Publisher Awaken Realms Is Heading Into Space With ISS Vanguard
Image: Awaken Realms
Awaken Realms, publisher of popular titles like Lords of Hellas, This War of Mine and Nemesis, has launched their latest board game project: ISS Vanguard, a science fiction themed cooperative experience for 1 - 4 players designed by Michał Oracz, Paweł Samborski, Krzysztof Piskorski and Marcin Świerkot. Taking a page from the beloved video game franchise Mass Effect, this latest board game from Awaken Realms puts players in the roles of crew members onboard the titular space craft ISS Vanguard, the first of its kind capable of interstellar travel. In the not too distant future, scientist have discovered that the human DNA is in fact storing data relating to a distant location in the known universe dubbed “God’s Coordinates”. This revolutionary discovery propelled the human race to develop the technology necessary to slip the surly bonds of Earth and reach beyond the stars. As the pioneers of tomorrow, players will travel to and explore alien planets whilst also maintaining the actual ship through upgrades and research represented by the Ship Book as described by the publisher:
“This is the headquarter of your operation, where you and your team-mates make all the hard decisions:
· What systems and planets will you visit next?
· What technologies will you develop?
· Which research paths will you pursue?
· What landing craft will you build or modify?
· Which alien culture are you going to study?
· Which crewmembers will you choose for your next landing?
· Will Vanguard’s mission propel humanity toward a new future, or will the ship disappear without a trace in the vast blackness of space?
In-game, these mechanics will be represented by a unique game component – a high quality binder that contains beautiful cardboard dividers and card storage pages with printed card sleeves that are a part of many interesting mechanics. This Ship Book serves as a manual (with rich, visual rule presentations), game-saving mechanism, a strategic decision center that you play through between the missions, and a summary of your collected discoveries and technologies. Preparations for humanity’s first and only multi-generation mission took decades and spanned everything from meticulous planning of the ship and its systems to social and political simulations. To avoid the crew splintering into antagonistic factions, a system of four Sections was created, each with their own focus and traditions, but all working together for a common goal.”
Game of ISS Vanguard in progress using prototype components. Photo: Awaken Realms
At the time of writing the game has reached its targeted goal many times over with an estimated delivery scheduled for August of 2021 if you decide to pay extra for split shipping, if not then Awaken Realms is planning to have the game delivered in April 2022. For more information about this highly ambitious project head on over to the official crowdfunding page for ISS Vanguard on the Gamefound platform.
Source: Gamefound
