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Battlestar Galactica: The Board Game box art

Base game

Battlestar Galactica: The Board Game

Kritiku rating

Early

7.3

Published
2008
Reach
Well known
Players
3–6
Play time
120–180 min
Weight
Medium heavy
Ratings
1

How it plays

Humans must keep Galactica and its resources intact long enough to reach Kobol, while hidden Cylons sabotage them. On your turn, draw skill cards, move, take an action, then resolve a crisis that often requires a group skill check or activates enemy ships. Humans win by reaching the required distance and jumping again; Cylons win by exhausting a resource, destroying Galactica, or boarding it.

Main mechanics

  • Co-operative
  • Dice rolling
  • Hand management
  • Hidden roles & bluffing
  • Co-operative: Everyone wins or loses together against the game.
  • Dice rolling: Dice create swing and force you to adapt.
  • Hand management: Timing which card to spend is the core puzzle.
  • Hidden roles & bluffing: Somebody at the table is not who they claim to be.
Full publisher description

Battlestar Galactica: The Board Game is a game of mistrust, intrigue, and the struggle for survival. Based on the Sci Fi Channel series, Battlestar Galactica: The Board Game puts players in the role of one of ten of their favorite characters from the show. Each playable character has their own abilities and weaknesses, and must all work together in order for humanity to have any hope of survival. However, one or more players in every game secretly side with the Cylons. Players must attempt to expose the traitor while fuel shortages, food contaminations, and political unrest threatens to tear the fleet apart. After the Cylon attack on the Colonies, the battered remnants of the human race are on the run, constantly searching for the next signpost on the road to Earth. They face the threat of Cylon attack from without, and treachery and crisis from within. Humanity must work together if they are to have any hope of survival but how can they, when any of them may, in fact, be a Cylon agent? Battlestar Galactica: The Board Game is a semi-cooperative game. Players choose from pilots, political leaders, military leaders, or engineers to crew Galactica. They are also dealt a loyalty card at the start of the game to determine if they are a human or Cylon along with an assortment of skill cards based on their characters abilities. Players then can move and take actions either on Galactica, on Colonial 1, or in a Viper. They need to collect skill cards, fend off Cylon ships, and keep Galactica and the fleet jumping. Each turn also brings a Crisis Card, various tasks that players must overcome. Players need to play matching skill cards to fend off the problems; skill cards that don't match hinder the players success. Fate could be working against the crew, or there could be a traitorous Cylon! As players get closer and closer towards reaching their Earth, another round of loyalty cards are passed out and more Cylons may turn up. If players can keep their up their food stores, fuel levels, ship morale, and population, and they can keep Galactica in one piece long enough to make it to Earth, the Humans win the game. But if the Cylon players reveal themselves at the right moment and bring down Galactica, the Humans have lost.

Criterion breakdown

ComplexityDepthSkillInteractionTable ExpProduction
  • Kritiku average
Criterion
Kritiku
Complexity

Heavy

4.0
Depth

Robust

3.0
Luck vs Skill

Swingy

2.0
Player Interaction

Aggressive

4.0
Table Experience

Flat

2.0
Production

Plain

2.0