Mission: Red Planet - Board Game Allows You to Role Play the Conquest of Mars

I've always enjoyed role playing and strategy games except for that they often take way too long to play out so I often pass on them because of time constraints.  An exception to that complaint is a great board game by Fantasy Flight Games called MISSION: RED PLANET that allows players to engage in the planetary exploration of Mars in a Victorian Steampunk universe that takes approximately 45 - 90 minutes to play out.  That's long enough to have plenty of fun but a short enough span that the game doesn't drag on too long.

In the game, you take control of mining corporations competing to occupy Mars and harvest its invaluable, newly discovered natural resources.  Players launch their astronauts into space, station them in the most profitable zones of the planet. and mine for minerals and ice, all the while cunningly undermining their competition. 

MISSION: RED PLANET was originally released in 2005, but Fantasy Flight has just announced that an updated, revised edition of the game is coming out this fall in collaboration with its original designers Bruno Faidutti and Bruno Cathala.  The new edition allows astronauts to land in a new zone, the moon Phobos, and now the Soldier can can convey astronauts from Phobos to anywhere on Mars.  Missions and Discoveries have been fine-tuned and new Action Cards join the Event deck.  The game's Victorian Steampunk aesthetic has also been refreshed with an all new graphic design for a more contemporary look. If you don't get the gist of these changes it is probably because you haven't experienced the original game yet but once you give MISSION: RED PLANET a shot you'll quickly get a grasp on the game play.  Trying to keep a family game night going once your kids have hit those teenage years? MISSION: RED PLANET is a great game for an evening of family fun!

MISSION: RED PLANET is suitable for ages 13 and older and can be played by two to six players. The updated version also will include special rules for a new two-player variant of the game. For more information, visit www.fantasyflightgames.com.