What’s better than chaos?
More chaos.
What’s better than chaos?
More chaos.
That’s right. Strap in folks. It’s time to Keep on Trucking.
Embrace the madness
PSA: I’m going to assume here that you already know the base game Galaxy Trucker. If you don’t, here’s the link. Go and have a look. There’s a really great review by Pete Bartlam that breaks down the game and how great it is. Also, you need the base game to play this one so knowing about it is kind of important.
But anyways, that’s the disclaimer out of the way. Now let’s talk about Galaxy Trucker: Keep on Trucking.
What is it?
Keep on Trucking is essentially a collection of mini expansions. That’s probably the best way of putting it. In 2021 Czech Games released an updated version of their original Galaxy Trucker. Now, if you think this one is crazy, the original was even more so. And their expansions for that game were wild. If I remember correctly, at one point the Predator alien lands on your ship and just starts killing your crew. I think there are mercenaries and catapults too.
Crazy stuff.
Maybe a little too crazy.
That’s where the remake came it. It essentially distilled the madness into a succinct, beautiful package. And that’s great. But what about some of the extra craziness?
Well, that’s where this expansion comes in.
As I said earlier, this is sort of a collection of mini expansions. You have a few new ship designs (classic). You have a few more crazy encounters (also classic). You have more tiles to add to your ship’s complexity (getting interesting). There are some new aliens (tell me more!). And also an offline version of the Rough Roads micro-expansion first released in 2007 (colour me intrigued).
The break down
Ok, I’m going to start with the ship designs. They’re new… and that’s kind of it. Don’t get me wrong, I like a new ship design. But in terms of added complexity or strategy there is nothing here. It’s just different. And quite cool. There’s a Star Trek style one which is quite fun (until you realise how flimsy that ship design actually is).
Next we have the encounters. Again, nothing too revolutionary here but that’s not their purpose. Their purpose is to add to the chaos and that they do. Case closed.
Then we have the tiles. This is where things start to get interesting because although this expansion doesn’t lean into the ultra madness of the original game expansions, it does add to the complexity of the build and what you can do. If you want more to do with your ship, this is where you look.
PSA number two: It might go without saying but unlike a lot of expansions that come with board games, all of these can be added or removed at will to customize the game experience. They are, after all, each their own mini expansion. And I like that. Want to add more tiles but keep the base game encounters? Sure. Want to run the base game with some new ships? Why not. It’s great. I love modularity.
Alright, moving on. We also have a third colour of alien. Blue. Or cyan as I think the technical name is. Unlike the brown and purple aliens, these guys give abilities unique to each player. Maybe you choose the manager, who gives your other aliens boosted power. Maybe you choose the techie, whose computer skills give you a free battery usage each turn (as long as you’ve already spent one battery).
They’re a little like player-specific characters in games, potentially influencing how you play. I like it. It adds something without taking away from the madness. Maybe it just gives you a bit of focus when building.
And finally we have the Rough Roads micro-expansion. Now, this is probably the part I was most excited about. Strangely, it’s also the part I had played before, using the online version. Rough Roads gives you 21 alternate rulings/events that you can pick and choose (or go random) from as many as you dare. And boy, do they mess with the game. I won’t give too much away here because if you’re thinking of getting this it’s kind of fun to not have it spoiled. But to give you an idea, their titles include things like Bad Luck, Remorseless Fate, and Paranoid Locals.
I know, right?
And again, each of these mini expansions can be added or taken away as you wish.
Ok, but is it worth it?
In short, yes. If you like the base game.
In long… that isn’t how the expression works. Basically, the long answer is still an overall yes, because of the expansion’s modularity. None of this expansion is bad. I’m just going to say that. I liked it all. But some parts are better than others. The ships are cool. I liked them. But is the expansion worth it for the ships? I wouldn’t say so. The encounters and the tiles? Yeah. Although it is worth pointing out that adding more tiles can impact the balance of the base game, especially if you’re looking for a specific piece. It adds to the chaos, but does it dilute from the streamline nature of the base game? Maybe just a tad. It depends on how you like to play. But again, modularity. Try them, and if you don’t like them, take them out.
Where this expansion really shines are with the aliens and the Rough Roads. The aliens add a bit of meat to the game without taking away from the madness, and the Rough Roads just adds to the madness but in a way that is controlled by you. How much madness do you want? Do you dip in a toe or jump in with a cannonball? It’s up to you. And yes, I know Rough Roads is available online. But there’s something about the physicality of it that adds to the game. I don’t want my laptop or phone out while I’m playing!
In summation
No single part of this expansion justifies the price. But all together, it constitutes a brilliant addition to Galaxy Trucker. An addition you can customise to fit how you play and who you play with.
So yes, if you liked the base game, get this one. It’s worth it.
That’s it. That’s all I’m going to say. Now why haven’t you clicked add to basket yet?
