Maestro Media Launches 2001: A Space Odyssey | The Board Game
Based on Kubrick’s legendary film, this 1-vs-many sci-fi strategy game is now available online and in stores.
Maestro Media has officially released 2001: A Space Odyssey | The Board Game, a tabletop adaptation of the visionary Stanley Kubrick film. Designed by Phil Walker-Harding (Sushi Go!, Barenpark), the title debuted on June 4, 2025, and is now available both online and in select retail stores.
In this cinematic 1-vs-many board game, one player takes control of the sentient AI HAL 9000, while the remaining players cooperate as human crewmembers aboard the Discovery One. The crew must navigate sabotaged systems, locked doors, and limited communication to complete their mission — or risk being shut out of the ship, permanently.
Gameplay scene from 2001: A Space Odyssey | The Board Game, showing crewmembers navigating the Discovery One while HAL monitors their every move. Each character has unique abilities that shape the team’s survival strategy.
🧠 Game At a Glance
Players: 3–5
Play Time: 30–60 minutes
Age: 10+
Designer: Phil Walker-Harding
Publisher: Maestro Media
MSRP: $34.99 USD
Available: MaestroMedia.com and select game stores
HAL is Listening
The game opens with HAL taking multiple uninterrupted turns — sabotaging systems and closing doors before the humans can respond. The AI player places cards behind a screen and chooses when and where to strike, simulating HAL’s omnipresent threat.
“HAL is always listening and will do everything he can to stop you,” warns the rulebook.
The crew must respond by coordinating actions out loud — with HAL hearing every word.
“Players may not whisper, make secret gestures, or reference anything outside the game,” the manual clarifies, reinforcing the theme of surveillance and mistrust.
Strategy and Tension in a Confined Space
Each crewmember has unique abilities and limited actions per turn. Movement, repairs, and communication are affected by which systems HAL targets. If Life Support or any three other subsystems are terminated, HAL wins. The crew can only win by reaching the HAL-9000 Core and completing three Logic sequences — simple numeric chains that symbolize shutting down HAL’s circuits.
“The showdown between two astronauts and the supercomputer HAL… in some ways feels like you are watching a social deduction game play out,” says Walker-Harding.
“HAL’s role is almost like that of a game master — he can see, hear, and control just about everything.”
From movement restrictions when Gravity fails, to shrinking hand sizes if Memory goes offline, HAL's interference reshapes every turn.
Keywords: cooperative board game, asymmetric board game, sci-fi survival tabletop game
Thematic Design Driven by the Film
Although the entire scope of the film was too vast to capture, Walker-Harding focused on adapting the tension-filled final act — Dave and Frank’s attempt to outwit HAL.
“I wanted crucial moments of revelation that would swing the game,” he explains in the designer diary.
“It was always a great moment in playtesting when a player would actually say: ‘Open the pod bay doors, HAL.’”
He also drew inspiration from a previous unfinished prototype involving verbal coordination under surveillance.
“They are trying to do something quite simple, but if their intentions become evident to their enemy, their chances dwindle.”
Who It's For
2001: A Space Odyssey | The Board Game is designed for ages 10 and up, offering a tightly paced, accessible format that appeals to both film fans and tabletop strategists. With its asymmetric roles and escalating threat structure, it fits well into collections focused on thematic board games, social deduction, or sci-fi survival challenges.
Whether you're drawn to the tension of HAL’s sabotage or the thrill of cooperative planning, the game delivers a cinematic experience grounded in the legacy of Kubrick’s masterpiece.
Design by Phil Walker-Harding. Published by Maestro Media.
Now Available from Maestro Media
The game can be ordered now via MaestroMedia.com. Select retailers are also expected to carry it in-store.
Shut Him Down
2001: A Space Odyssey | The Board Game is available now.
To learn more or order directly, visit MaestroMedia.com.
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