The events as a deck

By Garronn, in XCOM: The Board Game

Has anyone made the events in the game app into a physical deck yet, even if it's a pdf and I would have to print it myself? I do not know how long the app will be around, so I would like to try to find a way to keep playing this fun game without the need for that app should it ever not be around.

I don't think it's possible at all. There's so much going on that is tracked and figured out by the app. You have a random series of alien events, your own actions mixed in randomly, previews of potential UFO's in addition to current UFO's and it's all just crazy. Not to mention the varying levels of difficulty you can play the game on. That's a lot. Not to mention the timer that keeps you in check and doing things in rapid fashion.

The app does it all flawlessly. You have to have it to play the game. There's been no news or X-Com related announcements since 2016 and the app is still available. I think your concern that it is suddenly going to go somewhere and not be available is unwarranted.

You have a few options.

  • There's a thread over on boardgamegeek that reverse engineered the app, so you can find all the details there to set things up yourself.
  • You could download the Windows version of the app, which should be compatible with future Windows versions for a long time to come.
  • You could buy a $50 tablet dedicated to the game, and keep it and a charger in the game box.
  • You could trust that the app, or a fan-made replacement, is going to be available indefinitely.