It seems apparent both from my own gaming experience and from the views I have read on the board that Saul Tigh is not too good a character in the game.

I still like to see him in play, maybe just because he is such a great character in the shows.

I was just wondering how much you see him in action and whether there is some houseruling him or even a complete revamp.

I see him in action in almost every game. But that's because he's my favorite, and if I can I choose him! As far as strength, I'm not competitive enough with BSG to mix the characters into Tiers. There are some I avoid and caution others against, but if you like Tigh, go for it! For me it's just one of those things were the mechanics aren't going to dissuade my immersion.

For optimal gameplay Saul is not a very good character because his abilities aren't as useful as the abilities of the other characters that compete for Admiral title and he is the third in line. Abilities are quite strong , but they are not necessarily useful in every game. His skill set is better than Bill Adama's, though.

Themewise Saul is very strong character and that is why he occasionally sees play in our group.

Agreed jullevi, you hit the nail on the head when you said his abilities aren't useful in many games. If you aren't using the brig or Saul isn't on the opposite side from the Admiral, his abilities don't do anything at all. Imho he's probably the weakest of all the military leaders. We do see him played in a lot of games though, because a couple of the players in my group really like playing him.

I think his abilities are quite good really. I like him he is in like every 2:th game we play =)

Skowza said:

Well, he can declare martial law if he trusts the Admiral but not the President (even (or, in some cases, especially) if he is not himself the Admiral). Given that he's in a decent (though not great) position to not only brig people but also to shake up either line of succession, he functions a lot like a watered-down Cally. That is, the use of his abilities doesn't matter nearly so much as the omnipresent threat of them.

Second-to-last game I played, I was Tigh and Cylon Starbuck spent the whole first half walking on eggshells because she knew I could brig her with hardly any effort whatsoever (and then I turned Sympathizer, haha)

Ha! Sounds like a funny game.

Incidentally, I've heard it suggested that Saul Tigh's better with fewer players and I think there's something to that. I hear he's a beast in a 3, for example. Since I only ever play 5s, I continue to hold a pretty low opinion of him, but I admit he was a cool character on the show so he does see play in my group once in a great while.

I said it before and I'll say it again:

There are those players out there who play a game to win, and those who play a game to have fun. More precisely, some players have fun when they win and some have fun even when they lose. Strangely enough, there is very little middle ground and I have yet to meet a player who is set dead in the middle.

I play a game to have fun and I don't care whether I win or lose...as long as the game was entertaining. Yes, I enjoy winning just as much as anyone else out there but I don't need to win to enjoy the game. That said, I'm not nearly as competitive (or bored) enough to categorize the characters into tiers. Sure, some characters have more versatile abilities and/or skills. But to me a character can gain in strength if played in conjuction with another character; Saul Tigh in conjuction with Helena Cain, for example.

So, why, I ask, do people even see the need to categorize the characters into tiers? I find that those players are probably losing out on a lot of the versatility of the game when they keep choosing the same 1-5 characters every game they play. And then once you tried a different character but everybody else stuck with the usual suspects? I mean, how versatile does it get in those sessions? Get my drift?

Ronsen_04, here you seem to reference the thread that I initiated (I have to rely heavily on inference here since the issue of "tiers" isn't mentioned in this thread, but I do notice that your post immediately answers my own) so I'll try to take up the mantle of addressing your question:

First you suggest that those who would engage in the activity of categorizing characters into tiers are losing out on a lot of the versatility of the game, but I see it differently. I'd suggest that those who shy away from such thought experiments are the real losers. They're losing out on another way of enjoying the game; namely, the enjoyment that comes from looking at it from an economic perspective, and of considering the various trade-offs, costs, risks, and benefits that different characters, abilities, cards, and interactions present. That is one of the "versatile" offerings that curious and imaginative players can avail themselves of in this game. Why would I want to limit my experience by avoiding such considerations?

And then there's the distinction you draw between playing for fun and playing to win. To be honest, I feel a little like I'm trying to catch the bouncing argument on that one. Several times in the above post you indicate that winning is unimportant to you, but you also repeatedly state that you enjoy winning as much as truly competitive players. Ultimately, you seem to settle on arguing that you enjoy games you win just as much as any competitive player would, but you enjoy games you lose *more* than any competitive player would. So let me try to visualize your comparison in the way I am most comfortable:

ENJOYMENT OF BSG:

TIER 1 (enjoys winning and losing): Ronsen_04

TIER 2 (enjoys winning only): everyone else

Well, Ronsen, you know what a sucker I am for the top tier. Your way's starting to look mighty attractive to me now.

(Seriously though, I have no way of knowing how much you enjoy BSG so I don't know how much progress we'll make in determining whether you or I have more fun playing this game. I can only take you at your word when you say you have a great time every time. But I do also. I have fun when I win, and when I lose, well, hearing household pets yelp when I throw plastic basestars at them very hard in blind rage, that's almost like winning.)