Today we're going to take a look at Battlestar Galactica. There's a couple of reasons for this; first up,Fantasy Flight have just announced the release of what will probably be the final expansion set for the game ("Daybreak", coming later this year). Second, I wrote an article in the week about why not all games built around licenses are terrible – just most ofthem – and of the few decent ones, Battlestar Galactica shines like a beacon. Now, that may be a small spoiler for what I reckon about the game (yes, it's great, you can quit reading now if you wish) but seriously – even if you've never watched a single episode of the show, you should give Battlestar a shot.
Why? It was first released back in 2008, a lifetime ago in the world of boardgames. In an environment where the Cult of the New is ever-increasing in number, why on earthshould you play something that is (gasp!) five years old? One simple reason: you will never experience a more balanced example of deduction and paranoia when sat around your tabletop.
A little prior knowledge about the show is helpful but far from necessary. All you need to know are the basics: in a distant star system and a far flung future, humans have developed the Cylons, robots that began as little more than slaves. Following an uprising by the Cylons, the human race is all but wiped out – only 50,000 or so remain, and so begins a search for a mythical safe haven called Earth. The game sees what little is left of humanity desperately fleeing from the Cylon fleet while attempting to deal with traitors in their midst... and it is amazing.
As play begins, everyone is given a character taken from the show. They each have their pros and cons,things that will assist you in your escape attempts as well as hinder you. A President and Admiral are chosen, depending on what characters are being used and the current chain of command. Players are also given a secret allegiance card that must never be revealed, stating whether they're a Human or Cylon. Once you have this, you know what you must do to win – Humans must make enough Faster Than Light Drive jumps to escape the enemy, Cylons must do all they can to inhibit this while not revealing themselves... for a while, anyway.
Each turn will see you draw Skill Cards from five different decks, move to a location on board the good ship Galactica (or perhaps the Presidential vessel, Colonial One, that remains alongside), perform an action and then resolve a Crisis Card.Each location offers the chance to do something different, so choosing the right one at the right time is vital; once you have suspicions, the Brig will be regularly used, for example! An action may also involve dealing with enemy ships that constantly seem to be attacking you, shifting civilian ships into safety or – as with the Brig - activating an area of Galactica in order to use that place’s ability.
The Crisis Card part of the turn is where things take a turn for the terrifying. Crisis, of course, can only mean bad things... it’s just that when it comes to Galactica, the bad side is a constant companion. Each card that is flipped has an issue that needs to be dealt with by all players, showing a numeric value that must be reached in order for the crisis to be averted. The Skill Cards that you take at the start of your turn can be contributed to a pile that,once everyone has had the chance to do so and two extras are added from a pre-constructed Destiny Deck, all will be revealed.
The different skills have their own colours and each Crisis requires the number to be equalled or bettered to pass the check; the additional two add in an element of chaos that could either be mere chance or the efforts of a Cylon player can choosing to hamper the work of the Humans. Of course, the fact that not everyone has to put cards in also adds an element of suspicion... You'll need to keep a watchful eye on everyone, remembering who played cards, who didn't, and not just during that turn. Tracking which Crisis cards fail and who was involved is the key to cracking the secrets behind each player; managing to do this is a vital skill to develop if you're looking to win.
Another spin to deal with: if things are getting too hot for the Cylon player, they can choose to reveal their true nature at any time during their turn. Rather than losing them the game, as you may expect, this actually makes it makes it even tougher for the Human players. The now revealed Cylon now gets the chance to screw with everyone else from afar, getting to choose from their own selection of actions and selecting from Super Crisis cards, each one more awful than the last. Sure, the Cylon players can do plenty of damage from the inside but once everyone knows who the bad guy is, things get an awful lot more aggressive.
It's a cruel, mean, evil, nasty, horrible and brilliant game. Dealing with a secretive player (or two, depending on how many are involved!) means that you're constantly on your toes, watching for something – anything – that may give someone else away. Every turn is a desperate fight for survival. Every card played is important. Every choice made is vital. The moment the Cylons choose to reveal themselves, the whole game changes from people walking on eggshells to a war of attrition, and that's what makes Battlestar Galactica such a great game.
Admittedly, you do need to have the right people around you, thekind of folks who aren't worried about offending each other byaccusing them of lying. It's actually pretty reminiscent of theclassic Diplomacy – leave your friendships at the door for a while,prepare for cut-throat nastiness, and shake hands when all is saidand done. Just watch out for those damn Toasters.
Why? It was first released back in 2008, a lifetime ago in the world of boardgames. In an environment where the Cult of the New is ever-increasing in number, why on earthshould you play something that is (gasp!) five years old? One simple reason: you will never experience a more balanced example of deduction and paranoia when sat around your tabletop.
A little prior knowledge about the show is helpful but far from necessary. All you need to know are the basics: in a distant star system and a far flung future, humans have developed the Cylons, robots that began as little more than slaves. Following an uprising by the Cylons, the human race is all but wiped out – only 50,000 or so remain, and so begins a search for a mythical safe haven called Earth. The game sees what little is left of humanity desperately fleeing from the Cylon fleet while attempting to deal with traitors in their midst... and it is amazing.
As play begins, everyone is given a character taken from the show. They each have their pros and cons,things that will assist you in your escape attempts as well as hinder you. A President and Admiral are chosen, depending on what characters are being used and the current chain of command. Players are also given a secret allegiance card that must never be revealed, stating whether they're a Human or Cylon. Once you have this, you know what you must do to win – Humans must make enough Faster Than Light Drive jumps to escape the enemy, Cylons must do all they can to inhibit this while not revealing themselves... for a while, anyway.
Each turn will see you draw Skill Cards from five different decks, move to a location on board the good ship Galactica (or perhaps the Presidential vessel, Colonial One, that remains alongside), perform an action and then resolve a Crisis Card.Each location offers the chance to do something different, so choosing the right one at the right time is vital; once you have suspicions, the Brig will be regularly used, for example! An action may also involve dealing with enemy ships that constantly seem to be attacking you, shifting civilian ships into safety or – as with the Brig - activating an area of Galactica in order to use that place’s ability.
The Crisis Card part of the turn is where things take a turn for the terrifying. Crisis, of course, can only mean bad things... it’s just that when it comes to Galactica, the bad side is a constant companion. Each card that is flipped has an issue that needs to be dealt with by all players, showing a numeric value that must be reached in order for the crisis to be averted. The Skill Cards that you take at the start of your turn can be contributed to a pile that,once everyone has had the chance to do so and two extras are added from a pre-constructed Destiny Deck, all will be revealed.
The different skills have their own colours and each Crisis requires the number to be equalled or bettered to pass the check; the additional two add in an element of chaos that could either be mere chance or the efforts of a Cylon player can choosing to hamper the work of the Humans. Of course, the fact that not everyone has to put cards in also adds an element of suspicion... You'll need to keep a watchful eye on everyone, remembering who played cards, who didn't, and not just during that turn. Tracking which Crisis cards fail and who was involved is the key to cracking the secrets behind each player; managing to do this is a vital skill to develop if you're looking to win.
Another spin to deal with: if things are getting too hot for the Cylon player, they can choose to reveal their true nature at any time during their turn. Rather than losing them the game, as you may expect, this actually makes it makes it even tougher for the Human players. The now revealed Cylon now gets the chance to screw with everyone else from afar, getting to choose from their own selection of actions and selecting from Super Crisis cards, each one more awful than the last. Sure, the Cylon players can do plenty of damage from the inside but once everyone knows who the bad guy is, things get an awful lot more aggressive.
It's a cruel, mean, evil, nasty, horrible and brilliant game. Dealing with a secretive player (or two, depending on how many are involved!) means that you're constantly on your toes, watching for something – anything – that may give someone else away. Every turn is a desperate fight for survival. Every card played is important. Every choice made is vital. The moment the Cylons choose to reveal themselves, the whole game changes from people walking on eggshells to a war of attrition, and that's what makes Battlestar Galactica such a great game.
Admittedly, you do need to have the right people around you, thekind of folks who aren't worried about offending each other byaccusing them of lying. It's actually pretty reminiscent of theclassic Diplomacy – leave your friendships at the door for a while,prepare for cut-throat nastiness, and shake hands when all is saidand done. Just watch out for those damn Toasters.
