Big*Bang (2016)

A second after the Big Bang, the matter and antimatter that had just been created annihilated into light. Hopefully, a tiny excess of matter survived, about 1 particle per billion, providing the building blocks of the Universe we live in. Find your antiplayer and re-fight that clash between matter and antimatter. Physics is the only rule!

Big*Bang is an abstract game with a strong theme, the first minutes of our Universe. On an elongated hexagonal grid, one player tries to fuse protons and neutrons in order to form Hydrogen and Helium, while the other fuses antiprotons and antineutrons in order to form antiHydrogen and antiHelium. However, every turn they will have the choice: fuse their own nuclei, or annihilate the opponent's?

The three victory conditions (produce the most light through annihilation, form the most Helium, and form the most massive star) force players to find an equilibrium between the different options, that quickly shrink with the board as nuclei fuse and annihilate. The rules are simple, the playtime short, and you might learn some Physics!

NB: The turn sequence has been streamlined in March 2018, please download the new rulebook from the publisher page if you bought the game before! Also note that now there are several puzzles that allow solitaire play.