Battleship Galaxies

[Dad_Scaper]

Ry, please tell me that an 11 year old who is very competitive in the local 'Scape scene, won a tournament even, could handle it.

Say 'yes,' please.

Also, I know this is ridiculously premature ("rediculously," as it's spelled on the internet), but have there been or are there, shall we say, game expansions related to the same NDA? Hmm???

[Rÿchean]

It depends on the kid.

I do not think the typical 8 yr old is going to have the patience and understanding to effectively play.

I guess a 10 yr old or 11 yr could be fine. (again, depending on the kid)

[Ace Histoli]

Eagerly awaiting release over here as well... Maybe hopefully Hasbro will allow some preview-y goodness before July?
I mean, they totally should build the hype, right? Totally.

Right?

[Robotech Master]

I agree it needs a tad bit more hype just before release. It received some attention on Board Games Geek when a little press release was given with the preview images, and some sites reported those images and info, but not much since then; and I think I would have only heard about the game because I'm on an HS site where you're naturally going to hear about a new CVN game.

[Teamski]

Three Moves Forward Podcast discusses Battleship Galaxies. Go to 21:45. There is a boarding ability that reminds me of a galactic version of Mind Shackle. Very interesting!

http://flashofsteel.com/index.php/20...tcon-vacation/

-Ski

[gamjuven]

Originally Posted by Teamski

Three Moves Forward Podcast discusses Battleship Galaxies. Go to 21:45. There is a boarding ability that reminds me of a galactic version of Mind Shackle. Very interesting!

http://flashofsteel.com/index.php/20...tcon-vacation/

-Ski

Thanks for the heads up Teamski! I wish I could listen to it. Is there a text version or just the Battleship Galaxies review somewhere by any chance?

[Classicsmiley]

No, there's not a text version that I'm aware of. Until this podcast, I've seen and heard very little about the game.

Here are some highlights from the podcast, as I remember them:

• Cinematic feel to gameplay; was compared to episodes of BSG
• Highly tactical gameplay, with activation points being used to allocate possible actions per turn
• Enough of a random (dice-rolling) element to give a fighter a small chance of taking out an un-shielded capital ship
• Capital ships can carry fighters

Overall, I'm really excited about this game. I pre-ordered it based solely on the names of the designers, and this podcast just re-enforced that decision.
I think my biggest issue with the game is that I also have the Summoner Wars Master Set in the same pre-order, and deciding which one to play first could be interesting...

[gamjuven]

Yeah I can listen to it now. I can't wait to play it. Yeah from what I heard it's very heavy on theme and does a great job in giving you the feel of a space battle. They likened it to Battlestar Galactica the TV show in terms of its tense combat and twists and turns: In the beginning the two players are jostling for position, the humans are trying to shoot the pirates from afar while the pirates are trying to close in for a short range kill.

Yeah apparently there is a boarding card for the pirates that allows you to do either direct damage to a capital ship, or if you roll high enough, to just take it over. And there is no card that cancels that at the moment. Pretty sweet. Kinda like mindshackle from heroscape all right.

Also when it comes to fighters. Apparently they move in squadrons, and you keep track of your squadmates that die. And as they die, the ship that's left can do direct damage to an enemy ship ( ie get damage past shields) equal to the number of squadmates killed. This is signifying a revenge kill I guess. Pretty cool.

One thing that I could see being an issue in terms of tournament play is the damage system that the game has. It's like the old Battleship in that when you attack you are basically calling out "G7" or "A1" based on a die roll. Your opponent then looks at their fleet (or individual ship, not exactly clear which), and checks to see if it is a hit. I see an issue, especially against younger players, where they either don't see that it's a hit or flat out lie about it. And unlike a game where you can clearly see something's a hit because you rolled higher than a "4" or something, this game requires you to see it on an opponent's card. I don't want to have to check every hit on my opponent's card, but I also dn't want to later be in a situation when I find out that my opponent accidently didn't register a hit because they saw something incorrectly or thought I said "D5" instead of "B5". You know?

I was glad to see the players who played the game said it felt like a strategy game rather than just a lucky die roll. They did warn that on every ship there is a critical hit where if hit, the ship blows up. So in theory your big capital ship that has all your other ships in it, could be taken out in the first turn or so by a tiny little fighter and a lucky shot (although very few ships can bypass shields just like that). But still. They said it's great because it's like that cinematic Luke Skywalker effect where the little ship can outmanuever the big one and get the critical hit on the engines, but then again it would suck so much to lose an entire game on a stupid luck roll like that. It is a luck based game though so maybe I should shut up.

I can't wait for this game! So pumped.

[Rÿchean]

Originally Posted by gamjuven

One thing that I could see being an issue in terms of tournament play is the damage system that the game has. It's like the old Battleship in that when you attack you are basically calling out "G7" or "A1" based on a die roll. Your opponent then looks at their fleet (or individual ship, not exactly clear which), and checks to see if it is a hit. I see an issue, especially against younger players, where they either don't see that it's a hit or flat out lie about it. And unlike a game where you can clearly see something's a hit because you rolled higher than a "4" or something, this game requires you to see it on an opponent's card. I don't want to have to check every hit on my opponent's card, but I also dn't want to later be in a situation when I find out that my opponent accidently didn't register a hit because they saw something incorrectly or thought I said "D5" instead of "B5". You know?

Sure, I can see how it would be a concern.....initially.

However, like faction ships of similar size have similar hit areas, so after a few plays with either faction you have a pretty good idea what is most likely a hit and what isn't. Also, the hit zone graphic grid is prominent on the card similar to the hit zone graphic on a Heroscape card.

After a few plays, this concern diminishes greatly.

Oh and on the critical hit, the shields of that ship have to be down. So critical hits early in the game are uncommon.

I'm pumped too. It has been an honor and a thrill to be involved. I am in awe of what the collective brain-trust accomplished with this game.

[gamjuven]

Gotcha, thanks Ry! Hey and any more inside tips/session reviews/other info would be awesome! I look forward to playing in the first tournament for this game at Gencon!

[Rÿchean]

I only let those tidboits go because the interview references those mechanics.

I am playing in that event at GenCon, too.

[Teamski]

It will be an awesome game. I really feel it will scratch that Heroscape itch one energy allocation point at a time. Each squadron and large ship has its own card, much like squads and heroes in Heroscape.

I am thrilled that they verified that the large ships can carry the squadrons around. A very nice touch indeed. No mention of the "space glyphs" but I am sure they are there.

I wonder if there will be 3D terrain in the expansions, i.e. planets, asteroids, etc. That would really be cool! Imagine a planitary version of the Marro hive, capable of launching fighters!

-Ski