Create your ragtag band of not-so-hardy space explorers from familiar archetypes like the Doctor, the Farmboy, and the Android. Play Modifier cards on them to make them miserable — maybe the Doctor quarreled in the cantina and was beaten by bugs. Play cards on your opponents' Characters to make them disgustingly happy and successful.

As you play, the stories get more convoluted — and funnier — as you tell your fellow players exactly how your Character got into the situation. When your Characters are sufficiently miserable, kill them off to lock in your points and win the game.

As in the other Gloom games, Gloom in Space features unique transparent cards that stack atop each other to hide and reveal the Self-Worth scores from the cards below. The easy scoring and sci-fi cartoon art are guaranteed to make your table delightfully depressing.

The game ends when all of your Characters have left for the great beyond, and the winner is the player who managed to smuggle the most misery onto their ships.