“Cosmic Pioneers” is a rather interesting area control game that unfortunately falls short in a few areas.  What impressed me the most, in all honesty, was how the game was set up.  That sounds strange, I know.  Most game set ups involve some sort of repetitive ritual that most people detest.  Here, the system of planets is different almost every time and is made up of the alien and scenario cards drawn for the game.  Once you get past setup, you’ll find the game to be a mix of strategy and luck with a lean more towards the latter.  I didn’t like the required “going on an adventure” roll, for example, as there was no way to avoid bad rolls.  Part of me wanted to play the game without that phase altogether to assist in keeping things somewhat less random.  Landing on another player also involves a die roll with the loser crash landing and unloading all cargo onto an adjacent viable planet.  Sure, you can offset the combat roll by upgrading your ship’s weapons, but you’re still at the mercy of the die gods.

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