What Is Invasion of the Brood?
Invasion of the Brood is a two-player asymmetric strategy game from Petersen Games, priced at $24.99. One player takes the side of humanity, rallying armies, navies, and air forces against an alien threat. The other controls Broodmaster Magnalux, a telepathic alien who has established a base on Earth's moon and uses mind control to gradually take over Earth's most vital defenses. The two sides don't just have different units. They have entirely different strategies, abilities, and turn structures.
That last detail matters. True asymmetry in a two-player game means more than giving each side a different faction card. It means the way you take your turn, think about the board, and win are fundamentally different depending on which side you're sitting on. That's the design premise here.
How Does the Asymmetric Gameplay Actually Work?
Two completely different games sharing one table.
The human player's job is direct and urgent: alert the world to the threat and mobilize conventional military power. Armies, navies, air forces. You're fighting an overt war against something people can see and shoot at.
The Broodmaster plays a completely different game. Magnalux doesn't meet humanity's forces head-on. Mind control is the weapon. The goal is subversion, quietly seizing the Earth's most vital defenses and turning them. You're not fighting humanity; you're recruiting it, piece by piece, without them realizing what's happening until it's too late.
Even the turn structure separates the two sides. This isn't a cosmetic difference. How each player actually sequences their actions differs, which means you're each tracking a different kind of game state at the same time. That's the design depth that separates serious asymmetric games from games that just swap out unit names.
Who Is Invasion of the Brood For?
Serious two-player strategy fans. Specifically the kind who get tired of symmetric games once they've learned the meta.
If you've played Cthulhu Wars and you appreciate the Variable Player Powers approach, Invasion of the Brood takes that philosophy further into a sci-fi setting. The asymmetry here isn't faction-level. It's structural. Both players are essentially playing a different game against each other, which is a harder design problem to solve and a more interesting experience to sit across from.
It's also an entry point for players who want a Petersen Games experience at a smaller footprint and lower price than the flagship Cthulhu Wars O4 Edition. At $24.99 it's a considered purchase, not a casual impulse buy, but well within reach for players who want to see what Sandy Petersen's design thinking looks like outside the cosmic horror world.
Players who specifically want Cthulhu Wars content should look at the Cthulhu Wars expansions collection. Invasion of the Brood is a standalone title with its own setting. Different game, same commitment to asymmetric depth.
How Does Invasion of the Brood Fit the Petersen Games Catalog?
Petersen Games is best known for Cthulhu Wars, a premium asymmetric area-control game built around Lovecraft's cosmic horror mythos. The design philosophy that makes Cthulhu Wars work, deeply asymmetric factions, meaningful strategic choices, and table presence that rewards serious players, runs through the broader catalog too.
Invasion of the Brood sits outside the Cthulhu Wars ecosystem entirely. Different setting, sci-fi alien invasion. Different scale, two players only. Different price point. But the underlying commitment to making each player's experience genuinely distinct from the other's is consistent with what Petersen Games builds across its titles.
For collectors building out a Petersen Games shelf, this is the kind of game that earns its place because it does something different from everything else on the table. It won't replace Cthulhu Wars for groups who love large-scale cosmic horror area control. It will fill the dedicated two-player slot that most collections leave open.
Is Invasion of the Brood Worth $24.99?
For the right player: yes.
Two-player asymmetric games with genuinely different turn structures for each side are a harder design problem to get right than they look. Most games that claim asymmetry deliver it at the faction or ability level. Structural asymmetry, where both players aren't just doing the same sequence of actions with different stats, is rarer and more demanding to design.
At $24.99, it's one of the more accessible entry points in the Petersen Games catalog. In-stock orders process within 48 hours, and US shipping runs via USPS Ground Advantage, typically 2-5 business days after processing. Rates are calculated at checkout.
For players who want to compare it against the Cthulhu Wars expansion line before committing: both are worth considering for different reasons. Cthulhu Wars expansions extend a game you already own and love. Invasion of the Brood is its own experience from the start.
Asymmetric two-player design has a strong track record in the modern tabletop space. BoardGameGeek's community data consistently shows that Variable Player Powers drive higher long-term replayability in strategy games.1 The appeal of science-fiction conflict games where each side operates by different rules has deep roots in both wargame design and modern hobby gaming.2 Sandy Petersen's design work, from Doom and Quake to Cthulhu Wars, has consistently centered on building distinct play experiences that feel genuinely different from each other, a design philosophy that carries through across the full catalog.3
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Invasion of the Brood?
A two-player asymmetric strategy game from Petersen Games. One player commands humanity's military forces against an alien threat; the other controls Broodmaster Magnalux, a telepathic alien using mind control to subvert Earth's defenses from within. The two sides have different strategies, abilities, and separate turn structures.
Is Invasion of the Brood a Cthulhu Wars expansion?
No. It's a standalone game with its own setting and mechanics. It's not an expansion for Cthulhu Wars and doesn't require any other Petersen Games product to play. If you're looking for Cthulhu Wars expansions, those are a separate product line at petersengames.com.
How much does Invasion of the Brood cost?
$24.99 USD at petersengames.com. In-stock orders process within 48 hours. US shipping is USPS Ground Advantage, 2-5 business days after processing. Rates are at checkout.
How does the asymmetric gameplay work in Invasion of the Brood?
Each side doesn't just have different units. The human player rallies conventional forces to fight the alien threat directly. The Broodmaster player uses mind control and subversion to take over Earth's defenses piece by piece. The turn structures for each side differ as well, so both players are running fundamentally different games at the same table.
Who is Invasion of the Brood for?
Serious two-player strategy fans who enjoy games where each side plays by its own rules. It's a strong fit for Petersen Games fans who want something outside the Cthulhu Wars ecosystem, and for players who want deep asymmetric play at a $24.99 entry point.
Pick up Invasion of the Brood from Petersen Games and find out whether humanity can hold against the Broodmaster, or whether Magnalux's long game pays off.
0 comments