Thrift Treasure: Mars Attacks Ten-Minute Takedown
I’ve been a fan of Mars Attacks since I was incredibly young. At one point I collected the Topps Mars Attacks trading cards and even managed to save a few into adulthood. It must have been the unique artwork of the series because the story was scary for a kid. Mars was going to explode and they needed to take over Earth to survive!
This week’s thrift find is the 2015 release of Steve Jackson Games‘ Mars Attacks Ten-Minute Takedown. It’s a quickly played dexterity game where you’re flying alien saucers while trying to attack land-based humans. Inside the box you’ll find four flying saucers (discs), a custom die, fifteen target pieces and a rulebook. Sadly, our copy is missing one of the target pieces so we can only play with up to three players (the game normally supports up to four).
Each target is made up of three connected rings, which are laid out onto the play area according to the instructions. Players choose one of the saucers and the custom die is put within reach of everyone. Home bases are determined to be approximately one arm’s length from the centermost target. All saucers begin in their owner’s home base.
On your turn you will take the custom die and place it in the center of your saucer. You will then flick it towards one of the targets, trying to get it to land or partially land on one of them. If you manage to do so, collect the lowest valued ring, and place it in your personal supply. This represents points at the end of the game. If the die’s face matches the image on the target, flip your collected ring over for a point bonus. Your next turn begins from your home base.
If you did not hit a target, place your saucer ring over the die to mark your new spot. If you shoot the die off the table, your next turn will begin from your base. If your saucer overlaps with another saucer or a target, remove the die and slide your saucer until it rests on the table flatly. If your die lands on another player’s saucer, it sends them back to their base, while you remain where you landed.
When the final target piece is collected, the game of Mars Attacks Ten-Minute Takedown ends and players total their scores. The person with the most points wins! If a tie occurs, the person with the most rings, followed by the most center rings wins.
While you can find Mars Attacks Ten-Minute Takedown on Amazon, those copies are all from third party sellers who have them listed at inflated prices. Save some money and grab a used copy off eBay for a fraction of the price. Just make sure all the target rings are present!
Are you a fan of the original Mars Attacks story? Did you collect the cards?
