Classic Space Sim FreeSpace Returns With New Tabletop Kickstarter

Game designer Chris Taylor is heading up a new Kickstarter campaign aimed at bringing the FreeSpace franchise to a tabletop near you.

At the end of the 1990s, Interplay’s FreeSpace games arguably broke the mold when it came to space flight sims. Wowing gamers with their attractive visuals and epic, large scale fleet battles, the franchise accrued a fanbase that’s kept it alive for years with mods and fan projects often almost as impressive as the original game itself. Those same fans might now be interested to learn about a new Kickstarter aimed at reviving the classic series for another action-packed trip into space.

Granted, their interest my vary depending on how they feel about tabletop games. While FreeSpace Tactics is officially licensed and even involves FreeSpace designer Chris Taylor, the new game will be a turn-based affair focused on card usage and strategy rather than a high speed space shooter.

Played on a 3 foot by 3 foot space, the game revolves around cards that players can use to “maneuver their ships, launch attacks and avoid deadly collisions” while completing scenarios packaged with the game. It also uses dice throws to calculate damage and other combat data. Perhaps most interesting, however, is Tactics‘ integration of personal customization. According to the Kickstarter, players will be able to assign unique pilots to their ships. Based on which pilots they use, they’ll be given the ability to apply a number of “Ace” cards that can give their ships advantages in combat. An aggressive player might choose to upgrade their ships with extra offensive capabilities while a more defensive player could tune up their fleet’s shields, armor and what-not.

Taylor, speaking about the game, also affirmed his desire to expand on the current prototype version with additional features like capital ships. It’s these plans that he says necessitated a Kickstarter campaign. “It’s really hard to launch a new board game,” he explained in Tactics‘ Kickstarter video. “There’s all these things that we’ve planned but without your support we’re not going to be able to get there.” The project, in total, is asking for $75,000. As of this article’s publication it has raised a little more than $12,500 and has 27 days left to go.

Source: Kickstarter