by Henrik Sterndorff Jessen

The Kuiper Initiative is a medium-heavy strategic game of discovery and exploration in space. Journey across the Kuiper Belt, land on alien worlds, and make first contact with new civilizations. Upgrade your ship, manage resources, and outmaneuver rivals to save humanity.

Presentation

  • Duration: 90-140 minutes
  • Player count: 2-4
  • Language: English

The year is 2148. Earth and the rest of the solar system have been stripped of resources by mega-corporations like FaceTick and eMuk.

But there is still hope. Beyond Neptune lies the Kuiper Belt — a frozen frontier full of opportunities.

In “The Kuiper Initiative”, you take on the role of a spaceship captain exploring deep space. Discover new sectors, contact alien worlds, and upgrade your ship into a finely tuned engine of efficiency.

At the heart of the game is energy management. Each round, you must decide how to spend your limited energy: the more you invest in an action, the more powerful it becomes – but the fewer actions you can take.

Over 5 rounds, you will:

  • Explore space and move your ship to strategic positions. Timing is crucial – your rivals may exploit your discoveries and reach them before you.
  • Visit alien planets to make first contact with new civilizations. This unlocks missions and small mini-games that provide rewards and new objectives.
  • Deploy machines to harvest resources from the Kuiper Belt. Place them early for longer-lasting effects or wait until competition is lighter.
  • Upgrade your ship with technology that can bend the rules. But use your actions wisely – what good is the coolest ship if a rival’s rusty bucket reaches the best resources first?

Kuiper is a low-luck competitive strategy game that rewards planning, synergies, and smart execution. Read the game state, identify powerful combinations, and turn every unit of energy into an advantage.

Only the most efficient captain will emerge victorious.

About the designer

Henrik went to Fastaval with the game “weeds” in 2003. Since then, he’s been working on Kuiper, and after countless hours of experimenting, failing, and starting over, he’s excited to be part of Fastaval again. In the real world, Henrik works as a software developer.