards
  • Perform naked mullaction
  • Perform snake action
  • Draw the card

Beginning with a starting player, the other players play in clockwise order. When it is his turn, each player plays his card and carries out the naked mole rat and snake action depicted on it. The move begins with the naked mole rat, who is pulled according to the specified number of steps, ignoring any ladders and pipes along the way. If the naked mole rat meets a snake, it will be bitten and must return to its starting field and hand in its first aid kit. If bitten a second time, he dies and the team loses the game. If the naked mole rat ends up on an item of equipment, it can pick it up. If the train ends on a ladder, the naked mole rat climbs to the next level. If the train ends on a tube, the naked mole rat falls down to the end of the tube or out of the spaceship. The snake is drawn after the naked mole rat. If their train ends on a ladder, the snake also moves to the next level, and if it ends on a tube, the snake also falls down to the end of the tube or out of the spaceship. After the move, the card is discarded and a new one is drawn.

The players have to try together with the four naked mole rats to collect all four pieces of equipment and then to get into the escape pod with all figures before

  • a naked mole rat was bitten twice by a snake,
  • a naked mole rat is carried out of the ship through a tube,
  • a snake climbs into the escape pod or
  • a player can no longer play a card and the available time has passed.

If they succeed, they have won the game.

Development and reception

Matt Leacock (right) and Rob Daviau at the book signing at the stand with their game Pandemic Legacy at the international game days SPIEL 2016 in Essen

The game Mole Rats in Space was developed by the Canadian game designer Matt Leacock and published in English in 2017 by the publisher Peaceable Kingdom. It was presented in German-speaking countries at the 2017 International Game Days, and in 2018 it was published by Game Factory under the name Space Escape . The game itself is based on the classic board game snakes and ladders and uses these motifs accordingly. The author is known for numerous cooperative games, including the award-winning games Pandemic and Forbidden Island .

supporting documents

  1. ↑ a b c d e How to play Mole Rats in Space
  2. ↑ a b Versions of Space Escape / Mole Rats in Space in the board game database BoardGameGeek (English); accessed on November 21, 2017.

Web links