jerdude

Pros:
– Flying Frog does theme really, really well. This game is no exception.
– The components are absolutely top notch.

Cons:
– All Flying Frog games have vague/fiddly rules. This one, however, is probably the worst offender.

Overall Impression:
All Flying Frog games suffer from vague/fiddly mechanics, but this one suffers from it especially bad. It’s nigh impossible to track all of the effects in play at any given time. My group is experienced with the game and with complex games in general, and we can’t play with the Advanced rules because it is just too much.

With that out of the way, though, I love this game for the same reason I love all of Flying Frog’s games: the theme is amazing. It takes some SERIOUS effort to get into this one, but if you can tough it out, you can get an awesome gaming experience out of it.

Pros:
– Emulates the theme perfectly. Scenarios like “Get to the Truck”(?) really make you feel like you’re caught in a classic zombie flick.

Cons:
– Some of the rules are vague and fiddly. It takes some serious effort to track all of the effects in play, and you’ll have to make snap judgement calls on the interactions between cards and abilities if you don’t want to spend your entire night flipping around the rulebook or looking up answers on BGG.

Overall Impression:
Games, for me, are all about creating an experience and letting the players tell a story. This game facilitates that beautifully. Out of the box, the vague/fiddly rules make learning the game a huge obstacle. But if you put the effort into it, you can turn this in to a fantastic gaming experience.

Pros:
– The combat mechanic is luck-free, but still unpredictable thanks to House Cards and Support options.
– Surprisingly little downtime.
– Facilitates lots of heated player interaction.
– Captures the theme perfectly. Not by bombarding you with flavor text, but by setting up the map and factions in a way that encourages games to play out much how they did in the source material.
– One of the most balanced games I’ve ever played.

Cons:
– If you don’t have exactly 6 people to play, don’t even bother. It becomes unbalanced and broken with less.

Overall Impression:
This is a completely engrossing gaming experience. This is a LONG game, but you feel engaged for every minute of it. You really do need 6 players to get the full experience, but if you can get that number you’ll find, what I consider to be, the perfect strategy gaming experience.

The Pros:
– The space battles are FUN.

The Cons:
– This game sacrifices strategy to replayability thanks to random evolving objectives.
– A bad secret objective can doom you from the start.
– Too many dice for such a long game. I’d like a deeper combat system if I’m sinking that much time into a game (e.g. Game of Thrones)
– Too much downtime.
– Imperial and Initiative Strategy cards are a false choice. You have to take them when possible, or else you lose.

Overall Impression:
If I’m sinking 6 hours into a game, I want a little more control of my own destiny. In general, I think Christian T. Peterson’s other grand strategy design, Game of Thrones, does everything better.