|
mjl156's Starcraft: The Board Game (Other)
|
| [January 20, 2009 04:29:08 PM]
|
Game play: The game play, though having a steep learning curve, isn’t as confusing as one might think when they see the game for the first time. The sheer amount of pieces, around 180, would make anyone's head spin without reading the rules. The layout is very familiar to anyone who has played a Real Time Strategy game. Each player picks a faction (Zerg, Space Marines, or Protoss) and a color, which each faction has two of. After that... read the manual... Later on in the game things get more challenging, especially when you have to think a few moves ahead of each of the players.
Innovative elements: This game uses several different kinds of buildings and commands to give a feeling of "pace" for the game. Everything feels like its happening fast, even though the game takes, in the case of my first play through, a few days. You can give commands to any planet that you can feasibly go to, even if you aren’t there YET. As long as you are sure to give your commands in the correct order, you can do very complicated yet precise attacks and builds.
Good/bad design elements: IT TAKES FOREVER if you ignore ANY ONE of the rules that are in play, to which there are MANY. For instance, each player has a "special victory condition" (example: Space Marines win if they control 2 planets when the third stage of the game is reached). Also, a player wins if he accumulates 15 "Command points". Command points are won by controlling specific points on a planet. The last way to win, and the hardest to do, is to be the only race left alive.
Level Design: The level design for the game, though a little hard to get used to, is actually very easy to use. Again, there are far too many rules to go over in this gamelog. The best way to describe it is a cross between Risk and Warhammer 40,000. Several different types of units can be moved at once, giving the game a grand scale, yet the board is set in a manner that lets players feel as though its not too expansive, a really good feature.
Conflict: When the game begins, players are placed on different planets; generally they are set worlds apart. However, each player gets to put a "warp gate" allowing their planet access to any other planet with an "open spot". This allows for players to choose, at least attempt to choose, who they have direct access to attack. Be careful not to act rashly though, other players can connect to your planet just to reach a completely different planet that you are connected to. This adds an element of offence and defense to every strategy.
Story: The main plot of the game is WAR. The only objective there is, is to destroy the other races and control the solar system. That is the only driving force. Kill, or be killed. However, if you look at my first play through, I didn’t even attack anyone the entire game. Why is this? It’s because I built my defenses and waited until my player card’s “Win Condition” was hit. All I had to do was reach stage 3 of the game, which is denoted by the drawing of “event cards” when you research new technologies for your building. Again, another strategy which REALLY pissed my roommates off, but just remember… war is hell.
Overall: Overall, my two play throughs of the game *the second being highly, highly non eventful* were “Okay”. I probably won’t be playing a whole lot of this game again, because… well, honestly?... I’d rather play the REAL Starcraft. At least then I wont have to worry about one of my roommates always having an odd interpretation of the rules and have to wait on constant re-reading of the manual almost every turn.
add a comment 
|
|
|
 |
mjl156's Starcraft: The Board Game (Other)
|
|
Current Status: Playing
GameLog started on: Tuesday 20 January, 2009
|
|
