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We all know that our phones are listening to us...but are they reading my reviews? I recently wrote a review for Jump Drive and I had a few issues with the game stuttering with less than optimal starting hands. Low and behold, I broke out the Terminal Velocity expansion for Jump Drive and it almost went point to point addressing the issues I brought up in my review. It's like the expansion was built around fixing my concerns....except the review was written in 2026 and the expansion was released in 2023. Hmmm, maybe Jump Drive was using the titular Terminal Velocity engine to pull some time travel shenanigans.
I don't know if saying “I wouldn't want to play Jump Drive without the Terminal Velocity expansion” is the biggest compliment to the franchise but, after adding it to the base game, it is accurate. The beginning game boost comes via starting planets. A mix of Military and Civilian planets, one of each type is dealt to players before the game begins and they select one as their Home World and benefit from the boost(s) on the card. One of my complaints about the “First Game” starting cards in Jump Drive is that I didn't like that it pushed players in a specific direction with the type of cards a set contained. Starting Planets let you choose your own destiny since you can pick the direction that you hope your soon-to-be galactic empire is headed. The starting planets are a moderately light touch, which is a bit unexpected. However, I have yet to have a game crash and burn up on re-entry due to a bad mix of starting cards, so I think it's exactly what was needed without over correcting.
Also included in Terminal Velocity is a new set of “First Game” cards and everything you need to add a 5th player. Since the game is both a.) super quick and b.) simultaneous action selection, this would have Spock saying “Logical. Flawlessly Logical.” There are also some new cards that you can seamlessly add into the game because more stuff is better stuff...even if one of those cards is another copy of those pesky Galactic Influencers. Expanding in the other direction (Space is weird like that) is the five Challenges that allow you to play solo in what comes down to a score attack mode. That solo mode is fine but really not my thing, I prefer the challenge of another going against other actual players.
There are also additional goals you can throw into your game that will earn you little boosts that you can spend later. They look like they could simply be “The Rich Get Richer” type of rewards but they usually play out to the opposite. If you are building a slow burn combo, you can pivot (or plunge ahead, if things line up correctly) to grab a goal reward that lets you close the gap on a high cost money producing planet or an expensive civilization card that drops tons on Victory Points. Adding goals also changes the Victory Condition from 50 points to 60 points, which you will hardly notice with as quick as the game/rounds play.
Terminal Velocity lets you add in any or all of the expansion additions with no restrictions. If you prefer to play without Starting Planets and just want to add a 5th player, you can do that. And if you are teaching new players and want to not play with the goal cards, it's as simple as just leaving them in the box. And if you decide you don't like the new cards that are added, they are all marked with an expansion icon which makes pulling them out super simple. If you are like me, you'll be happy to know that everything from the expansion will fit into the base game box if you remove the superficial insert.
A review copy of this release was provided by the publisher. Therewillbe.games would like to thank them for their support.
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