Today, I played Battlestar Galactica: The Board Game.
Battlestar Galalctica
This game is based on the titular TV show. Gameplay is between two teams, the humans and the cylons. Players loyalty is determined twice, once at the beginning of the game, and once halfway through what would be a human victory. Cylon loyalty is dominant, so once a cylon, always a cylon. Humans win by moving far enough, using jumps. Cylons win by destroying the ship before they get there. A player's turn consists of moving and taking an action, and then drawing a crisis card. Crisis cards have a few different effects, but in general, they sometimes move the jump marker closer to a jump, activate or add enemy ships, and mostly have skill check that humans must pass (while cylons sabotage) in order to not get the negative on the card. There are supplies, boarding parties, civilian ships, and more. It's a very complex game. It took about 30 mins just for the teacher to teach it. I became a cylon in the second half of the game, but we didn't finish. Things were looking pretty dire for the humans, tho.
The unknown team mechanic makes things very interesting. Suspicion is cast everywhere. It is fun to play on both teams, and the game mechanics give a sense of immersion; humans actually out in space trying to escape cylons.
The rules are complex, but once you learn them, flow together well. There were a couple hiccups, but overall, things went smoothly. The game mechanics sync up nicely.
The game has quite a bit of randomness. But the situation still feels organic. After all, just about anything can happen in space. The game is very competitive, and not that friendly as everyone is suspicious that the other players are cylons. Once teams are established, tho, I think things would get more friendly between teams.
In conclusion, a fun game, especially if you like suspicion.
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