
2024 · Science Fiction
Shackleton Base: A Journey to the Moon
Players lead competing space agencies building a permanent base in a lunar polar crater while three corporate sponsors pursue their own agendas. Each game selects three corporations from a pool, and those corporations introduce unique projects, actions, resources, and scoring paths that change how the game plays. Over three rounds, players draft shuttle tiles to determine available astronauts, resources, and turn order; then take turns deploying astronauts to collect resources, construct base structures, or fund corporate projects that grant abilities and endgame or ongoing points; finally, deployed astronauts staff structures, players collect income and pay maintenance, and any corporate end-round effects resolve. The game ends with final scoring based on built structures, completed projects, and corporation-specific objectives.
- Players
- 1–4 best 3
- Playing time
- 60–120 min
- Age
- 14+
- Complexity
- 3.9 / 5
About the game
- Art
- Publisher
Expansions
See them in LudoyaWhere to buy it
Shop prices and second-hand copies, checked every day.
On Ludoya's tables
Full stats in Ludoya- 156
- Plays logged
- 233
- Players
- 2h 31m
- Average play
- 65
- In collections
- 28
- On wishlists
- 4
- Pre-ordered
8.1/10
from 28 Ludoya reviews
Rules questions
Answered from the rulebook by Ludoya's rules assistant.
How do we choose Shuttle tiles, and who goes first each round?
Choose Shuttle tiles in reverse current turn order. After everyone chooses, turn order is reset in ascending order of the chosen Shuttle numbers; the player with the lowest number goes first (p. 4).
Do I have to pay Credits for every sector when I exploit the crater?
Yes, if you do not have a structure in an activated sector, you must pay the indicated Credits to the player who has the biggest structure there. Activating every sector in the row is mandatory, so you cannot use a slot if you cannot afford all required payments (p. 4).
Can I build a Solar Panel whenever I want, and can I build more than one per turn?
You may build one Solar Panel per turn, at any time while performing a Command action, by spending 1 Rare Earth. You cannot build one while the Energy marker is on either of the two rightmost spaces; Energy must first be spent to move it back (p. 5).
What bonus do I get from the Astronaut I use for a Command action?
An Engineer triggers a Corporation-token bonus after building, a Technician grants one Corporation action after funding a Project, and a Scientist lets you take an Astronaut from the Lunar Gateway after resolving the Command action. The bonus is based on the Astronaut deployed, not on the type of Command action itself (pp. 6–8).
What happens during Maintenance, and what if I cannot pay all my costs?
During Maintenance, retrieve crater Astronauts, collect Corporation, Dome, and Headquarters income, pay Reputation and structure maintenance costs, and remove Astronauts from the Command area. For each missing Credit, move your Reputation marker back one space; if it would go below 0, lose 2 VP for each remaining unpaid Credit (pp. 9–10).
Similar games
Free, on web, Android and iOS
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Game facts (players, playing time, age, credits) from BoardGameGeek.






















