Space Lab
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FroGames — Moments You'll Remember
Someone plans three turns ahead, someone draws the wrong card at the wrong time, someone completes their life's project. And in the end, everyone wants to know who really won.
WHAT IT'S ABOUT
A race to assemble the most prestigious space station in orbit
Designed by Johannes Goupy and Corentin Lebrat for GateOnGames, Space Lab brings the international competition for space research to the table. Each player directs an independent project, recruiting scientists from the world's four largest space agencies. Léa Menard's artwork brings to life a clean, optimistic future where the stars are yet to be conquered.
On your turn, you collect all cards of the same agency from the top of the deck or the recruitment center. Manage your hand, place laboratory modules around the central capsules, optimize card powers, and complete the most prestigious projects. Pace matters: you must anticipate the end and maximize points before someone else closes the game.
What they say abroad
Space Lab is a tableau-builder where every card counts and every turn feels too short.
— FroGames
Hand management is elegant, decisions are clear, the pace never slows down.
— FroGames
Space Lab
The game supports solo play with dedicated rules: manage the station against score objectives. The experience works, but it loses the element of the recruitment race and the tension over timing that makes multiplayer more lively.
FrogScore · FroGames editorial rating · based on rules, international reviews and play sessionsYour station's modules
Four card types that make the orbit spin
Laboratory Cards
Build your tableau around the central capsules. Each module activates powers and unlocks combos. Placing them well is half the game.
Scientist Cards
Recruit from the four global space agencies. Each has a color and specific abilities. Collect sets or specialize in one agency.
Project Cards
The prestigious objectives that help you win. Some are fixed points, others scale with your tableau. Completing them at the right time is everything.
Capsule Cards
The heart of your station. Central capsules determine where you can place labs and which powers to activate. Start here and build around it.
Recommended Sleeves 84 cards in 2 sizes ▼
If you play often, we recommend protecting your cards with clear sleeves to make them last longer.
| Size | Quantity |
|---|---|
| 58 × 88 mm | 60 |
| 44 × 68 mm | 24 |
| Total cards | 84 |
In half an hour, you will have built a space station. Or at least you will have tried. It always happens with Space Lab.
A game in five moments
What happens at the table
Not the rules. The experience.
The race starts immediately
You draw the first cards, look at the recruitment center, try to figure out which agency to recruit first. Someone already has a plan, someone draws and sees. The table is silent but everyone is looking at the same cards.
The first modules go into orbit
You start placing labs around the capsules. Each card activates something, unlocks points, opens combos. Someone makes a move that seems brilliant and the others nod. No one knows who is winning yet.
The recruitment center empties too quickly
Good cards disappear from the table. You have to decide whether to collect now or wait for the perfect turn. Someone completes a big project and everyone turns to look. The game accelerates, time is running out.
Someone makes the move of a lifetime
A player places three modules in one turn, activates a cascade of powers, completes two projects at once. The table erupts. Someone else tries to calculate if they can still catch up. The last cards count double.
Race over
A player finishes the last project or runs out of space on their tableau. Points are counted: labs, completed projects, objective bonuses. The difference is often 3-4 points. Someone says "one more turn and I would have won." Always.
How to play
The flow of each turn
The turn is fast. Two phases, clear decisions, no downtime.
Take all cards of the same agency from the top of the deck or from the recruitment center. You cannot mix agencies. Choose wisely: the cards you take determine what you can build.
Place lab modules on your tableau, complete projects, activate powers. Or discard cards to prepare for future combos. Hand management is everything: each card has multiple uses.
Reveal new cards from the deck to fill the recruitment center. Fresh cards become available to everyone. Anticipate what others will want.
If someone completes the last project or fills their tableau, the game ends. Otherwise, pass the turn. The pace accelerates as the stations grow.
Why it's different from others
Six mechanics that make a difference
Modular space tableau
Build your station by placing modules around the central capsules. The physical arrangement matters: some cards activate powers only if adjacent to others. It's not just a simple stack of cards, it's a geometric puzzle.
Elegant multi-use cards
Each card can be a lab, a scientist, or a resource for projects. You have to decide how to use it, not just whether to use it. This flexibility makes every hand interesting, even if you draw poorly.
Four agencies, four strategies
Space agencies have distinctive powers. You can specialize in just one for powerful combos, or diversify for flexibility. No single choice is dominant, but in every game someone tries a different approach.
Controlled variable pace
Players decide when to speed up or slow down the game. Do you complete projects to finish sooner? Or do you accumulate cards for an explosive turn? Timing is as much a resource as the cards themselves.
Projects with scalable difficulty
More prestigious projects require more resources but are worth more. You can aim for many small ones or a few large ones. You have to read the table and adapt your strategy on the fly.
Shared recruitment center
The best cards are visible to everyone. You can take them before others, but you must collect the entire agency. This creates constant indirect tension: every turn someone takes the card you wanted.
How it ends
How to win and how to lose
The game ends when a player completes the last project or completely fills their tableau. Points are counted.
Victory
- Points from lab modules placed on the tableau
- Points from projects completed during the game
- Bonuses from secret or public objectives (if present in the setup)
Defeat
- You don't complete enough projects before someone else finishes
- You accumulate cards in hand but don't play them in time
- You focus on one strategy while others win with a different one
Space Lab is a tableau builder where every card counts and every turn seems too short. You finish a game and immediately want to play again, better.
Frequently Asked Questions
Space Lab FAQ
How complex is it to explain?
Very accessible. You explain it in 10 minutes, the first game is immediate. The turn structure is linear: collect cards, play or discard, fill the center. Multi-use cards take one turn to understand, but after that, everything runs smoothly.
Does it work well with two players?
Yes, the scaling is good. With two players, the game becomes more tactical: you anticipate your opponent's moves better, and the best cards remain visible longer. It loses a bit of chaos but gains in control. It's not the ideal number, but it works.
How long does a game really last?
20-30 real minutes, rules explained. The first few games are around 35-40, but as soon as the group understands the rhythm, it drops below half an hour. It's a game for two consecutive plays, not one that fills the evening.
Can children play it?
From 10 years old and up, yes, but it requires a minimum level of planning ability. The space theme helps, the mechanics are clear. If the child can sustain 30 minutes of attention and manage a hand of cards, they can do it. Below 10 years old, it becomes frustrating.
Is it available in Italian?
Yes, this is the Italian edition published by GateOnGames. Cards, rulebook, components: all in Italian. Complete language independence after reading the rules.
Space Lab is a tableau building board game for 1-4 players, lasting 20-30 minutes, recommended age 10+. Designed by Johannes Goupy and Corentin Lebrat, published in Italy by GateOnGames, it brings the international space race to the table: recruit scientists from the four largest agencies in the world, build lab modules around central capsules, complete prestigious projects. Mechanics include hand management, multi-use cards, and set collection. Fast games, interesting decisions, scalable for 1-4 players. Available on FroGames.it.
Space Lab
Frequently Asked Questions
The answers you're looking for, no beating around the bush.
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