(As in "does it blend", can it be houseruled)

Hi ho! Thinking about buying Android here.

After playing Twilight Imperium, Doom and Descent, my experience of the Fantasy Flight games are that they are big, pretty and awesome but in big need of houseruling to play satisfactory in our game group. Oh, except A Game of Thrones, that was just solid all the way. Doom, we eventually gave up on.

Anyway, I expect Android to be much the same: Big and awesome, but unavoidably with at least one frustrating design flaws to be overcomed. And lo and behold! Both here and on BoardGameGeek I have found some complaints on how Dark Cards are just way too mean, and can smash down a player completely, rather randomly without much possibility to defend oneself.

That does sound like a bit of a turn-off.

Can you nerf 'em somehow? CAN IT BE DONE?

Check out the link in my signature. There's an entire set of house rules for dark cards that can be used to mitigate their effects somewhat.

EDIT: (Although just remembered that BGG is down for the next eight hours or so, so you'll have to wait).

Yeah, it can be done, but I'd recommend actually playing the game the way it was designed before incorporating fan-made variants from BGG.

Arvidos said:

The dark cards are not at all random and the stronger cards can easily be avoided. Most of the stronger cards have a triggering effect with the more serious cards specific to a character doing something or going somewhere he/she shouldn't. For example Louis risks more serious dark cards on himself if he enters seedy locations. The proper course then of course is to not enter seedy locations. Problem is people don't read the strategy cards that come with the game and just run around without taking into consideration of who their character is and that going to location xxxx could result in serious results.

So it's not a design flaw but simply people using poor strategy that causes them to be hit with these nastier dark cards. You don't want to get hit with them? Then read the strategy card that tells you what areas to avoid and avoid them. But don't call the game flawed because you made a poor descision and suffered the consequences of it.

I'd say that in general, that's true, except for Floyd. His dark deck has several "start of turn" dark cards that are pretty potent, However, he's such a strong investigator, that he needs to be reigned in. But, yeah, I wouldn't go to seedy locations with him either!

DuckAndCower said:

I agree fully.

However, I want to know what I'm heading into here.

DuckAndCower said:

I agree fully.

However, I want to know what I'm heading into here.

The dark cards are actually perhaps the greatest strength of this game, in my opinion.

Without them, this is just a massive 4hr euro game, which would be fun, but nowhere near as engaging or narrativistic.

The key is that you MUST KNOW YOUR CHARACTER! There are a series of ways to do this:

1. Read the strategy synopsis. Follow this TO THE LETTER and you will be fine. Disregarding it is also fine, but doing so is a risk decision on the part of the player. Most players are fine with their dark cards if they JUST DID THIS STEP!
   
2. Read all the Dark and Light cards associated with the character. This is for more pro or repeat gamers, to ensure they fully appreciate how their character triggers. If people want to be REALLY prepared, this is a good thing to do for 30 mins while you order pizza
   
3. Read EVERY character deck (light and dark). This is for only the owner of the game, or the real pros. Doing this and learning it in detail should mean that you build strategies that circumvent the card system.

Let me make this very clear: I would NOT support this game at all if there was no way that a first-timer could reasonably hold their own . Foretunatly, they really can - all they have to do is LIVE by the strategy briefing for their character.

I know all the contents of the box backwards. I've only won about a quarter of the games we've played, and have repeatedly lost to first timers.

With the exception of Floyd and flint, pretty much every game-changing dark card can be avoided. In the case of Floyd and Flint, you KNOW going into the game that favours are your weakness (the big bang cards remove all their favours) and you are equiped to build strategies that circumvent them. If you are nearing a victory outcome, play safe and stick to your recommended strategy. if you're a turn from victory and you take Flint into a Seedy location on the Moon and start a fight... well, you had better be philosophical about the consequences