Moon Colony Bloodbath

Rio Grande Games, alea, Ravensburger AG · Board game · 2025
1–5 · best 4 Solo 45–90 min Weight 2.1/5
8.0 rating Ludopedia
7.6 rating BGG
8.0 rating Ludopedia
7.6 rating BGG
Our Verdict

If you enjoy a good survival challenge with a dash of space chaos and engine building, Moon Colony Bloodbath is right up your alley! It's a game that will make you laugh (or cry) as your lunar colony goes to hell.

Highlights
  • Dynamic engine building
  • Unpredictable and fun events
  • Shared deck interaction
  • Engaging sci-fi theme
  • Strategic simultaneous decisions
Keep in mind
  • Can be quite brutal
  • Requires constant adaptation
  • Moderate language dependency
RECOMMENDED
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About the game
Get ready for a lunar adventure that promised to be humanity's crowning achievement, but which, like all good plans, is destined to go spectacularly wrong! In Moon Colony Bloodbath, you and your companions are the brave (and perhaps a bit unlucky) colonists tasked with turning the Moon into a new home. The idea was simple: rockets full of supplies, programmed robots, and zero chance of failure. Spoiler: the chance of failure is quite high, and that's where the fun begins!

This is an engine-building game where you can both create and lose your precious gears. The trick is a shared deck that all players contribute to build, and which dictates the colony's rhythm. And what does this deck do? Oh, it does everything! From generating resources for you to build, to unleashing catastrophic events that will decimate your lunar population. At the start of each turn, one card from this deck is revealed. It can be a work card, which allows all players to simultaneously choose an action (mining, farming, researching, building, or restocking). Or it can be a 'twist' card, which adds a unique twist to the game. But the most exciting (or terrifying) are the 'trouble' cards, which introduce new disastrous events to the event deck, such as hunger, power failures, or accidents. And the icing on the cake? Whenever the deck is shuffled, all those events come back to haunt you again!

You can also add cards to the shared deck, either for personal benefits (perks) or for developments that affect everyone. The game continues until one player's colony runs out of inhabitants, or when the event deck runs out. In the end, the player with the most survivors in their lunar colony is crowned the great (and lucky) winner. Can you keep your colonists alive long enough to see Earthrise?
Rules videos

In English

BEST PLAYER COUNT
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2 REC
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Game details

Families

Mechanism: Tableau Building Space: Colonization / Extraterrestrial Colonisation Space: Earth's Moon Theme: Robots Theme: Survival
Publisher Rio Grande Games, alea, Ravensburger AG, Transludis
Designer Donald X. Vaccarino
Artist Franz Vohwinkel
Frequently Asked Questions
How many players can play Moon Colony Bloodbath?
The game is designed for 1 to 5 players, which is great for those looking for a solo experience or to play with a larger group of friends.
What is the average game duration?
A game typically lasts between 45 and 90 minutes, depending on the number of players and the speed of decisions. It's a reasonable time for a game session with a lot happening.
What is the complexity level of the game?
With a BGG weight of 2.1226/5, Moon Colony Bloodbath is considered to be of medium complexity. It's not a super light game, but it's not a brain-burner either. Ideal for those who already have some experience with board games and want a fun challenge.
Is it a cooperative or competitive game?
Moon Colony Bloodbath is a competitive game. Although everyone shares the same event deck and faces the same dangers, the goal is to be the player with the most survivors at the end, meaning it's every colonist for themselves on the Moon!
Are the components language dependent?
Yes, the game has moderate language dependency. The cards have text that needs to be read to understand their effects, so a translated spreadsheet or translated cards are recommended for those not comfortable with English.
Who is Moon Colony Bloodbath for?
This game is perfect for fans of science fiction, engine-building games, and anyone who enjoys a good survival challenge with unpredictable elements. If you're not afraid to see your plans hilariously go wrong, you'll love it!