Starfarers of Catan Review

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(More customer reviews)I have loved Settlers of Catan since I first played it. I was thrilled when I first saw Starfarers (I loved the retro Flash Gordon look).
Unlike the other Settler games, this one actually uses plastic and not wood for many of the pieces/parts. My friends can be quite rowdy late at night but in the years I have had the game, no piece has ever broken.
Play is a little different than in other sets. Its sort of like Seafarers with lots of little islands. Development cards are there (although there are some new resources) and they have been joined by encounter cards where you deal with alien races, traders and pirates. Play lasts a little longer than the original but is comparable to Cities & Knights.
The board is beautiful and rather large (no small contained hex this time). Players ability to move and fight are modified by upgrades to their central ship/die roller/neat thing. There is currently an expansion set for adding up to two more players which I just picked up (so I don't know how it affects play yet).
All in all, this is a really fun addition to the Settlers world of games (I have eight of them so far). If you liked the original and wanted a bit more of a challenge, this is a great addition to your game closet.

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The foray into space, sometime near the year 2700 A.D. Compete for the prestigious post of Ambassador to the Galactic Council. To attain this lofty position, players must leave Terra and the known planets to explore and colonize the galaxy, while working to establish trade with alien cultures, encounter aliens and defeat pirates. Glory and victory go to the brave and astute explorer who luck smiles upon.

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Nexus Ops Review

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(More customer reviews)At first glance, the game looks like some nasty oldie from the 90s that never got anywhere because no one liked or bought it. But, it isn't. Definitely not. When I first opened the box I found bright neon colored plastic pieces in bags- and they looked very good, adding to the alien feel of the game. Also, instead of a plastic tray to keep the 4 multicolored armies separated, it only comes with a punch-out cardboard divider that is OK, but a plastic tray would be best. The gameplay itself excels over these flaws. In the game, you must occupy mines in order to order to make rubium (the monetary unit of the game) to buy better units to do battle. There are in total 6 different types of units. The three weaker and less combat-ready ones are essential in order to gain economy while the three stronger and expensive ones won't be making you any money. Gameplay is smooth and a few turns into the game and you'll be slugging it out on a gameboard that will never be the same- that is, the game is made of individual hexagonal tiles that make sure no game will have a similarly configured board. There are different types of terrain that will give bonuses in battle or that some units cannot set foot on. The game especially shines through with 3 or 4 players, when everyone's just slugging it out for control of the mines and the Monolith- which grants you the right to draw two battle-boosting cards per turn. Games last about an hour or longer, and the rules are simple enough to learn yet complex enough to keep the game fresh and you thinking. The lowdown:
PROS
-GAMEPLAY- very smooth and balanced for all players- if you lose a battle you get to draw a card that will help you in battle later. Though Nexus Ops will not provide an hours-long epic it will easily kill an hour or two of your time. There is actually a variant where you can play with yourself that is quite a challenge (not in the manual, but on the Internet).
-VARIETY- with six different units you'll never be defeating your opponents in the same way. As always dice-rolling determines the victor and loser. The game board is also randomly configured each game.
-SETUP- unlike Risk, it takes only a few minutes.
-delves a little bit into managing money effectively: since buying units is virtually the only way to obtain any, your child will learn that just massing rubium dragons and lava leapers (the two strongest units in the game) will not win game.
CONS
-the box should come with a plastic divider tray rather than a punch-out cardboard divider
-the monolith, a raised piece in the center of the board, won't last too long being made of flimsy cardboard, and also obscures the view of the hexagons around it. However, don't worry; the rest of the game is made from thick, durable cardboard.
-as I have mentioned before, the map is different each time you play. However, this changes absolutely nothing gameplay-wise. So the game may get repetitive map-wise.
-the plastic playing pieces are rather small, and adults may have difficulty distinguishing between some alien races (especially two particular ones; the rest are easily distinguishable).
-the game must be played on a level surface, maybe only at home rather than on a plane or monorail. Since the tiles and therefore the board is not all in one piece, they can easily slide away from each other.
-others have complained about the stench, and so shall I. The inside of the box smelled like old cardboard (like the toilet paper tubes), but nothing so overwhelming that you'll want to quarantine it. The pieces also smell like new plastic, but this scent was more subtle.
UPDATE: This game is no longer in print, and will probably never be in print again. A brand new copy of Nexus Ops usually start from upwards of $70. Nexus Ops is a blast, but probably not worth $70. Instead, I recommend Neuroshima Hex.

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Deep Space explorers have discovered an abundance of Rubium on a distant moon. Gaining authority over this very rare and valuable resource is imperative to the Company. That's where you and your mercenary strike force come into the picture. Your drop zone is a few clicks away from one of the moon's Monoliths where the heaviest concentrations of Rubium are located. Seize control of the area and establish the Company's claim to the Rubium. Your can expect heavy resistance from opposing corporate forces, so enlist the aid of any indigenous life forms you encounter. Just get the job done by any means necessary. This tiled board game blends Euro game-style mechanics with aggressive war tactics in a futuristic theme. Nexus Ops is for 2 to 4 players and takes 60-90 minutes to play.

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Nexus Ops Review

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(More customer reviews)First off, if you are looking for the rare strategy game that can accomodate three players without one player wanting to smash the other two over the head after the inevitable 'gang-up' phase, this one plays excellently. Strategic position, army-building, and alliances take a backseat to planning ahead to accomplish hidden objectives from secret mission cards, which garner points towards victory. The secret missions vary in points awarded, the more valuable ones requiring putting out and using super units, or making suicidal attacks that may utterly trash your best army, but get you the last points you need for victory. The game plays very quickly compared to most strategy boardgames. There is enough random element in it that new and younger players will not be overwhelmed; yet enough strategy hidden in it that experienced players will enjoy tweaking their play to pick up an edge here or there. The 'board' consists of hexagonal cardboard pieces that are randomly fit together at the start of the game in a configuration that suits 2-4 players, with smaller cardboard tokens on top to indicate what the sector contains. While this adds a random replayable element, it and the many, many pieces involved also tend to require some constant tending throughout the game to keep the board 'together' and the pieces where they belong. This game has found a lot of repeat play with my friends as a fast and fun alternative to deeper, more strategic but time-consuming games like Shogun.

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Nexus Ops is a light-medium science fiction war game. The game boasts a hexagonal board that is dealt differently every time, as well as cool "glow" miniatures and lots of combat. Players control competing futuristic corporations that battle each other for control of the moon's Rubium Ore. By winning battles and fulfilling Secret Missions, you can obtain victory points.

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Heroscape Expansion Set Collection 5: Ninjas and Samurai Review

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(More customer reviews)These melee squads can hit hard and have the ability to punish the enemy when he hits back. Both are essentially standalones. Unlike many bonding units and common squads, you can drop this one pack into your collection and see good results without needing to team them up with specific, rule-mandated allies.
The Ninjas have a good balance of mobility, attack, and defense. With a move of 6 and Disengage/Ghostwalk, they can move to, through, and away from enemy troops at will. They attack with a respectable 4 dice. When an enemy threatens a Ninja with a normal attack, he has an annoyingly high chance to ignore the damage (causing the attack to be wasted) and move 4 spaces for free on the enemy's turn. The only thing the Ninjas fear is a multiple special attacker like Kaemon Awa or Nilfheim.
Although they do use the Counter Strike power, the Kozuke Samurai are definitely more specialized in attack. They can boost their move from 5 to 8 if they use the extra spaces to engage an enemy, and they hit him with 5 dice each. They are most efficient against enemy heroes or particularly tough, boosted squads, as chances are they will waste many precious skulls against low-defense squad members.

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Tau Empire Battleforce Warhammer 40k Review

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(More customer reviews)This is a great way to start creating a Tau army for warhammer 40k. It has one Tau Crisis XV8 Battlesuit, one Devilfish APC, three Tau XV25 Stealth Suits, one Markerlight Drone, six Gun Drones, twelve Tau Fire Warriors, and twelve Kroot Carnivores. Assembly is definitely required so have glue, and paints at hand. Just keep in mind this is a basic army. It will be torn apart by heavy units so adding more crisis suits, broadsides, a hammer head (or 2), or Vespid squad is highly advised. If you prefer a heavier army with no kroot you might want to look at the Megaforce instead.

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Contents: 1 Tau Crisis XV8 Battlesuit (includes 1 multi-part plastic Tau Crisis XV8 Battlesuit and 2 Gun Drones), 1 Tau Devilfish APC (includes 1 multi-part plastic Tau Devilfish APC and 2 Gun Drones), 3 Tau Crisis XV25 Stealth Suits (includes 3 multi-part plastic Tau XV25 Stealth Suits and 1 Markerlight Drone), 12 Tau Fire Warriors (includes 12 multi-part plastic Tau Fire Warriors and 2 Gun Drones) and 12 Kroot Carnivores.Miniatures come unpainted and unassembled in their original packaging. Books are in brand new condition.

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Bridge Troll Review

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(More customer reviews)This is a great little game for playing between rounds of larger games, or for busting out when people's non-gaming significant others want to play as well. The rules are simple, there's reasonable interaction, and players don't directly confront each other in any form, which helps for players that don't enjoy high-competition games. This could also be reasonably played with children who have decent reading and counting skills.

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In BRIDGE TROLL, you and your friends are hideous trolls who each guard a troll bridge. Each turn, you throw boulders to bid for travelers, who vary in number depending on the weather for that day.Travelers include fat merchants, pilgrims, poor monks (who make good eating), and if you are lucky, royal personages. As travelers come to your bridge, you use them to collect tolls. But watch out! Knights, bandits, dragons, and vicious Billy Goats Gruff prowl the countryside. You'll have to use some of your boulders to chase them away (which means you'll have fewer left to use on your bridge!).Although you need to collect tolls from travelers so you can buy building supplies, working on your bridge makes you hungry, so you will have to eat some of your travelers instead. It is important to balance tolls with food in order to make your bridge very appealing to travelers. If you eat too many travelers or just collect money, you won't be able to fix up your bridge. The player who uses toll-money, food, and boulders to build the most impressive troll bridge operation wins the game.Game Contents: * 6 Troll Bridge Boards * 54 Boulders (wood cubes) * 53 Traveler Cards * 15 Bridge Upgrade Cards * 4 Travel Schedules * 6 Trophy Tiles * 6 Rules Summary Cards * 1 Weather Die * Rulebook * Scoring Markers

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Star Wars Miniatures Starship Battles Starter Set Review

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(More customer reviews)Reviewer's note: I wrote a similar review for the booster set, so please excuse me if you see it twice. However, since I didn't know where most buyers would start, I figured it was best to provide the review under both the boosters and the starters to be safe. That said...
I'm a big fan of Star Wars minis (especially Rebel Storm), and I couldn't wait to get my starter and boosters for the new Star Wars Starship Battles minis game. The game/set includes 60 different ships (30 "light side" and 30 "dark side" -- approximately 1/2 are from the original trilogy, and the other half are from the prequel). I have to admit, the ships look pretty cool (especially the smaller ones like the Millennium Falcon, Salve 1, TIE Fighters, TIE Interceptor, TIE Bomber, B-Wings, X-Wings, Y-Wings, etc.), and as I first read the instructions and looked at the ship stats cards, I was looking very forward to playing. In the end (after playing several games with a friend), however, I was largely disappointed with the game itself. Though there are a few interesting twists (like the command effects),the game is pretty basic, and unfortunately does not allow much room for strategy and/or creativity.
The best advice I can give you is to begin with the starter set, which comes with everything you'll need to play (including two exclusive rare ships -- the big guns in the set, eight randomized common and uncommon ships, map, instructions, command cards, damage counters, D20, etc.). You MIGHT also want to buy a couple of boosters (each booster includes seven randomized ships -- one rare, two uncommon, and four common). This way your buy-in isn't too bad; otherwise, it can get very expensive very quickly. You'll definitely get at least a few good games out of it, and if you like the game more than I did, you can easily buy more boosters (that is much better than the alternative of buying a ton of boosters and not being very happy with the game). Also, if you are interested the minis themselves (i.e., to collect them, for use with the D20 role playing game, or to use with some other Star Wars game/scenario), you'll probably be mostly happy with what Wizards of the Coast came up with.
In sum, the game/rules gets 3 stars, and the minis get 4-5 stars (rounded up to a 4 star rating overall). Hope this helps!

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Contains 8 randomized, fully painted, plastic miniatures and 2 exclusive miniatures. Super star destroyer executor and mon calamari star defender viscount, full-color game stat cards, fully illustrated battle map, 20-sided die, rulebook, 2 fleet commander cards, damage and command counters are also included. For ages 12 and above.

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Star Wars Universe Huge Pack Review

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(More customer reviews)*STAR WARS Miniatures "AT-AT Walker" COLOSSAL PACK*
This Imperial AT-AT Walker stands 13" tall. I was suprised after measuring it that it was only that tall. It seems much taller. I absolutely love the detail and the shading/battle worn look. It makes an awesome addition to my collection(almost my favorite piece).
My only complaint is it's NOT poseable. I so badly want to tweak the legs and head to put it in my favorite position, but sadly I cannot. That's the only reason I took off 1 star. It's a minor complaint since it's so neat and for the price it really can't be beat.
I'd also like to praise Amazon.com. I received this in 4 days after I ordered it through them(that's including the weekend). I highly recommend going straight through them. However be warned, if you're not wanting to open it I must tell you that mine was. It was re-taped to look as though it had never been opened. I don't know if Amazon did it or if it was returned and the buyer did it. Fortunately for me I'm not the kind of collector that wants virgin boxes. I just take the figure out and display it anyway. I'm sure it was a return and probably a rare situation for Amazon.
The price is right and shipping was low, too. This will easily be a highly sought after collector's item. Jump on it now while the price is low.

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The Universe Huge Pack contains a randomized selection of figures designed to enhance and expand any collection of Star Wars miniatures. The miniatures in this product are randomized and playable right out of the box and, for the first time, include huge figures similar in scale to previously released D&D huge figures. This is also the first set featuring legendary creatures and characters from all eras of the Star Wars timeline. # Seven randomized miniatures with stat cards, including one huge figure # Very rare, rare, common, and uncommon miniatures

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Starfarers of Catan: 5-6 Player Expansion Review

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(More customer reviews)Is quite disappointing on how the expansion planets maps turn out to be. It is actually stickers that you have to stick onto the map. If you want to stick it permanently, you have to slice the sticker into two so that you can fold the board back to keep. Maybe they should have design the the expansion maps in a card board form so that we can just place it on top of the map and remove once we are done playing. Now I have to decide whether to stick it permanently or to make my own card board planets for the game.

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Starfarers 5-6 Player Expansion - Add two more players, new solar systems, and a new alien race- The Wanderers, to your Starfarers of Catan Game. Adds parts for 1-2 players, Ages 12+, 2 hour playing time. This expansion contains everything you need to include two additional players in the Starfarers of Catan. the exciting, fast moving, science fiction game. Here you'll find 2 mother ships, 2 sets of playing pieces, additional cards, 2 reusable game board overlays, and a new alien race ripe for encounter. Now you can play any one of the five or six Starfarers commissioned to explore the galaxy, build new colonies, and expand commercial ties with various races of the Galactic Council. Accept the challenge! Careful diplomacy, clever trade, a firm stance against pirates, and the bold colonization of distant planetary systems will win you the support of humanity, and the other races of the galaxy and make you humanities' ambassador to the Galactic Council.

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Space Alert Review

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(More customer reviews)I was introduced to this game two weeks ago, and bought my own copy the very next day. Since then, I've introduced several other friends to it, and it's gotten approval from everyone.
The idea behind the game is that your group (ideally 4 or 5 players; it's not as fun with 3 or fewer) are on a spaceship, and you need to defend it from various threats that appear (asteroids, alien ships, etc). The game is divided into two parts. During the first part, you play an MP3 that announces when and where new threats occur, and you play cards to plan out your sequence of actions to defend against the threats. When the MP3 is over, time's up! During the second part of the game, you replay all the action cards from the first part, to see what actually happened (the second part is completely deterministic; all choices are made in the first part).
The game is very chaotic, but a whole lot of fun. Communication and teamwork are really important; if you don't work as a team, you're doomed to failure (which can still be very entertaining). Unlike other co-op games (Pandemic, Arkham Horror), having one commander-in-chief do all planning for everyone does not work in this game; there's just too much going on too quickly. This helps draw the less assertive players into the game, since their roles cannot be taken over by someone else.
The mention of the MP3 dictating what happens might sound like the game can get boring with repetition. This is not the case! The MP3 will tell you to draw random threats that will attack your ship, so which enemies you fight will vary from game to game. Other random elements that make every game unique include which action cards you are dealt and the length of the tracks down which the threats move and act. On top of that, the game comes with two CDs worth of soundtracks, with varying difficulty. This means that as your team becomes better at playing the game, you can adjust the difficulty level so it's still a challenge. There is also a random mission generator online at [1], if you somehow manage to get bored with the included MP3s.
Despite the randomness and the chaos, there's always a feeling that it's possible to control. Even in the games we lose, we can see how we could have done something different to win. So, the randomness does a good job of keeping the game fresh without it feeling like a luck-of-the-draw sort of thing.
The realtime aspect of the game is something I haven't seen anywhere else. Sure, other games have involved some audio content, but here it's an integral part of play. Because of this, Space Alert has won several "most innovative game of the year" awards, including a Dice Tower Gaming Award, a Spiel des Jahres prize, and a BoardGameGeek Golden Geek award.
I highly recommend this game.
[1] [...]

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Space Alert is a team survival game. Players take on the role of a crew of space explorers sent out through hyperspace to survey a dangerous sector of the Galaxy.The spaceship automatically maps the sector in 10 minutes. The crew's task is to defend the ship until the mission is complete. Ifthey succeed, the ship brings back valuable data. If they fail... it is time to train a new crew.Space Alert is not a typical board game. Players do not compete against each other. Instead, they work together against the challenge presented by the game. The difficulty of this challenge can be chosen by the players themselves. Completing the most difficult missions requires close teamwork.Game Contents: * 1 Spaceship Board * 10 Action Boards in 5 Colors * 7 Trajectory Boards * 1 Mission Steps Board * 10 Plastic Figures * 55+ blocks in 6 Colors * 1 Blue and 3 Green Cylinders * 90 Action Cards * 6 Heroic Action Cards * 55 Threat Cards * 16 Scenario Cards * 18 Damage Tiles * 26 Internal Threat Tokens * 16 Numbered Tokens * 2 CDs with 16 Soundtracks * 1 Ship's Log * 1 Rulebook * 1 "How to Become a Space Explorer" Handbook

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Stargate Coaster Set Review

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(More customer reviews)Pros:
Coaster looks pretty cool.
The worm hole is completely transparent and appears to be made of pretty solid plastic- so there is no concern that you might shatter it by placing something on it.
The gate itself is pretty solid resin.
There is a felt backing behind the gate so that it sits without sliding whatever surface you decide to place it on.
Cons:
The worm hole is a little curved, like a lens, so the cup doesn't sit as solidly on it as one would expect. But again, it's no cause for concern. Your cup isn't suddenly going to slide off and tip over.

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The lab rats at area 51 are always looking for new applications for the alien technology being brought back to Earth by Stargate Command. Their latest innovation - the Stargate Coaster - is a miniaturized startgate with its event horizon permanently fixed in place, resulting in the perfect solution for keeping your hot or cold drinks from damaging table surfaces. A problem we could only solve through alien technology. The Stargate Coaster Set comes with four mini-stargates each measuring 4.75â? across. The stargate design is exactly screen accurate - taken directly from the CGI files used on the show. Each glyph and chevron is perfectly reproduced in resin with a detailed paint job and weathering. The event horizon is semi-transparent, blue with rippled surface, just like the big gates. So set your drinks aside in style with your own set of Stargate Coasters!

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Twilight Imperium 3rd Edition Review

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(More customer reviews)Twilight Imperium is one of the best games I have ever played. As a student at college, my friends and have 1-2 board game nights per week; with Twilight Imperium and Acquire being the most played games. I would highly recommend this game, though the learning curve is rather steep (an hour at to learn the rules) and the game takes a long time to play (4+ hours). If you are looking for a conquest game like RISK, stop reading now. Twilight Imperium is based on maneuvering, preparation, and diplomacy with few significant battles in the game.
The game is played to victory 10 points and unlike most war games, conquest is not the only means of victory. Points are acquired through capturing planets but also "researching" technology, and political decisions. The method of determining turn order is also quite original. Each player chooses a card (1-8) which in addition to being the order in which the players play, gives each player a special ability for that round. To further add interest each card has a secondary ability which all the other players can use when the player owning the card uses it. As a result not only are broad discussion (like conquest or technology) important but every turn can be critical as the players ability to ace often depends directly on when and how the other players act. This may seem as if it would slow the game, but a restriction on how many turns a player can take per round keeps the game moving nicely but keeps strategy extremely important through out.
This is not to say I don't have a few complaints about the game. The first couple of times we played we noticed some imbalances which led to certain having a definite advantage and the game always trending in the same way. There are 3 ways to get these points. Every player can complete common objectives, a new one being revealed each turn. A player gets 2 points every time they get the 8 card, and a player has a secret objective which can be worth two points. Our problem was that everyone accomplished the same common objectives. Because the 8 is so valuable, whoever went first had to take the 8, the person on their right then always took the 1 (and so they chose first next turn), so they could get the 8 next turn. Anyone who failed to follow this pattern automatically became 2 points behind, and never could catch up. The result is that there is little strategy to taking the 8 or the 1. Finally the secret objectives vary greatly in difficulty. As a result players who got easy secret objectives, or got to go first were far more likely to win. In fact in our first 3 games (5 players), the player who went first won 2 of them, and the only player that completed his secret objective in the 3rd game, won that one. At this point we were ready to give up on the game but instead we played around with the rules and came up with a slightly variation which greatly helped improve the game. If you do buy this game I highly recommend trying this variation after playing the normal rules a couple of times.
Rule Variation:
Many of these rule variations were taken from the Twilight Imperium Rule Variations which can be found (...)
1) The 8 card's text has been modified to the Game Option: Ancient Throne which gives a player 1 point for controlling Mecatol Rex. This modification greatly increases the strategy in choosing the 8 or 1.
2) Long War Variant: Play to 14 victory points. This will be necessary due to rule change # 3.
3) A player receives 2 victory points if they capture a planet in an opponent's home system. A player may only get points for a home system once. If the owner of the home system was not in control of the planet when it was captured this is reduced to 1 point. The reason for this rule was to encourage conquest (something that was seriously lacking in our previous games). The point reduction rule is to help prevent two players from allying to take a home system (since one of the players will not get all the points).
4) Every player receives 2 secret objectives. After creating the board but before the first turn each player must choose and discard one of them. This rule helps reduce the problem of unbalanced (in terms of difficulty) secret objectives.
5) You may only complete public objectives if you control all the planets in your home system (you may complete other objectives however). This allows players to slow down a player who gets too far ahead.
6) Destroyers get 4x Anti-fighter barrage. Destroyers are the weakest units in the game; this makes them a little better, but still hardly worth using.
7) The common objectives are laid face up on the table (you may still only complete the first after the first turn, second after the second, etc). This reduces the luck involved near the end of the game, as every one knows what is coming.
8) Technology can be purchased with influence or resources (but no combination). This rule helps balance the planets so everyone has more equal resources.
These rules seem to be very effective. While most players still get all of the common objectives, winning the game now depends on controlling Mecatol Rex, completing secret objectives or taking home systems. Players have been very successful using any combination of these three methods, and no race has done better or worse than any other. While these may seem to lead to large amount of conquest, this has never been the case, with only 3-10 major battles occurring in 4 player games.


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An age of twilight shall once more spread across the galaxy. A broken empire shall once more be re-forged. Hidden powers from dark space shall come forth to make an ancient claim. War shall rage across space. Secret treaties, political whispers, and devious plots shall again echo through the halls of the imperial city on Mecatol Rex.TI3 is an epic empire-building game of interstellar conflict, trade, and struggle for power. Players take the roles of ancient galactic civilizations, each seeking to seize the imperial throne via warfare, diplomacy, and technological progression. With new oversize geomorphic board tiles, finely detailed plastic miniatures, hundreds of cards, and a massive plurality of options, TI3 will ship in a massive, epic-size box, with more than 200 masterfully sculpted oversize plastic miniatures - the typical TI units (Ground Forces, Cruisers, Dreadnaughts, Carriers, Fighters, PDS, and Space Docks) as well as two new units (the massive War Sun, and the Destroyer). TI3 contains new oversize board tiles, more than 400 cards, every known civilization of the Twilight Imperium universe, almost every expansion rule and component ever published for TI, a gorgeous graphical overhaul, and an impressive full color rules set. The TI gameplay has been refined and redone by original designer Christian T. Petersen. The new design features faster gameplay, and involves players in a far more active game experience with much less down-time. In addition, TI3 will include the new Race Cards, as well a dramatic new approach to the structure of the gameplay itself using the new Command system.Are you ready for another age of Twilight?

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Galaxy Trucker Big Expansion Review

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(More customer reviews)
Galaxy Trucker Big Expansion
A Solid Addition to a Great GameI'm a fan of expansions, I'll say that up front. If I like a game, I look forward to its expansions. If that expansion is highly touted, with elements that broaden, expand, deepen, perhaps fix, the base game (if need be), I anticipate it all the more. Some expansions deliver, of course, some don't. Some you plug right in to the base game, others you pick and choose from like a buffet in a Chinese restaurant. Galaxy Trucker the BBG Expansion has a heck of a lot to offer, and delivers on the things I like best:
There are new cards, although the card element is not where the great variety in Galaxy Trucker resides. That said, there are a fair amount of new cards in the expansion that do a variety of things. Some increase the overall difficulty, some sharpen the challenge level, some are simply added to the stack of adventure cards. There is provision for a 5th player to the game, although by most reports, you're better off with no more than 4.
There are more new ship classes, and some tasty looking tin cans among them. But BEST OF ALL: more new SHIP COMPONENTS (the heart and soul of the game!) . . . LOTS more. Clever, integrative, producing increased capability (and complexity)
Consider:
Engine Boosters--Hyperdrive, baby!
Indestructible Plating - Imperviosity!
Reactor Furnace - A kind of alternative energy
Stasis Chambers - Cryogenics, for crying out loud
Luxury Cabins - Space palanquins
New Cyan Alien Options
Combi-tiles - greater functionality
Bi-directional Cannon--just that
Cannon booster--more wham for your bam!
Shield booster--like a one piece bathing suit: better coverage
All in all, there are six new subset expansions in the box. They can be added to the core game with discretion, like a good cook would create a stew. But frankly, if there were naught but those exciting new game components included in the box, I would buy it and call it money well spent!


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The set consists of several more-or-less independent parts that can be used separately or in combination to enhance your flight across the Galaxy.New Technology -- 42 ship building components with new and hitherto unheard of technology, as well as 5 figures and 5 specialization cards for a new species of aliens.Fifth Wheel -- pieces and rules for 5-player games.New Ship Classes -- 5 doulbe-sided ship boards for ships of Class IA and IIA.Evil Machinations -- 24 new adventure cards that players put into the deck themselves to keep things interesting for their fellow truckers.Rough Roads -- 25 brutal adventure cards that can turn your transgalactic pleasure cruise into a trip through Hell (an improved and expanded version of a mini-expansion that was offered online).Bonus Cards -- 6 adventure cards to spice up the original set, including two cards that were previously only available to those who bought the first edition at Essen 2007.

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Twilight Imperium: Shattered Empire Expansion Review

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(More customer reviews)This is a must-have for anyone who owns Twilight Imperium Third Edition. The addition of two more colors to allow eight-player games (and extra systems to expand the game "board" along with other extra pieces (like trade goods) to fit the extra players) is alone worth the price of admission. Then they add four more species, all of whom are as balanced as the original species are (which is to say, mostly balanced). There are also scads of new concepts, from shock troops to artifacts to species-based technologies! But if the new concepts and expanded gameplay weren't enough for you, they also put the errata from their website into the expansion's rulebook, and they reprinted a bunch of cards to replace the originals! In some cases, this was to fix poorly worded cards; in other cases it was to open the card up to the new tech or concepts in the expansion.
Mixing the expansion with the original game is a tiny bit complicated (keeping track of which cards are to be added, which are to be set aside as optional, and which are replacements), and if you care enough to do it right, it does take some time to make sure you are not just jumbling everything all together. Fortunately, the rulebook lays out for you exactly what is replaced, and what is new and optional. And even if things *do* get all jumbled together, they made it incredibly easy to separate out the expansion pieces by putting the expansion's logo on most cards and tokens in the expansion! And trust me, putting this game away in a proper manner is a key to playing it again. When you feel like playing, you don't want to spend an hour separating out everything; you want to have done that after the last game, so it's ready when you are.
There is enough room in the original box to fit all the original parts and the expansion parts as well, but the expansion box does not fit inside the original box unless you are willing to remove the original game's inner cardboard divider (with very nice art on it). There's nothing to removing it; it's not glued in or anything. I just find that the divider works very well for keeping the expansion and original pieces that should be separate, separate.
So, here's a rundown of everything that's new in this set:
28 new system tiles
2 new sets of plastic units in orange and gray (the ships, ground forces, PDS units, Space Docks, etc.)
4 new species sheets
64 command counters (16 each for the new species)
88 control markers (14 each for the new species, and 2 additional markers for the 10 original species)
12 leader counters (3 each for the new species)
8 new variant strategy cards (not to be mixed in)
1 variant Imperial strategy card (optional to mix in)
8 new trade contract cards (2 each for the new species)
28 new objective cards (some to mix in, others not)
40 new action cards (5 are replacements, the rest are to be mixed in)
32 new political cards (to be mixed in)
98 technology cards (two full sets for the new colors, some replacement cards for the original decks, and additional cards to be mixed in)
14 species-specific technology cards
28 new planet cards
16 facility cards (8 colonies and 8 refineries)
8 unit reference cards
12 shock trooper tokens
12 space mine tokens
2 Mecatol custodian tokens
8 artifact tokens
1 High Alert token (for use with the variant strategy cards)
22 domain counters (including new counters for more variety in the "Distant Suns" option)
12 fighter supplement tokens (in +3 denominations)
12 ground force supplement tokens (in +3 denominations)
12 trade goods
3 wormhole tokens (including new wormhole Charlie)
In short, this expansion is *absolutely* worth purchasing. You will get even more enjoyment from a game that already has nearly unlimited replay value!

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Midnight is an original d20 setting that pits the players against overwhelming forces of evil in a desperate fight for survival and freedom. The dark lord, Izrador, has conquered the humans, halflings, and gnomes. Only the elves and dwarves stand free, and the forest of the fey is far and besieged. The dwarves stand alone.Hammer and Shadow will include detailed setting information on the culture, caves, and history of the Dwarven people. Information of the heretofore mysterious assault on the Kaladruns: descriptions of troop types, military movements, commanders, tactics, and even an optional advancement of the Midnight timeline to depict the continuing war of attrition against the dwarves. Maps, adventure hooks, and NPCs that may be used in any Midnight campaign. New feats, prestige classes, spells, skill uses, and equipment, useful for heroes and villains alike and applicable to Midnight campaigns or any other setting.

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Dark Heresy: Dead Stars Review

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(More customer reviews)Excellent production standards and brilliant ending to an equally brilliant series. Will require a good deal of work from the GM before running, but that's fine. What's included is excellent and provides many options for exansion. Well done.

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The Haarlock's Legacy Trilogy is a series of epic adventures that will determine the fate of the Calixis Sector.Terrible threats stir amongst the worlds visited by the mysterious Rogue Trader line of Haarlock. What has been left behind threatens everything the Inquisition has worked for in the Calixis Sector. Will your Acolytes be able to discover the secret of the Haarlock's Legacy in time?

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Ad Astra Review

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(More customer reviews)As I remarked in my review of The Settlers of Catan, Ad Astra is an improved "clone" of that game. Although Settlers is a classic, Ad Astra is simply better. The game is more balanced, there is less player downtime while you wait for others to act, the play time is more consistent, and typically every player is in the running until very near the end.
Unlike most of Fantasy Flight's products, this game is indisputably in the German mold. Consequently, the rules are simple, and the game is relatively short to play. However, because it is in the "family" category, the strategic complexity is comparatively limited.
If you haven't tried a German-style game before, I'd recommend either Dominion or Rio Grande Games Carcassonne Big Box # 2 before Ad Astra. Still, Ad Astra is one of my favorite games of the genre.
If you are willing to tolerate a bit more complexity, "gamers" games like Agricola, Puerto Rico, and Mayfair Games Tigris and Euphrates - Double Scenario Edition are going to be more strategically engaging and generally a better value for your money.
Finally, if you prefer American-style games, I would strongly encourage you to look at Twilight Imperium 3rd Edition or A Game Of Thrones by the same publisher.

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In Ad Astra ("To the Stars"), you will guide one of the five factions of future humanity in its exploration of the galaxy. Wield powerful technology; reshape newly discovered planets to give a new home to man; and explore the mysterious relics of a long-lost alien civilization...Who will be able to create the greatest star-spanning civilization?Ad Astra is a game designed by Bruno Faidutti and Serge Laget, the team behind Mystery of the Abbey ((c) 2003 Days of Wonder).

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Race for the Galaxy Review

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(More customer reviews)The first time you read through the instructions, you'll probably be confused. So read them through again, and then play a slow round. The first time we played, we showed each other all our cards and discussed the moves we were thinking about doing, so we could each start learning the strategy. Now it's one of our favorite games. It's fun, it's different each time because of the cards you draw, and it stays pretty even (with another game, Catan, sometimes it gets lopsided really quickly and one player just doesn't have a chance.) We've only played with two players, and I'd be interested to see how it is with three or four. Anyway, if you like strategy games, and someone you know has recommended this to you because they think you'll like it, give it a try. And don't be dismayed the first time you read the instruction manual.

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From the Manufacturer: In Race for the Galaxy, players build galactic civilizations by game cards that represent worlds or technical and social developments. Each round consists of one or more of five possible phases in each round, each player secretly and simultaneously chooses one of seven different action cards and then reveals it. Only the selected phases occur for these phases, every player performs the phase's action, while the selecting players also get a bonus for that phase. For example, if at least one player chooses the develop action, then the develop phase will occur; otherwise it is skipped in it, each player may simultaneously select a development from his hand of cards to build. After revealing the cards, each player adds his development to his tableau of cards on the table and then discards cards from his hand equal to its cost. Each player who chose develop discards one card fewer as his bonus. Explore allows a player to draw cards and select which of them to add to his hand. Settle allows a player to place a world in his tableau. Some worlds produce goods, represented by face down cards, when produce is selected. These goods can be discarded for victory points or sold to add cards to the player's hand by selecting consume. With cards, players can settle new worlds and build more developments, gaining both victory points and card powers that provide advantages in certain phases. The player, who best manages his cards, phase and bonus selections, and card powers to build the greatest space empire, wins. The winner is the player with the most victory points.

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