MLEM Board Game Review: Space Agency

After conquering the galaxy in Twilight Inscription, here’s a text-based board game that takes players into space. However, this time it’s not a strategy game, but a race that puts you in charge of a group of cats heading for the stars.

• Number of players: 2 – 5
• Play time: 60 minutes
• Price: 679 CZK (Tlama Games)
• Age: 8+

MLEM Story: Space Agency Makes You Cat Captains

While on our version of Earth, evolution has given the green light to the human race, in the alternate universe where MLEM: The Space Agency takes place, fate has favored cats. However, you, like our species, dream of traveling to the stars. The main idea of ​​this game is the path to the end of the universe. The main character is always only one of you, as he is assigned the role of the captain of the spaceship, which together with him goes on an adventure. However, he does not go on a pilgrimage alone.

At his disposal are cats of other players, with the help of which he can fill all the spaces of his ship with the maximum number of players. However, not all chicks are the same. In total, each of them has eight astronauts with unique abilities that distinguish them from the rest of the employees of their home space agency. Some furries are useful to the whole team, some are selfish, and one kitten even harms the rest of the team. Who to put on the rocket in MLEM: The Space Agency is up to you. However, in the final, you will use them all.

For example, if you are a captain, it would be a good idea to take a cat with a companion on the token. It starts its journey a little further than the others. If you are not sure, in MLEM: The Space Agency you can get to one of the many furry creatures that will benefit from getting to the planet, the moon or directly to the destination. If you want to hurt your friends, there is an alternative in the form of a token that will remove one of the dice from the current or future captain after leaving the ship, which is not at all pleasant.

The dice are what this figure stands on. From the very beginning, you roll six visually very beautifully crafted dice on which you must lay out certain values. If you succeed, the ship will take off. You must have dice in the menu that correspond to the given values. If you do not have them, the journey can easily end at the very beginning, and the role of the captain in MLEM: Space Agency will be taken by another player, after which a new crew will be created. But often, luck will wish you well, so you take the right dice, put them in the given point and head for the stars.

The dice selected in this way, except for those with the flame symbol, automatically go into a state because you are simply using them as fuel on your journey. How many dice you use in this way in MLEM: Space Agency is entirely up to you. You can go very far with the starting roll, but it is a straight flight from which you have more or less one point to exit, and if you decide to try your luck and use only the required number of dice at the start, you can count on several landings. During each stop, those present can gracefully exit and occupy a planet or moon.

Of course, you will get the most points at the end of the whole journey, but reaching the final is extremely difficult. Then the points are assessed by adding up the points for occupied moons, planets, and cats that managed to reach the end in MLEM: The Space Agency. For more demanding players, there are additional modules with which you can easily expand the game. Thus, you can add an alien ship, secret missions, or points for exploring them.

Space Travel at MLEM: Space Agency Fun for the Whole Family

While Twilight Inscription is one of those games that isn’t for everyone, in the case of MLEM: Space Agency I wouldn’t hesitate to say that it’s a title that inherently has the potential to appeal to a wider range of players. It’s a board with well-crafted components for the whole family, so once you start playing you’ll have a great time. Chance can be a monster at times, but if you can live with it, there’s nothing to look forward to. Plus, the entire gameplay can be customized with extra items, which I personally think is a big plus, as you can enhance the gameplay.

We would like to thank Czech distributor Blackfire for providing us with a copy of MLEM: Space Agency.