First off. Is this a brand new FFG IP? Second I kind of noticed that some for the threats tend to hint that the game has problems. Are the problems major?

What is an IP ? But it is not that recent, if you consider 2 to 4 years being not recent anymore. It is not a major hit, because I dont think it sold well. But it is Wilson s most intimate creation, I think I can say that without making him lie, and though you will find people here able to tell you for hours why that game is good, like BLizard or Draconian, you will find other people telling you it is screwed because of problems like being fiddly, being very complex, being a bit amatorish in the design, being too expansive in its mechanics and all...

BUT. Are these problems major ? I doubt it. This game IS a very personal game, something in which the designer had free hands to put everything he wanted. The story, the ideas, the mechanics... it definitely is personal, original, interesting. It is a game I will follow in the future, if Wilson gets more money and time (someday his own company ?! wish him the best) because a second edition would kame him great good. As it is now, I am glad I bought it. It is complex, it is fiddly, it is not a game I might teach to casuals, it is not a game I will take out like every month. But a few times a year, when you have players with you, four hours ahead, and you forgot most of the story, you re happy to get back on it.

This is an opinion from a not that geeky and not hardcore player.

Cheers.

There is a handful of gamers in my group who really enjoy Android, myself included. These are guys who don't mind sitting down for a 4, 5, or even 6 hour game. The first time I introduced Android, there were a few players who weren't sold. Surprisingly though, one of these guys tried it a second time and now is up for playing when it hits the table.

The thing to remember is this is a competitive game. Players are competing with one another to win. Not only that, in order to play cards that will help the player, they must play cards that hinder other players, some times in very harsh ways.

The biggest complaint is more about what the game isn't rather than what it is. When people hear detective and murder solving, they think deduction. So many times I've heard people (who don't know the game) refer to Android as Clue on steroids. This couldn't be farther from the truth. The fact that any suspect can be found guilty and that there isn't a predetermined killer to be identified through logic is unfortunately seen as a flaw. The process of building a case against a criminal works quite well. It doesn't take much imagination to move beyond the game mechanics to appreciate how this has been implemented.

I think the biggest challenge is that each of the playable characters require a different strategy. Tip sheets are provided with some good introductory strategies to get started, but to be truly effective, multiple plays are required to develop them fully. Unfortunately, many players aren't willing to invest the time after a single game, if they make it even that far.

There are other complaints that aren't that difficult to find. I'll admit that Android is not for everyone, even for self proclaimed Ameritrash lovers. I had the good fortune to play it at a convention. However, after that initial play, I knew this was a game I needed in my collection.

Thanks for the replies. If you were to compare Android what would you compare it to?

Curator said:

Most of my game collection is of FFG titles with some DoW thrown in for good measure. Despite that, I can't really find a comparison.

Android is a character driven, shared-yet-competitive story telling adventure game.

Curator said:

Just for the record, Hem is putting words in my mouth: my opinion is that Android in it's original form is a complete shambolic mess.

If you want a comparison though, I'd say it's like a competative version of Arkham Horror.

This game is pretty cool, but my god the amount of game pieces is astounding.

Curator,

If you haven't bought it yet I have a used copy (played only once) to sell. I liked it, but I have other games my group would prefer to play. Let me know if you are interested...

Curator said:

The good point about the game is that I'd compare it to a pick-a-path role-playing game , where the course of the character plots isn't really quite in your control (since other players, in the guise of impersonal forces, can "download" on your parade.)

The BAD point about the game is that I'd compare it to a pick-a-path role-playing game .

People who hate the complexity of tabletop RPGs are going to hate ANDROID for it similarities, esp. to those 1980's RPGs that dared to include cheap cardboard counter sheets to try to cover every eventuality. The ANDROID counters are very thick and expensive and beautiful however, but it doesn't behave like a classic complex boardgame.

There is a triple mechanism of point acquisition (character plots, conspiracy puzzle and, oh yeah, gathering/manipulating evidence to find the "most guilty suspect" which is very abstract, almost as if the characters' day-jobs are not their primary concern!) Plots are the most innovative and breath-taking aspect of this game, but strategies are a balancing-act and it's hard to sense where you are in the game standings at a given time.

Some "good endings" in the plots bring a tear to my eye. Like when Floyd It makes me think this ANDROID is a little loose as a boardgame but would be great as a story-arc SF TV show. Get Joss Whedon producing this show! However in the game the characters seem to work on the same murder but are totally independent as far as plot events go. I have not yet studied Bleached Lizard's revamping of the game but he says he makes the character plotlines touch.

I go for anything "cyberpunk" and I even accidentally read "cyber" forums and buy "punk" music before I realize they are not cyberpunk. :-) Also I was a fiend for the tabletop RPGs; complex rulebooks won't scare me. I believe I have digested the rules as written.

I'm not of a competitive nature; ANDROID is my first and only FFG purchase so far. I AM a chatterbox who types like the wind and from me you'll find many useful summaries and musings about the game elsewhere in this forum.

I see one and only one video of a game in progress by "rebelgames" on YouTube, but these guys are Polish and yet they manage to run through an English-language game, which I thought was brilliant:

Draconian said:

What`s so special about playing English language board game when you`re not a native speaker ? Hello, most people use 2 or more languages and quite a few even more. In Poland (and I guess also in other EU countries) we start learning english in the kindergarten so it`s not a big deal. I admit, Android is a game with a complex story but it`s far less difficult to read and understand than typical sci-fi novel.

In fact, I even prefer to buy original english (or german) versions rather than often flawed polish editions and I`m not an exception.

Titeman, if you've not already sold it, I would be interested, actually. I looked for a way to message privately but I cannot seem to find one (probably missed something obvious).

For a comparison, I say it's kinda like a competative Arkham Horror, except that in Arkham Horror, the game is all about the locations, in Android it's all about the characters.

my only problem with the game really is there are no player aids so when new to the game you can spend half the game in the rulebook i say go to headlesshollow.com and print out the player aids

I think the aids provided with the Time Sheet + each chara personal tip sheet is quite enough.

Android is like a murder novel with 5 (or 3) writers; each having their own favorite character, and trying to make their favorite character the main character of the story.

I have had my eye on this game for awhile. Still it does sound like there needs to be a 2nd edition to overcome some of the problems. I guess I will wait and see.

Sounds interesting.

Curator said:

Ok, I just finished my first learning play-through. So I'm still raw but here are my impressions.

I have had this game for a long time now but I didn't touch it because of so many posts about how complex it was or comments about it being broken. So far I haven't noticed any broken mechanics. In fact, to me, it seems exceptionally tight. And as for complex, it's no more complex than any other FFG game I've played. I'd actually say Descent is more complex.

Here's something else I noticed that was different from all of my other FFG games. I actually enjoyed reading the manual. The more I read the more it amazed me. Everything struck me as just plain cool, smart and devious. Of course I had some questions (for you which you can see some of my posts here) but that is the same for soooo many FFG games

As I played my solo learning game the mechanics started to feel simple and not complex. Sure there's a lot to remember like taking a light or dark card when moving to a ritzy or shading location but that's ok.

Here's what seem to be complex; the strategy. Chess is easy to learn but hard to master. I feel the same about Android. Personally, I don't at all mind the strategy being complex. This is what will keep this game fresh. So many play through's will be all about learning consequences and see new opportunities.

Some poster were talking about comparing it to other games. I honestly can't think of any game that is like this one. Some have said Arkham Horror and that's seem like a fair comment. I totally see why but I just can't put my vote there.

Here's a thought for down the road regarding re-playability. Think about your fav. FFG board game and imagine what it would be like if you didn't have all those expansions available for it. Do you think you would not have played it as much? I'm sure I have played Runebound a ton more than I would have if I didn't have so many expansions for it.
Android could really really benefit from add-ons. Adding more Detectives, Suspects, Personal Plots and Murder Scenes would inject so much new life into this game. But I know we're all worried that FFG might not do this. Hopefully it's just an unfounded fear.

I am excited! I'll post more impressions after I've played with my group.

...oh yeah! Your question. Yes, I think you should buy this game. If it's caught your eye and strikes you as really cool (as I think it has) then I do think you will enjoy it.

I Love the idea of this game, bit I can't imagine ever finding anyone else that would like to play it!