What Sci-Fi Board Games Does Petersen Games Make?
Petersen Games currently sells three sci-fi tabletop titles: Hyperspace Standard Edition, an asymmetric 4X strategy game about alien empires; the Hyperspace Nova Expansion Packs, which add new civilizations to that same game; and Startropolis, a separate space-station building game with no connection to Hyperspace beyond its space setting.
That last point trips up a lot of shoppers, and it's the whole reason this post exists. Both games launch you into outer space. Both carry the Petersen Games name. Neither one requires the other, and Startropolis in particular gets mistaken for a Hyperspace spinoff often enough that it's worth a straight answer up front: it isn't one. Below is what each product actually is, verified against the live product pages, so you can pick the right box the first time.
What Is Hyperspace Standard Edition?
Hyperspace Standard Edition is Petersen Games' core sci-fi board game: a 2-4 player asymmetric 4X strategy title (expandable to 6 with Nova) where each of four alien civilizations races for control of a newly discovered star cluster. It runs about 90 minutes, plays with no upkeep phase, and costs $96.99.
Designer Sandy Petersen built Hyperspace around a simple turn structure: three actions, then pass. No maintenance step slows things down between turns, which keeps a full 4x experience (explore, expand, exploit, exterminate) inside a two-hour window instead of the half-day some genre entries demand. Each of the four civilizations has its own homeworld, super ships, and super technologies, so the strategic identity of a game shifts entirely depending on who's sitting at the table.
The 4X label isn't marketing shorthand. It's a recognized board game family, and the genre's own history traces back through classics that reward exactly this kind of asymmetric empire-building. Trade press picked up on Hyperspace early: ICv2 covered its announcement as a "4X style board game" from Sandy Petersen, placing it squarely in that lineage rather than treating it as a casual space romp. If you want the fastest way into Petersen Games' sci-fi catalog, this is the box to start with. Check the Hyperspace Standard Edition product page for current stock and full component details.
What Do the Hyperspace Nova Expansion Packs Add?
The Hyperspace Nova Expansion Packs add four new alien civilizations, Automata, Salps, Starspawn, and Zepzeg, to the Standard Edition, exactly doubling the roster from four to eight. The set also adds the components needed to push a game to six players. It costs $48.99 and requires the core game to play; it isn't sold as a standalone title.
Four wildly different species, on purpose. Automata play as a full machine intelligence with a cold, computational approach. Salps are planktonic colony organisms with a strategic identity unlike anything in the base four. Starspawn lean Lovecraftian, which fits naturally given Sandy Petersen's other centerpiece game, Cthulhu Wars. Zepzeg round things out as an elegant, refined species built for players chasing an advanced toolkit rather than a strange gimmick.
Doubling a faction pool from four to eight civilizations is a big jump for table variety, not a minor refresh. Reviewers who've covered the base game, including Meeple Mountain's Hyperspace review, point to the asymmetric faction design as the game's biggest draw, and Nova is built to extend that strength rather than repeat it. See the Nova Expansion Packs product page for the current price and what's in the box before you order.
Is Startropolis Part of the Hyperspace Line?
No. Startropolis is a completely separate game from Petersen Games with no shared mechanics. However, it has some clever faction and storyline connections to Hyperspace for those who are alert. It's a 2-4 player, 45-minute game about building a 3D space station, priced at $49.99, and it plays as both a competitive and cooperative experience depending on how your table wants to run it.
Here's the mechanic in one sentence: each turn, players buy a module and connect it to the growing station, earning revenue in ways that help themselves and sometimes hurt everyone else building alongside them. Easy to teach. The tactics underneath stay interesting well past the first few plays. Startropolis carries an ages 8+ rating and a family-friendly design brief, a sharp contrast to Hyperspace's ages 14+, 90-minute strategy depth.
The confusion is understandable. Two games, one publisher, one setting in outer space. But nothing about Startropolis references Hyperspace super ships, or star clusters. Think of them as two unrelated titles that happen to share a publisher and a sci-fi label, the same way a single studio might release both a war game and a puzzle game. Visit the Startropolis product page to see current pricing and what's included in the box.
Hyperspace, Nova, and Startropolis Side by Side
Fragments aside, the table tells the real story: two rows belong to one game system, and the third row belongs to something else entirely. Prices and specs above are pulled from the live Petersen Games product pages; check them again before you buy since stock and pricing can shift.
Should You Buy Hyperspace, Nova, or Startropolis?
Buy Hyperspace Standard Edition first if you're a serious hobbyist who wants deep, asymmetric strategy and you're comfortable with a 90-minute table commitment. Add the Nova Expansion Packs once your group has run through the base four civilizations a few times and wants more faction variety or a sixth seat at the table. Buy Startropolis on its own merits, as a lighter, faster, family-friendly building game, not as a bridge into Hyperspace.
Plenty of collectors end up owning all three anyway. Hyperspace and Nova serve game nights built around deep strategy; Startropolis covers the nights when you want something the whole household can pick up fast. In-stock orders at Petersen Games process within 2 business days, and US orders ship via USPS Ground Advantage (2-5 business days) while Canadian orders go out DHL Ground (3-7 business days); exact rates calculate at checkout.
Start with Hyperspace Standard Edition at Petersen Games and decide from there whether Nova or Startropolis is the right next box for your table.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Startropolis a Hyperspace expansion?
No. Startropolis is a completely separate Petersen Games title with its own box, rules, and theme. It shares a sci-fi setting with Hyperspace but no mechanics, factions, or storyline.
How many civilizations does Hyperspace Standard Edition have?
The core game has four alien civilizations. The Nova Expansion Packs add four more (Automata, Salps, Starspawn, and Zepzeg), exactly doubling the roster to eight.
Can I play the Hyperspace Nova Expansion Packs without owning Hyperspace Standard Edition?
No. Nova is an add-on and requires the Hyperspace Standard Edition core game to play. It isn't sold as a standalone product.
What ages are Hyperspace and Startropolis suited for?
Startropolis is rated for ages 8 and up. Hyperspace Standard Edition is rated for ages 14 and up, reflecting its deeper strategy and longer play time.
Should I buy Hyperspace or Startropolis first?
Buy Hyperspace if you want asymmetric 4X strategy with deep, replayable faction design. Buy Startropolis if you want a lighter, faster building game the whole family can learn quickly. Plenty of collectors own both.
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