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I Play This One a LOT
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cleave29

gamer level 5
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Use my invite URL to register (this will give me kudos)
https://boardgaming.com/register/?invited_by=cleave29
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Gamer - Level 5
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Go to the Battlestar Galactica: The Board Game page
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4
Go to the The Settlers of Catan page
25 out of 64 gamers thought this was helpful

This game involves a lot of wheeling and dealing, and if you like that, go right ahead. You also have to keep track of who’s got what cards so that when you announce that you have a Monopoly card, you can score big. If you don’t like counting cards, do not play this game.

I’m no good at the trading and I often find myself paying for the choices I make at the beginning of the game. The first turns where you place your first settlements are crucial to winning the game. There is not a lot of room for catch-up if you’re behind, so if you don’t mind sometimes losing in a slow painful way a la Monopoly, then go ahead and play this game.

I tried to look at probability and figure out where to place my settlements, but the roles of the dice can nullify the best strategy.

Because of that, I often find myself with a handful of nothing, watching the dice show that I don’t get to do anything with this turn either.

I’ve played Cities and Knights, and that makes it a little bit better, because I feel like I’ve got some more choices. But this game generally is an experience of sit and watch others score.

I know this game has gotten a lot of people into board games and hooray for that, but please don’t stay here. Either buy the Cities and Knights expansion or find another game.

9
Go to the Battlestar Galactica: The Board Game page
40 out of 72 gamers thought this was helpful

I have had some of the most fun with this game, but I also have struggled to get people to play. It’s a time commitment of a couple hours and although I like it a lot, my friends get a little confused and it’s hard to know what to tell them about being a Cylon.
The game is very thematic and the characters are all very different, which I like. It actually helped me like and understand the show a lot better with its Superpower, Strength, Weakness model.
I love the betrayal aspect (which energizes the game) and how the desire to just survive fits nicely with the show. I’m afraid I only get to really play this at conventions when there are other BSG game fans around. Then it’s the highlight of the con! I still tell stories about how I (as Ellen) got the crew to airlock a Human Bill Adama. Then I used my manipulation power to jump when we didn’t have enough fuel! Cylons win! 🙂
The cards are all very thematic and I think they’re pretty spoiler-free (at least in the basic game). One of the beautiful parts of the game is that it lets you re-write the plots of the show. Maybe you wanted the prison revolt episode to turn out differently: you can let it fail or pass depending on choices and cards. The loyalty cards are randomized so the Cylons in the game are not the Cylons on the show.
One of the things that makes for great replay value is that you can take on different roles on the ship. For example, you can be a pilot one game and focus on shoot-em-up and then the next game you can be President and then focus on morale boosting and smoking out Cylons. In that way, it’s thematic: everyone has a different, essential role to play. Because of the multicolored cards, everyone has something different to contribute to the crises that your team faces. And, just like in real life, sometimes it’s hard to appreciate the different roles everyone plays: If I’m the only Political player, I often have the Pilots and Military insinuating treason right and left, even if I’m loyally fulfilling my presidential duties.
I haven’t figured out how to get around the time commitment part of the game. There’s a Short Game variant on BGG that has your team only making three jumps and this can give people a taste of the game before they decide it’s too long to be fun. Unfortunately, this also leaves your Resources at low levels, which also makes you vulnerable to Cylon treachery.
Anyway, if you can get enough fans of the show to commit to the time, it can be a total blast. Good hunting!

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