branmuffin

Disclaimer for title: I tend to hate card games. I have never played LCG, every CCG I’ve played bored me to tears, and deck builders just don’t do it for me.

I bought into this game partially because the theme interested me, but mainly it was the hype. I’ve been completely blown away thus far. The first game was rough, but after we finished both of us had an epiphany. The games became more fun and strategic afterwards. It has strategy, economy building, conflict, bluffing, and just a sprinkle of luck to top everything off. I’m so happy I bought into the hype and really hope my group doesn’t grow bored of it.

This can be a fun game. I’ve never played the game without somebody new at the table, so my opinions are probably skewed from popular opinion. Every time that I’ve played this game it ends up with one or two people deciding the actions of the newer players. I don’t think that’s the fault of either players, but of the game having so many choices that it’s impossible to explain (and retain) them all in your first few games. Lots of expansions really contribute to the replay value and the game has excellent components and art work. They have done an excellent job making the Ancient Ones and characters feel very unique. I’ve gotten some level of enjoyment out of every game that I’ve played, but it certainly isn’t a favorite.

Eclipse is absolutely fantastic game. The first time I played it, the game took over four hours. It’s definitely not for the feint of heart and it’s very easy to feel overwhelmed at first. Once you can take it all in, it’s not nearly as complicated as it seems at first. There are many different strategies to explore to provide a lot of replay value. I do think a large group is needed to fully experience the game, but I have never played with less than six.

When the final round of a game has every player out of their seat,pacing around the table, and trying to bluff their opponents plans out of them; you know it’s a good game.

This is my favorite game to play when I’m trying to transition people into games beyond the traditional family board game (Life, Monopoly, etc). I’ve found it to be very approachable for all types of players and the most of the rules are simple enough to explain as the game goes on. The expansions breath extra life into the game and let you pick-and-choose difficulty based on the group you’re playing with.