After much anticipation (read: forcing my wife to give me a Christmas git early) we attempted our first game of Android this past Friday night.

I had read the rules through a couple times, set the game up to familiarize myself with the components, and thought through a means of "teaching" the game appropriately. Well, after a late start and an hour of eloquence (explaining the three many VP avenues, time balancing and little nuances, we dove into it.

Unfortunately, we only got about three hours of play (with four of us) and made it to day........four. I'm not too concerned about future plays, as it was clear that turns were going faster as we moved into the 2nd and 3rd day.

We only made one gaff, and unfortuntely I think it was a big one. One player spent time Digging Deeper, but after playing puzzle pieces from the Favor Stack did not reset back to the Shift Stack. I believe he took about four puzzle actions without resetting, getting a couple play a second piece specials as well. Obviously he dominated the puzzle and wracked up several of the +4VP wins (also due to poor play by the rest of us.) I have a sense that this trickled through the entire game, as he pretty much ignored the rest of the VP options and his plot (he was playing Floyd which made it less necessary to do so in the beginning.)

QUESTION: Has anyone experienced the conspiracy puzzle filling early in the game? Clearly ours was botched a bit, but it would have been filled by the midway point regardless.

The game was actually well received, but everyone agreed that a coupe plays would be needed before feeling comfortable with the balance. A couple other points of interest:

1) READ RAYMOND'S MEMORY CARDS BEFORE PLAYING HIM. I was annihilated by well thrown memory cards. One player played a Fight Card on me, and another followed up with the Memory card that triggers when you fight on the moon. Wiped out my entire hand and ruined my plans for the next couple turns.

2) Do not neglect drawing Dark Twilight cards. They are the only way to inhibit another player...particularly if they are a fast track of well-placed evidence.

3) Make everyone read their Plot cards so that you know the special rules for placing Bad baggage. We missed that for the first couple turns.

4) Be careful with the First Player Marker. Back to back may seem like a good idea, but you may in a bind to play Light cards unless you have several cards to discard.

The best thing I can recommend is for players to truly embrace the story aspect and plight of their characters. Read the flavor text on all cards and it will make for a more immersive experience. I'm looking forward to repeated plays and learning the subtle nuances of this truly innovative game.

It's interesting to know that the back-to-back turn strategy for the First Player marker isn't as strong as some people proclaim it might be. Much more situational, I should imagine.

It is somewhat situational, and if planned correctly will generally be a benefit.

Example: I made a point to be the first player on turn 3. The Floyd player had laid out evidence on the moon near Haas-Bioroid, planning on his need to end their before the end of the turn (maintenance.)

By going first, I was able to disrupt by investigating those locations and moving the evidence.

However, by doing so I limited the Light Cards I could play (because I was the last player on turn 2.)