Fabio Lopiano and Nestore Mangone's Shackleton Base, one of the highest-rated euros of the past two years, is getting its first expansion on 30 April. Below. Within. Above., published by Sorry We Are French, introduces three new corporations, adds India as a fourth space agency, and brings two new gameplay systems that change how you build on the Moon.
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Start organising for freeShackleton Base is a 1-4 player worker placement game set at the lunar south pole, where competing space agencies fund projects, build habitats, and exploit crater resources. It currently sits at 8.06 on BoardGameGeek, and reviewers have called it one of the best euros of its year. Lopiano, the Italian designer behind Calimala, Merv, and Zapotec, designed it alongside Mangone. He spent years as part of London's Playtest UK community before relocating to Milan.
The expansion adds three corporations, each with a distinctive hook. Undermoon introduces an excavation system that lets players dig tunnels beneath existing structures. Lunar City focuses on attracting civilian settlers, who can be assigned to key projects and crater installations. Zenith Works has players collaborating with a construction conglomerate, building shared infrastructure and raising buildings on multiple levels.
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Set up your group for freeSorry We Are French is not skimping on components either, with new boards, wooden pieces, cards, and hundreds of tokens adding substantial heft to the box. For a game that already packed serious crunch into a 60-120 minute playtime, that is a lot of new ground to explore.
If you have not tried the base game, it is worth seeking out before the expansion lands. It regularly appears at board game cafes and game nights around the UK.
Sources: Meeple Mountain Review | Punchboard Review | BGG | Game Nerdz
