I have been eyeing this one since there are mutliple copies sitting at the 2 local Borders Bookstores just mocking me. I had hoped they would follow Barnes & Noble in offering post-holiday, and then post-January discounts. I am not sold yet on this game at $39.99. At 50% off, I would have grabbed it no matter what. At 25~30% (what I am assuming might be the first cut if they do decide to discount), I would be on the fence on my own though leaning towards getting it. This thread's replies may send me firmly one way or the other regardless if discounts come out.

A few angles:

I know little about the show except what I have learned from reading about this game. I loved Arkham Horror for the game before I knew what Lovecraft was about. I am big fan of co-op games (less so with the traitor factor). So, can I appreciate this game on its own merit without the TV tie-in?

Second, my one buddy loves this show but hates, HATES, co-ops. He refuses to play Shadows Over Camelot ever again. So, will his love for the show override his hate for co-op games? Is there enough theme to make him forget about SOC? And how similar does it feel to SOC?

Everyone else in the group (my wife, his wife, and another couple) are varying degrees of watchers of the show to liking co-ops so if either of the two of us like this game (the two of us being the dominate personalities), it should be a winner for the rest of the group. So, does the game strike a balance between the two of us at extreme ends on this game?

ColtsFan76 said:

I've never played shadows over camelot so I can't comment on your second question, but I do enjoy Arkham Horror. For some reason, I've noticed a lot of people comparing AH to BSG but I think they have almost nothing in common with each other other than the fact that they're both co-ops.

f you enjoy the show and the 'mythology' around it, you'll definitely appreciate the game a lot more (some people who haven't watched the show have enjoyed it in my experience, but I think you'll have a lot more satisfaction when you know the characters and events that take place in the game). I think people who don't watch or who dislike the show will be far less likely to enjoy the game.

I don't think BSG isn't REALLY a co-op, it's more of a 2-team game (humans versus cylons). What I like about it is that the human players are playing against the 'game' in the form of crisis cards and against other players as well. Again, in my opinion, the most fun element of the game is routing out the traitors in your midst. If you really don't like that idea, then the game isn't for you. From what I've heard about SOC though, the traitor doesn't really have many strategies to choose from if he wants to win. In this game, there are all KINDS of ways to destroy humanity! So if you ARE the traitor, each experience should be different and satisfying in a new and exciting way.

I think this game is definitely worth every penny, but ultimately your experience is up to the group. You need a close circle of friends who aren't going to get too upset when their most trusted in-game partner betrays them and reveals himself or herself as a cylon and crushes your chance for victory. Moreover, the human players NEED to work together, so if your friend simply doesn't like having anyone on his team, this probably isn't a good choice for him either. If the humans don't work together, they won't win.

Anyway, I hope that helps!

I am not sure what his gripe is with co-ops. FIrst off, I know we first tgried SOC when I was just getting back into games so it was one of the first we played. So it might not have been what he was expecting. Second, he prefers to remain competitive so he likes controling his own destiny. But he does mine with teams in trivia type games. Mainly, he is just strange.

I only brought up Arkham to mean I fully enjoyed that game without knowing one thing about the Lovecraft mythos. I didn't mean to compare it to BSG in particular. I just meant to ask if the theme is engrossing enough and the mechanics solid enough that I can appreciate it as a game. Or does the theme cover up some shortcomings.

I read through the rules a while ago and it seems like it would be something we like. I am obviously a big fan of AH, though SOC was OK, but really like Pandemic and Red November.

Thanks for your input!

I described it recently as a blind bidding game. I guess that could sum up a lot of it. But, of course it's a lot more.

I love co-ops, I really enjoy BSG. So, I guess I'm biased.

One friend I introduced the game to had never seen BSG and loved the game. Others have commented on how much it captures the feel of the game, so I think it does well as a game for fans and non-fans. I did play one game with 'anti-BSG' fans. That game didn't go as well as the other ones. So, if you friend isn't going to give it a go, then you might want to steer clear of it with him. But, that's true of any game that one person is going to be bringing down the entire time.

The 'traitor' aspect is interesting. It adds a lot of doubt to the game, until reveal. Which is a psychological experiment in a way, adding a level of intensity to the game. But, once revealed it is just team play.

Well worth a try, find someone with a copy. But, only if you friend that hates co-ops is in a really good mood.

First off, I have to disagree with everyone saying that non-BSG (the show) fans won't like the game as much. Sure, they won't have the same attachment to the characters, or get what the cards refer to in the game, but this should not interfere with them enjoying the game. I've played mostly with people who haven't even seen the show, and it has been well received. Maybe if someone thinks the entire concept of BSG is really stupid then they could hate the game, but I can't really see that. It would be like someone hating Ticket to Ride because they don't like to ride on trains.

Second, Shadows over Camelot is an awful game. I played it several times, but stopped because it is just not fun. It's only relation to BSG is that they are both essentially co-op games with a hidden traitor. It is really nothing like SOC in how it plays. I especially like how you end up with teams of traitors instead of just one.

Don't worry about it, as long as the other players have an open mind, they should all enjoy it.

1. The game is mechanically interesting, and the show is a mostly a backdrop. I imagine that it might seem a little weird at first, but I think you'll enjoy it without watching the show (though, the show certainly will make you chuckle at some of the aspects of the game).

2. I don't think the game is co-op, but if your pal thinks that Shadows over Camelot is a co-op game, he will probably not like BSG (as I understand it, BSG and SoC are quite similar). I personally think that BSG has a different mindset from games like Arkham Horror, the fact of the matter is, it is not co-operative, you simply don't know who your allies and enemies are at the beginning of the game.

3. Watchers of the show will certainly appreciate the game. As for players who like co-op games, I'm not so sure. As I said above, the game is not truly co-op, though it might have the illusion of being so (if you're human) for quite a bit of the game, before the Cylons reveal themselves.

IMO, you should give it a go. It's a very enjoyable game, win or lose.

This game is my favorite game after Galaxy Trucker.

• It seems fun with any amount of players from 3 to 6.
• The interaction between players is great because of the traitor mechanic (not a huge fan of straight co-op games)
• The theme is spot on and mimics the TV show very well. (If you like the TV show, you'll like the game and vice versa)

This past Saturday I played a three player game. I was Colonel Tigh and I started the game as a Cylon. I started the game with the Admiral title. Second turn we draw a crisis card that allows the Admiral to give the Presidency to another player so I give it to myself. I just created a dictatorship! Anyway through my careful manipulations, I was able to reduce the Galactica's morale to 0 right after we jumped to the halfway point., giving the Cylons a win. And I didn't even have to reveal myself!

First off Brian, if you can get the game for $40, that in itself is a deciding factor. Only the first wave was released at $40, it is now a $50 game. I would buy another copy myself if I could get it at $40.

I know you play Arkham alot. So does our playgroup. And we all love BSG. It is an amazing game, well developed, and well balanced. It is semi co-op in that for half the game players do not know which "team" they are on, and after they they are trying to win the game for their team. And there are lots of ways for individuals to be, well, individual while playing the game. I've got a realy extensive write-up of two back to back session on my "16 player Mega Event" thread if you want some play by play action about a game.

Among our play group, roughly 1/3 love the show, 1/3 are ambivalent or downright hate the show (like my wife, who got sick of the "soap opera" aspect midway through season 2), and 1/3 haven't seen the show. It's just like Arkham in that respect. I knew a minimal amount of Lovecraft when I started playing AH back when FFG released the game. It was only over the summer and during the league that I finally decieded to rad Lovecraft. Now I enjoy aspect of AH more having read some of his works. The same hold true for BSG. You need no knowledge of the game to enjoy, but knowledge does make the game better.

I'd recommend this game. To me, this is the best game that was released last year, and frankly I'm trying to decide if it is going to usurp Arkham Horror in my #2 spot.

Thanks for the input everyone. I think I can handle the theme as it is no different than any other game with made up characters to me (like Android). I am hoping that theme will be strong enough to win my firend over as well. Interesting that the price point went up as I was a bit surprised to see it the $40 retail. I am used to online stores since we have no FLGS so it is still a little more than I would normally pay.

I will definitely keep it on the radar for my purhase this month.

I have played Shadows over Camelot once and I will never make the same mistake twice. I love Board Games, but I think that SoC is a poor game. The traitor mechanic there is very poor and you cant do much. Even the cooperation is very weak there. It is just I go for Excalibur and you take care of the catapults while he we do this a this. On the Characters are no match for the BSG once, even If in SoC they have some abilities at is not much to be compared with BSG. I am not a huge fan of co-op but I play Dorn few times and i liked it a little, BUT BattleStar Galactica is one of the best games I have ever played, co-ops or not. So dont be affraid and just buy it.

The only aspect of the game that some players dont like is the die, I know couple of players that doesnt like game that depend on luck or random outcomes. But BSG is not only about luck, it is just part of the game, but more then a luck i is about uncertainty. You cant trust anyone but yourself.

I would like to say that I was pleasently surprised to find Battlestar Galactica to be a fun game despite being based on a TV show that I enjoyed. The game plays very well if you haven't seen the show, as no rules or cards feel completely arbitrary to those who haven't like I've found in other games based on TV shows. The best part of the game for someone who HAS seen the TV show is the absurd situations that occur in the game and how implausible they would be in the show (in a recent game I played, we ended up with President Saul Tigh and Admiral Starbuck, which was hilarious to us).

I have described this game before as "kinda like Shadows Over Camelot, but worth playing and actually fun." I hate Shadows, and will never play it again. This game though, I find really fun, and ended up playing it Friday, Saturday, and Sunday last weekend.

For one, knowing that there are exactly two (or one in small games) people trying to stop the other players from winning makes it into an actual game instead of a crapshoot. You know exactly what to expect, and can make deductions based on that knowledge. The sides appear balanced to us, but we've only played a handful of games so far. The randomness is sufficiently controlable, there's a lot of strategy and calculation, and (assuming you're playing with 5-6 players), you're guaranteed to have an ally you will work with no matter which side you're on. That was a problem I found with "Bang!", the Outlaws were rewarded for killing each other. I like having someone on my side in a cooperative game, even if I'm the "bad guy."

As far as "competitive cooperative" games go (Bang, Mafia, Shadows, etc), this is a really solid one. Though, I wouldn't think of it as a cooperative game so much as a team game, with the sides hidden and with one of the sides having slightly fewer people (but a slightly easier goal).

So, I do think your group will likely enjoy the game. Can't give any guarantees though

I really liked SoC, as did the rest of my gaming group. We have a strict secrecy rule when playing SoC, which makes a huge difference and so we all understood the importance of secrecy in BSG. If your anti-SoC friend is prone to talking about his cards all the time then you may have an issue (SoC is totally un-fun when people josh about how many Grail cards they have or how there hand is good for this or that quest).

I was very excited about BSG, especially reading player write-ups about treacherous acts and so on. We played our first game last Sunday, and I don't think the comparison to SoC can really be made. The mechanics are completely different, there is basically no downtime between turns and there's way more trash talk at the table (all good things). After the Cylons reveal it is either 3 vs 1 or 2 vs 2 team play. There is a fair amount of luck - dice rolls, destiny deck, and crises cards. My biggest criticism of the game mechanics is that seating at the table seems to impact the game, at least in the 4-player game we played. The Sympathiser and Cylon ended up going consecutively, so the two humans (Chief & Starbuck) could (maybe) defeat the crises on their own turns but then got hammered twice in a row with the worst of two crises draws and no cards to defeat them (the cylons figured out quickly that double teaming us on the Caprica location meant we had to burn our cards and one shot powers). The human side was surprised and unprepared for how quickly the game turned against us after the sleeper phase, and I personally felt frustrated in the last few turns as the crises mounted and there was little or nothing the humans could do.

We did some post game analysis, and I think the humans had a pretty rotten stretch of luck after the sleeper phase. The last few rounds of play featured 4 cylon attack cards, two 'choices' that forced the president (Chief) to discard cards and hand off the president's title (otherwise game over), and if IIRC only one of the cards had an FTL jump marker.

The best part of the game was definitely table atmosphere - everyone was watching each little move and accusations of "CYLON!" were flying - that was hilarious.

Take my comments with a grain of salt; we've only played once and despite some end-game frustrations on my part the game overall was enjoyable and we are looking forward to playing again.

With the Borders Reward couponf for 30% any item, it was too good to pass up. I am the proud owner of a $29.95 out the door BSG game! Time to punch counters, unwrap decks, and re-read rules!