Co-op board game Spaceship Unity turns your real-life home into an episode of Star Trek

A new co-op board game will let you live out episodes of Star Trek (or the sci-fi series of your choice) in your home by turning household objects into a spaceship.

Spaceship Unity puts players in command of the titular spacefaring vessel as members of the Interplanetary Alliance. To operate the ship, two to four players will need to manage each of its systems - which all correspond to everyday items found in the home.

For example, a vacuum cleaner could become your ship’s jump drive, while window blinds could be a shield generator and spoons from your cutlery drawer could serve as a maintenance shaft. There are more than three dozen different systems in the game, with backup suggestions if players don’t have some of the objects to hand.

During each session, players will need to perform specific tasks - from accessing archives to hacking computer systems - and repair any broken systems. Crewmembers may also suffer injuries that affect their ability to operate the ship.

Spaceship Unity’s box is split into a set of five episodes that make up a single ‘season’, with each episode divided into chapters. The upcoming board game from designers Jens Merkl and Ulrich Blum is said to be story-focused, with players’ decisions and performance branching each playthrough toward various possible endings across 300 story cards.

Regardless of whether players win or lose during a specific chapter, the story will continue. Not all of the chapters will be possible to experience during a single campaign, with the campaign designed for replayability. Unlike a legacy game, nothing is destroyed or permanently altered during each playthrough.

Space Unity is due for release at this year’s Essen Spiel convention, taking place from October 6th to 9th. The initial Season 1.1 release will be followed by a Season 1.2 planned for release in 2023.