MINIMUM JOURNEY -ABYSS-

About

MINIMUM JOURNEY -ABYSS- is an expansion for the space exploration board game MINIMUM JOURNEY.

Having recovered from the meteorite impact, humanity has returned to space. But as exploration advances, it becomes clear that there are relics beyond human technology and mechanisms that follow unknown laws. The exploration ships leave the safe zone and head for the depths where not even starlight reaches: the ABYSS.

There, distance, time, and even causality break from the laws we know, and observations never settle. There is no guarantee of return. Yet if you hold back, someone else will get there first. This expansion brings that danger and romance of deep-space exploration to the table.

Players 3–6

Play time 20–40 min

Weight BGG 2.2/5.0

Price 2,000 JPY

Released Spring 2026

* This expansion requires the MINIMUM JOURNEY base game.

Rules for 5–6 players

Combined with the base game, MINIMUM JOURNEY -ABYSS- lets you play with 5–6 players. This section explains the main changes for 5–6 players.

In particular, "Starting cards" and "Drifting cards used per exploration cost" were left out of the Spring 2026 rulebook, so please read them before you play.

Normally each player starts with Flag, Crew, Crew, and Initial Exploration Ship. With 5–6 players, the starting cards change.

5 players

Players A, B, C, D: Flag, Crew, Initial Exploration Ship + 1 card with exploration cost 2
Player E: Crew, Crew, Crew + 1 card with exploration cost 2

6 players

Players A, B, C, D: Flag, Initial Exploration Ship + 2 cards with exploration cost 2
Players E, F: Crew, Crew + 2 cards with exploration cost 2

To hand out the cost-2 cards and decide who is player A–F, use whichever method you prefer:

Fully random (recommended).
Make one random set per player. Starting with the player to the right of the holder of the (strong) amulet and going counterclockwise, each player picks a set. Give the (weak) amulet to the player to the left of the (strong) amulet holder. The sets count as acquired in round 0: treat all of your cards as being in your preparation area and resolve their "when acquired" effects. Effects that say "from round 2 onward" are also active from round 1. (For experienced players.)

The number of drifting cards used for each exploration cost is as follows.

Drifting cards \ Players	3	4	5	6
Cost 2	13	15	13	13
Cost 4	13	15	18	21
Cost 6	10	12	15	18
Cost 8	8	10	12	14
Cost 10	6/0	8/0	10	12

The number of cards laid out in each exploration-cost row is as follows.

Row size \ Players	3	4	5	6
Cost 2	3	4	4	5
Cost 4	3	3	4	4
Cost 6	2	2	3	3
Cost 8	2	2	2	2
Cost 10	2/0	2/0	2	2

If the exploration cost 10 (Abyss) cards are in the game, the game also ends when the following condition ③ is met during a round, in addition to the usual conditions ① and ②.