The first time I played, all the dice and cards seemed to align to give us an easy win. My group wasn't challenged or intrigued by the game, and more than a year went by before I could convince them to play again.

So the second game was a lot closer. The humans were one jump away from winning when I unleashed some real hurt on them as a Cylon. I'd laid low for most of the game and really just advanced Heavy Raiders until they were overwhelmed. It seemed pretty easy, actually.

So now, I've got questions. Why wouldn't I, as a Cylon, just reveal myself super early in the game and then Heavy Raider the humans into oblivion? Why try to stay hidden at all? Besides being a boring game for me, that is.

Also: Since the first two games have seemed too easy in the first case for humans, and in the second for the Cylons, is it just that we haven't figured out the strategy yet? Would an expansion help make it edgier? If so, which one should I get?

Thanks in advance!

Games of BSG can sometimes be lopsided victories for one side or the other, this is true, but more often, they are close-run and brutal, right to the end. This relies generally on people knowing what they're doing and maximizing all their options. Much of the game depends on understanding how and when to use your titles, turn order, skill cards, anytime powers and your once-per-game for highest effect.

As an unrevealed cylon, you have to consider many variables. Am I President/Admiral? If I am, I have more reason to stay hidden. I can destroy the fleet from within by my choices. Is there another player who can hurt me if I stay in the fleet? This becomes especially important when Cally is in play or the Pegasus ship has been brought into play with the expansion, because you can airlock (kill) players from there and this impacts morale. Can you airlock/kill human players and drop morale? (executions are brought in to the game by Pegasus, I believe). Do I have a special power I could use at the most opportune time, perhaps even win the game suddenly? Is there a fellow hidden cylon or a revealed cylon with whom I can work while staying hidden to best effect? Once revealed, a cylon has different but quite limited options for play. "Advancing the heavy raiders/Centurions" will only work if you have, say, two revealed cylons in a row to move it and/or the humans have been really busy/distracted and/or the Armory is damaged and/or they are out of Strategic Planning cards and/or do not have the Authorization of Brutal Force quorum card and/or they do not have have some other special capacity, like Kat's power to use a skill card value +2 instead of rolling a die on their turn (a 5 skill card and your Centurion is, ahem, toast).

Many opinions disagree as to the best expansions. We personally use bits of all of them to maximize play. Pegasus expansion has the Pegasus ship board and the treachery cards and Cylon Leaders, which change everything. New Caprica is generally ignored by players. Exodus expansion has several variants, including the Cylon Fleet Board, but more importantly it has new cards and characters. Daybreak expansion has yet more new cards and characters. Plus, expansions bring overlays to the Cylon Locations and Colonial One - that is, new boards with which you cover over the old locations to revise them. These are useful. I would suggest getting Pegasus and then Daybreak together.

BSG is our group's most played game and I would judge we have played well over 150 games.

Many thanks for the detailed answer! I like the game, and would enjoy playing more often. If I can convince my group that the complexity is higher than it seems, I think they'd go for it. Pegasus it is, then!

Having gone a second time, a re-read of the rules might help. It will be way easier to read and follow now. You might find you have made a mistake here or there.

I am wondering how you got so many heavy raiders on so easy? And if I know that was what you like to do, I would use Kat (expansion character who can use skill cards for dice rolls) or Helo (rerolls, get him XOed) to knock out the raiders.

If you are a cyon at the start, and not in an important roles (or character)... I say reveal. Especially if XOed. If you are going to reveal, throw some dirt early (mess up a check, or hurt it). If there is another cylon out, who is maybe admiral or such, they know you are out there. Once you reveal, if there is another cylon, they can stay "human" and try to hurt stuff, all the while blaming it on you.

Sometimes Cylons spend to much time looking for "the right moment" all the while helping the humans far to much.