In Alien Overlords, a sci-fi strategy game, players control fleets of starships and attempt to conquer or destroy the 24 planets on the game map. Players start with only one or two planets. Gobble up as many Neutral Planets as you can before enemy players' ships threaten your planets and Home World. Before play begins, each player picks technologies and bonuses that influence their strategy for the game. The game features three classes of starships: Frigates, Cruisers and Battleships. Frigates are cheap to build, Cruisers move the fastest, and Battleships dish out the most damage. Planets are also of three sizes according to the resource value of that planet. Custom average dice are used for battles, allowing an element of chance while making it difficult to win or lose by luck alone. Focusing on combat and strategic movement rather than resource management, Alien Overlords plays quickly. Technologies are chosen at the start of the game rather than researched during the game. If a ship is damaged it either explodes or repairs itself so that players do not have to keep track of damage. Over 50 unique, interesting, and sometimes funny Situation Cards give temporary bonuses or allow players to steal from, sabotage or destroy enemy forces. Alien Overlords allows freedom of ship movement across the map rather than using "space lanes." There is only one type of Resource to manage, an income based on the planets under a player's control. Number and locations of planets on the game map can be adjusted to suit the number of players, the desired game length, and for variety.