Battlestar Galactica: The Board Game is an exciting game of mistrust, intrigue, and the struggle for survival. Based on the epic and widely-acclaimed Sci Fi Channel series, Battlestar Galactica: The Board Game puts players in the role of one of ten of their favorite characters from the show. Each playable character has their own abilities and weaknesses, and must all work together in order for humanity to have any hope of survival. However, one or more players in every game secretly side with the Cylons. Players must attempt to expose the traitor while fuel shortages, food contaminations, and political unrest threatens to tear the fleet apart.
After the Cylon attack on the Colonies, the battered remnants of the human race are on the run, constantly searching for the next signpost on the road to Earth. They face the threat of Cylon attack from without, and treachery and crisis from within. Humanity must work together if they are to have any hope of survival…but how can they, when any of them may, in fact, be a Cylon agent?
Battlestar Galactica: The Board Game is a semi-cooperative game for 3-6 players ages 10 and up that can be played in 2-3 hours. Players choose from pilots, political leaders, military leaders, or engineers to crew Galactica. They are also dealt a loyalty card at the start of the game to determine if they are a human or Cylon along with an assortment of skill cards based on their characters abilities. Players then can move and take actions either on Galactica, on Colonial 1, or in a Viper. They need to collect skill cards, fend off Cylon ships, and keep Galactica and the fleet jumping. Each turn also brings a Crisis Card, various tasks that players must overcome. Players need to play matching skill cards to fend off the problems; skill cards that don't match hinder the players success. Fate could be working against the crew, or there could be a traitorous Cylon! As players get closer and closer towards reaching their Earth, another round of loyalty cards are passed out and more Cylons may turn up. If players can keep their up their food stores, fuel levels, ship morale, and population, and they can keep Galactica in one piece long enough to make it to Earth, the Humans win the game. But if the Cylon players reveal themselves at the right moment and bring down Galactica, the Humans have lost.
Official Site, Rules & FAQ: http://www.fantasyflightgames.com/edge_minisite_sec.asp?eidm...;esem=4
Unofficial FAQ for really tricky questions: http://boardgamegeek.com/wiki/page/Battlestar_Galactica_FAQ
- dense thematic integration
- high tension and player interaction
- complex for new players
- can suffer from downtime during long crisis phases
- politics, suspicion, survival under threat
- space opera, surviving a civilization's collapse
- tense, dramatic with social deduction
- Twilight Imperium
- Eclipse: New Dawn for the Galaxy
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- cooperative with individual agendas — Humans cooperate to survive but loyalties risk undermining the team.
- crisis and event deck — Crisis events trigger difficult decisions with cascading consequences.
- hidden loyalty and deception — Players have secret loyalties and must hide their true goals while steering the group.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- absolutely absolutely monumental masterpiece this is a sort of game changer
- we like the old stuffy minutes and the feel
- one of the most amazing produced games I've ever seen I mean it's just absolutely stunning production on this one
- it's the simplicity of it
- this is eclipse new dawn for the galaxy
- Concordia getting us down in the corner our car we asked to get out
References (from this video)
- Beautifully painted
- Nice red background color
- Good composition
- Relies on TV show knowledge that has aged poorly
- Doesn't convey hidden traitor mechanic
- Doesn't show game's actual themes
- Hidden traitor
- Science fiction
- Dramatic
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- hidden traitor — Social deduction and secret roles
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- The box cover makes a promise to the customer
- Every box cover tells me what I'm going to be doing and how I'm going to be feeling
- This artist is one of the best board game artists working in the industry right now
- This is how you do it
- This cover is a mess
- Striking iconic design
- The box cover is not selling the game