Description

Near Space is a strategic 4X war game that turns the dice you own into a fleet of ships to conquer the universe. In the game, two fledgling empires stare across the void at one another.

The Terran Alliance explores space eager for new frontiers and resources to exploit. They are a cantankerous collection of conflicting factions united only in their refusal to accept any limitation to their individual ambitions. They are at their strongest — and happiest — when challenged.

The Alpha Centauri Regime advances into space to meet the alien threat and eliminate it. They are a single people united under a single banner. The State gives every citizen a purpose, and every citizen gives their all to the State. Anything less is unacceptable.

Now aware of the existence of the other, both sides advance eagerly for the conflict to come. The one thing they share is an appetite for war. Seize the stars!

In game terms, players take on the roles of stellar empires fighting for survival and supremacy amongst the blackness of space. The field of cards between the home worlds of the opposing forces defines Nearspace and the resources that both players have to work with. As players explore their surroundings, each card reveals new threats to overcome and new resources to capture. The war ships that the two opponents bring to battle are dice. Any polyhedral die works as a ship for Near Space. The number of facets on a die are the strength of its armaments and defenses. The more facets, the more powerful the ship and consequently the more costly to field. Polyhedral dice come in a multitude of colors that are used to define the job of a ship and the design specifications involved. Four-sided fighters race forward in the vanguard while d10 battleships bring their firepower to bear at a more ominous pace. Each fleet must explore uncharted space, control colony worlds, pacify unaligned forces, and prepare to battle the ever-advancing enemy!