Mole Rats in Space
Overview
Mole Rats in Space is a cooperative game where players work together to help mole rats collect 4 pieces of emergency equipment and escape to the escape pod before snakes overrun the space station. Designed by Matt Leacock (Pandemic), the game is played on a circular, multi-tier space station board. Players lose if any mole rat is bitten twice, falls into outer space, a snake reaches the escape pod, or the draw pile runs out.
Components
- 1 game board (5-tier space station with ladders, air shafts, and escape pod)
- 4 mole rat movers (4 colors)
- 4 medkit tokens
- 12 snake tokens (3 each of 4 colors)
- 4 equipment tokens (duct tape, map, toothbrush, food)
- 46 cards
- 1 challenge envelope
Setup
- Each player chooses a mole rat mover and matching medkit; place both on the matching color start space. For 2 players, choose movers from opposite sides of the board.
- Place 4 equipment tokens on their matching board spaces.
- Place 1 snake token of each color on the matching snake start spaces. Set remaining 8 snakes aside.
- Shuffle the cards and deal 1 card face up to each player. Place remaining cards as a draw pile.
- 2-player game: Remove 3 specific cards from the deck (43 cards total).
Turn Structure
The youngest player goes first. On each turn:
- Play your card – Move creatures (mole rats and/or snakes) as shown. Always resolve the top half first, then the bottom half.
- Discard your card – Place it in the discard pile.
- Draw a new card – Take the top card from the draw pile. If no cards remain and you cannot win with cards in hand, all players lose.
Actions
Moving Mole Rats
- Choose a direction and move 1 space per arrow on the card.
- Ignore ladders, air shafts, other mole rats, and equipment passed through – but do NOT ignore snakes.
- Follow instructions for the space you land on.
Moving Snakes
- Move in either direction the number of spaces shown.
- Follow instructions for the space the snake lands on.
Landing Rules
| Landing On |
Mole Rat Effect |
Snake Effect |
| Ladder |
Climb up immediately |
Climb up immediately |
| Air shaft |
Fall down immediately; outer space = lose |
Fall down; outer space = removed from game |
| Equipment |
Collect it into space pack |
Nothing happens |
| Another mole rat |
Bump it 1 adjacent space |
Bite! Mole rat returns to start, discard medkit |
| A snake |
Bitten! Return to start, discard medkit |
Stack together |
| Escape pod |
Stay; help others on future turns |
All players lose! |
Snake Bites
- First bite: Mole rat returns to start space; discard the medkit. Keep collected equipment.
- Second bite to same mole rat: All players lose immediately.
- Two or more snakes on one space count as one bite.
Scoring / Victory Conditions
Win: All 4 equipment pieces collected AND all mole rats reach the escape pod.
Lose if any of these occur:
- A mole rat is bitten a second time
- A mole rat falls through an air shaft into outer space
- A snake enters the escape pod
- A player has no card to play (draw pile empty and no cards in hand)
Special Rules & Edge Cases
- Mole rats cannot share spaces; landing on another mole rat bumps it 1 space.
- Snakes can share spaces (stack them).
- Once in the escape pod, play cards that say “move YOUR mole rat” to move another player’s mole rat instead (ask permission first).
- Snakes and mole rats never go down ladders or up air shafts.
- Equipment must be collected (cannot pass through without collecting).
- A snake on an equipment space blocks collection; move the snake off first.
Player Reference
| Step |
Action |
| 1 |
Play card: resolve top half, then bottom half |
| 2 |
Discard card to discard pile |
| 3 |
Draw 1 card from draw pile |
| Win |
All 4 equipment collected + all mole rats in escape pod |
| Lose |
2nd snake bite / outer space / snake in pod / no cards |