Race for the Galaxy Card Submissions

So there is a contest for the Race for the Galaxy expansions where 2 player submitted cards will be chosen to be included in the next set. The most recent winners from Rebel vs. Imperium were Hidden Fortress and R&D Crash Program. I just shipped off these as my entries:

TERRAFORMING Upgrade Commission

Development: 3 Cost, 0 VP Value

II: May discard a development from your tableau to reduce the cost of playing a development in your hand by the discarded card's cost.

Example: A player has Mining Robots and Terraforming Upgrade Commission in play, and Merchant Guild in hand. During the develop phase, this player may discard Mining Robots to play Merchant Guild at a cost reduced by 2.

Note: May discard Terraforming Upgrade Commission itself from tableau to reduce a development's cost as well.

Robotic Mercenary World

Settlement: 3 Defense, 2 VP Value

III: May discard a settlement from your tableau to increase your military strength by the discarded card's defense/cost this turn.

Example: A player has Robotic Mercenary World and Avian Uplift Race in play, with Rebel Home World in hand. That player may discard Avian Uplift Race from their tableau during the Settle Phase and play Rebel Home World from his/her hand if their military strength is 5 or greater (as opposed to 7).

Note: May discard Robotic Mercenary World itself from tableau to reduce a military settlement's cost as well.

Interstellar Warehouse

Settlement: 3 Cost, 1 VP Value

Rare Goods Windfall Settlement

IV: May choose to not consume a good on this world this phase.

Galactic Expansionists

Development: 6 Cost, ? VP Value

II: Draw a card after placing a Development

III: Draw a card after placing a Settlement

End Game: 1VP/Development in your tableau OR 1VP/Settlement in your tableau

Note: Only one or the other may be chosen at game end. Not both.

Look for 'em in the next expansion :-)

-Andrew

The Humans Win!

So, playing Battlestar Galactica last night, the Humans won for the first time, with the resources handicapped in their favor by starting them all at maximum. All in all, it was still a close game, and while I believe the Cylons made some questionable decisions which helped the Humans' case, a lot of the luck elements tilted towards the Humans' favor as well. As an aside, without the handicaps, the Humans would have lost in 3 of the 4 resource categories prior to their final jump.

It is a bit of a relief to know that it isn't impossible for the Humans to win. I'm also a bit conflicted as to how I feel as I was the Cylon Sympathizer, playing for the Cylons in last night's game. Translation: I lost.

It seems, after playing as the Sympathizer for the first time, that playing as the Sympathizer can be likened to a drinking water duck toy. As the Sympathizer, I was limited to basically 2 options as far as turn actions, and I believe using the Caprica action to be far more valuable than using Human Fleet each turn. So my turns were basically on auto-pilot for the 2nd half of the game. And to top it off, I don't get a Super Crisis!

We discussed after the game possibly finding a way to make the Sympathizer more fun while not skewing the game balance any more than it already is. Suggestions as far as how to accomplish this:

-Give the Sympathizer extra card drawing power, either at the start of his/her turn or during the Caprica action.
-Let the Sympathizer contribute more to skill checks
-Create entirely new actions for the Sympathizer to choose from each turn
-Give the Sympathizer a Super Crisis card, perhaps with restrictions on when it can be played
-Other

Of these, I like the first the most. Possibly letting the Sympathizer look at 3/4/5 cards when choosing one from the Crisis Deck when activating Caprica. Or, causing two crises with no choices involved could be an option.

Some brief musing for your Tuesday afternoon,

-Andrew

Wheeling and Dealing

Over the last couple of weeks, my game group has revived one of our old favorites in Bohnanza. For those unfamiliar, it is a trading and hand management game where the goal is to earn the most money. Beans of different rarities are sought after, planted and harvested for money, and the largest factor in acquiring beans is by making trades with the other players to get them. Also, "bohn" in German means bean, so the title is a bonus foreign pun. I LOVE FOREIGN PUNS!

Playing this again made think about trading as a general concept in games, and what makes one successful in these types of games. Without a doubt, one principle stands out more than any other regarding how to benefit the most. This is a law that I adhere to when playing trading games, and while it seems obvious, I think that most don't think about its effectiveness upfront. Here it is: Ready? Ok - Whoever is involved in the most trades, will win the game. Now, that's not to say that you should be making bad trades, because quantity over quality only gets you so far. Definitely whoever makes the most 1:1 trades (in a 3+ player game) will be in the best situation, because they have bettered their own situation more than the other players.

Example, using Bohnanza: In a 3 player game, you make a 1:1 trade with Player A, and each player makes a gold out of it. Then, you make another 1:1 trade with Player B, and each player makes a gold out of it. Result: Player A has 1 gold, Player B has 1 gold, you have 2 gold. Multiply this over the course of the game, and you should have the advantage.

So what's the best way to do this? I'M GLAD YOU ASKED HAHAHA. *Ahem - I think it's important to make a quality offer as quickly as possible, to stake your claim in the intangible trade market. This means you need to figure out in a hurry every turn what scenarios exist for a beneficial trade to all parties involved. Ideally, while other players are figuring out what works best for them, you will have already made a trade, and nullified theirs.

There are ways to beat this, such as other players drawing good enough cards that doesn't necessitate them trading, or by not having the right cards to trade to the other players.

However, for most all games I have played which use trading as a game mechanic (Settlers of Catan, Bohnanza, Pit, Wheedle, and Chinatown, I'm thinking of specifically), if you can quickly make a beneficial offer to a player or players, then the other players in the game miss out, making it easier for you to win in the long run.

Cheerio.

-Andrew

More Thoughts from My Grey Brain...

...regarding the new Race for the Galaxy expansion. When last we spoke, I said I was going to mention a few individual cards that were helped by the new additions. Here's my top 4, because nobody does a top 4, and I feel like I'm being mildly original. WITHOUT FURTHER ADO:

Top 4 Improved Cards:

1. Colony Ship/Doomed World - The addition of the Gene Designers and the Imperium Blaster Gem Consortium cards give these two more very valid and otherwise expensive production targets. A quick drop of one of these or one of the three existing Five-cost production worlds can be huge.
2. Interstellar Bank/Investment Credits - As I did mention in the last post, developing got a huge boost in this expansion, and as part of that, these cheap developments that promote developing are now more sought after than before. These both combine with R&D Crash Program to pump out an early 6-cost development. Interstellar Bank also doubles up on the development draw if you start with the new Galactic Developers start world. Also, and perhaps best of all, both are bonus points for the Galactic Bankers development. Especially with the new "first to 8" goal, there is definite potential for a more-focused developing strategy than before.
3. Diversified Economy - Just with the addition of the Galactic Exchange development, this gives players a new reason to consider diversification. Part of the problem before for DE, is that there weren't always enough consume powers to take advantage of. Galactic Exchange fixes this in a big way, and lets you drop a 13 point end-game bonus, as well as gives the ability to draw even more cards.
4. Aquatic, Avian, and Reptilian Uplift Race - Also known as the 2/2 green military windfalls. They were joined in this expansion by the Insect Uplift Race, to make a total of 4. More importantly, they are easier to play early now, which can be a huge springboard for a military player to find what they need. The expansion brought 6 ways of cost 3 or less to increase military by at least 1, and the Rebel Cantina start world which lets a player drop it as a regular settlement. Also, with the introduction of the Uplift Code development, Genes players have 3 huge end-game target buildings to search for.

The astute among you will notice that my top 4 actually included 8 cards. Don't tell anyone I did this, it's a secret.

That's it for now - join me next time when odds are less that I will be again discussing this game.

-Andrew

Race for the Galaxy: Rebel vs. Imperium - First Reactions

As the game my gaming group plays most often, I had high hopes for this, the 2nd expansion of the base set for Race for the Galaxy. I have played a handful of times, and only the two-player version thusfar, but I wanted to share some initial thoughts, as well as cards that seemed to improve with this expansion.

First, I think developing in general has improved significantly. With the new start world (Galactic Developers) that comes with the Interstellar Bank power of drawing a card on develop, as well as two new six-cost developments which improve the phase (Galactic Bankers & Pan-Galactic Research), and most of all - the R&D Crash Program, developing can get out of hand in a hurry. For example, in the 2nd game I played with the new cards, I was able to pair Investment Credits with a Crash Programmed Galactic Federation, and paired that with Pan Galactic Research the following turn. This enabled me to develop 6-costs for 1 measly card, and my last 7 plays were 6 cost developments (Final Score: 85!). Granted a lot of things had to go right for this to happen, but it was still indicative of the new increased power of developing.

Military has obviously been buffed, as there are tons of new cheap ways to get out early military. Most notably, the two start worlds (Imperium Warlord & Rebel Cantina) allow for military acceleration, and the Mercenary Fleet development can easily put a military player to the power they need to be for the rest of the game. In our group, the most sought after cards seemed to be Space Marines and Drop Ships for the military accelleration. This expansion adds 10 cards that boost military at a cost of 3 or less. Also the two new military six-cost developments are very powerful as end game targets, especially paired with any of the existing military six costers.

My first reaction to the "takeover" mode of the game is that it is cumbersome and takes away from some of the elegance the game has which makes it so appealing. This is just a gut reaction as I haven't personally tried it. All in all, I like what I've seen thusfar, and am looking forward to some game plays with a group of 3+.

MORE TO COME. I SWEAR.

-Andrew

Clue Deux

So my friend Chris texted me yesterday with a mission. He said, "Reinvent the game Clue so it's fun." For a long time, I had a grudge against Clue myself, as I tended to play with my sister, and she has a knack for getting the exact answer right on the first guess of the game two games in a row... WHAT ARE THE ODDS?! *Ahem - ok, I'm better now. Anyway, for multiple reasons, I decided to give it some thought, and here's a variant I came up with late yesterday.

Clue Deux

-Rules of the original Clue apply unless specifically stated otherwise here.

-Before the game, randomly deal out a weapon card to each player. Players take the weapon token. This is their starting weapon for the game. Collect the weapon cards, and distribute hands as in the original game.

-On your turn, after movement, you may attack another player if you are in the same room, or one square away orthagonically from each other on the game board. Movement and weapon effects are determined by a two six-sided dice roll, rather than one used in the original Clue.

Attacking a player:

-When attacking a player, roll two six-sided dice.

9-12 = Sneak Attack - Look at a random card from that player's hand, and your weapon effect occurs on them.

5-8 = Hard Fight - Each player looks at a random card from the other's hand, and each weapon effect happens to the other.

2-4 = Clumsy Attack - You reveal a card at random to the other player, and their weapon effect happens to you.

-Weapon effects:

Revolver - Player is sent back to their start square. (Dies)

Candlestick - Roll the dice. Move the player the number shown on the roll. (Burned)

Knife - Player's next movement roll is halved. (Stabbed)

Rope - Player cannot accuse next turn. (Choked)

Lead Pipe - Room cannot be entered or left until your next turn, except by secret passage. (Bar the door)

Wrench - Player loses a turn. (Unconscious)


-After each attack, exchange your weapon with the other player's weapon.

-As noted, all other rules for the original Clue still apply, and the ultimate goal is to deduce who committed the murder, where and with what. Players may still only accuse the room in which they are standing, and accusations still move other players' tokens to that room.

So, that's what I came up with on short notice. Thoughts?

-Andrew

Battlestar Galactica - The Board Game: A Five-Play Review

The latest addition to my burgeoning game collection, Battlestar Galactica came highly recommended to my by several other gamer friends. After several plays with varying numbers of players and groups, there are things that I enjoy about the game, and things that aren't so great.

A brief summary of the game:

The humans are trying to travel to a location called Kobol, and the Cylons, their robotic enemies, are trying to thwart them by any means necessary. Players are assigned secret roles at the game's beginning and again at the game's midpoint, which determines which side they are playing for. Distance travelled and staying alive are the objectives for the human side, but the Cylons can take them down by eliminating any one of a number of necessities such as food, fuel, morale, population, by boarding the ship and destroying it from within, or by destroying the ship from outside attacks. Human players also have to combat other crises every turn which affect their resources.

First, the positive. It is a unique game, in that it is mostly co-operative, but incorporates an element of Mafia where one or two players' objectives could be different from the group or change to be different over the course of the game. It's Pandemic meets Mafia, and the air of suspicion instantly present from the start until all Cylons are revealed is something I haven't experienced playing any other board game.

The game is well designed, in that there is an impending sense of danger at all times, and a clear, Cylon-free board can turn around into a disaster zone in an instant. Being a fan of the show, I think the creators of the game did a very nice job representing the same sensations found throughout the series.

Now the negative. It's really, really hard to win if you're a human. Even though in most scenarios, the Cylons are going to be outnumbered, they have a great deal more power in that they can decide to focus on a particular resource to eradicate the humans. In the games we've played, it's been almost impossible to come back after a Blue, Cylon ships appear and attack regular crisis card doubled with a revealed Cylon's super crisis.

Secondly, while the game box says the game plays 3-6 players, ignore it. It should read "5-6 players, unless you want someone to be bored." Only with five or six are there two Cylons in the game. Of the five games I have played, one has been with four players, two with five and two with six. All except one (potentially tainted) game has gone in favor of the Cylons, and it was likely only due to the fact that no Cylon role cards were dealt out until the midpoint of the game, giving the humans a huge head start. With four players, only one Cylon role card is dealt, and from what I was told and witnessed, it's simply not fun to play this game on a team by yourself, even though she did win (grumble grumble).

Third, it's a long, long game. Our games have averaged about 3 hours each, so it's quite a comittment to start a game, especially knowing the Cylons have a large advantage. Perhaps the game will balance while we continue to discover other strategies for the humans, but we have begun to crank the resources up for the humans. The last game was +2 for population and fuel, and +1 for morale and food, and the Cylons still won. Hopefully, more tweaking will find the right balance for our game group.

Despite the bad, I still really enjoy this game. It's just the right mixture of luck, deceipt, using your cards right, manipulation, and socialization to make it worthwhile. It will likely be a go-to staple for our group for quite a while, or until we've thrown it off the roof in frustration.

-Andrew