Space Race Card Game (1952)

Space Race is a simple card game designed for two players, though more can play with additional card sets (as there is no player interaction whatsoever).

The object of the game is to complete a round trip through the Solar System by drawing ten planet cards in their proper order. (The order will be unfamiliar, though, as it goes Earth -> Saturn -> Jupiter -> Mars -> Uranus -> Neptune -> Venus -> Mercury -> Earth). Each card features well executed art done in a style similar to golden age science fiction pulp magazines.

The game consists of two identical decks with cards numbered 1-10. These cards represent round trips the the Solar System, starting with "Take Off" (Card 1) and ending with "Landing On Earth" (Card 10). Players take a deck and shuffle it, then place it before them. The first player draws a card. If it is "Take Off" (Card 1), they place it in front of them and draw the next card. If the next card is a planet but not Card 2, they discard it in a discard pile next to their original pile and draw again, until they draw a card that says "Next player goes". The next player takes a turn, and draws until they get a "Next player goes" card. Chance cards such as "lost on the moon," "Sputnik," and "Danger--Comets" can affect a player's turn.

Players may draw from either pile, so there is a memory element, as you must remember which pile your next planetary target was in.

All cards must be discarded in the pile next to the pile from which they were drawn.

The goal is to collect all 10 cards, in sequence.

Rules list a variant for three or more players through using multiple copies of the game.