No, "Eclipse" Most Certainly Did NOT Kill "Twilight"

Andrew missed our inaugural play-through of Eclipse so, when he started to threaten the rest of us with random nut shots if any other game was tabled last week, it didn't take us very long decide.  Besides, the first game was so fun that we didn't exactly need to be water-boarded in order to play it again.

 
So, with Chad away on bidness, me (yellow), Andrew (red) and Dean (blue) ran the game again  Wednesday night.  Here's how it went...

Oh, if you need a rules overview, you'll find one back on the first post.  

Part One

I kick the game off by exploring an "Outer Rim" system that gives me a quick jump on victory points and a meager cash prize.  The second is a core world that boosts my other resources.  I also prove to be a sucker for star destroyers and fembots, but not necessarily in that order.     

Meanwhile, Dean discovers a planet full of Reed Richard-types, explores a system rife with hostiles, constructs his own army of  Kelly LeBrocks and hits the science lotto after stumbling across an otherwise mediocre system.

Andrew, in his first game, does his best to explore the game's boundaries.  He bumps into a galactic hornet's nest, claims a decidedly-less-hostile world, declares his contempt for victory points, finds a derelict ship, keeps turning up danger and then cobbles together his own Battlestar.

Bonus: the destructive power of a miss-heard earworm is revealed!      

Part Two

Andrew builds a pair of little red space corvettes, buys upgrades as a preamble to fighting "shitheads", mobilizes for invasion and then promptly gets his ass kicked up around his ears.

Dean institutes his trickle-down theory of Dean-O-Nomics, bumps into more aliens who aren't keen on the concept of "annexation", builds some sweet new rides, performs a foreclosure on a colonist and then gives Andrew a great big paper cut and pours lemon juice all over it.

I plant my flag in two juicy new resource worlds, discover monies in deep space, slap together some plasma cannons and keep mindlessly gobbling up victory points like a fat kid with a bag o' Smarties.  

Bonus:  We humbly propose a bold choice for the inevitable soundtrack to Eclipse: The Motion Picture.  Plus: COOKIES!!!

Part Three

I give my economy a hummer, build some cruisers, upgrade my ships to run on pure awesomonium, install some BFG's, strap on some ablative armor and finally discover some innocent locals to slaughter.  

Dean hires Space Dwarves, sneakily researches and upgrades in silence, gets his ship assembly line a-crankin', moves his armada into position and then proceeds to annihilate indigenous aliens like an Intergalactic Conquistador.      

Andrew begins the painful rebuilding process by funding his brainiacs, discovering a planet filled with Stephen Hawking clones, settling a prosperous system and performing a power upgrade.  He's also mortified to learn that his costs aren't cumulative after all.  Whoops!  

Bonus: The Hulk Hogan sex tape becomes an unfortunate topic of conversation and Andrew destroys half the galaxy with a Z-Ball-shaped Death Star.       

Part Four

 

I finally venture into hostile territory, cobble together a few DS-9's, build a shit-ton of new ships, tap a system for untold riches, win my first battle decisively, make an ill-advised non-aggression pact, explore deep space and promptly find myself painted into an interstellar corner. 

Dean's production goes into hyperspace, he invests in some non-pregnatable shielding, keeps upgrading his ships in silence, frets about subjugating Coruscant, subjugates Coruscant and then horns in on Andrew's revenge.

Andrew snags a money planet, buys (used) sexbots to celebrate, goes missing for a bit, hires professional excavators, christens a dreadnought, upgrades the bejesus out of his ships, rallies his fleet to take on his old rivals and then proceeds to destroy his own game board.

Bonus: The immortal phrase: "Turtling is the ticket to second place" is uttered.         

Conclusion and Review

I buy a figment of Arthur C. Clarke's imagination, start grasping at victory point straws, engage in a self-fulfilling prophecy and then stand by helplessly as history repeats itself.

Dean stealthily follows suit, keeps piling on the build actions, transforms his ships into Voltron and dishes out a shellacking.

Andrew finally confronts his old nemesis but it turns out to be a kamikaze action.  

The General Consensus: Eclipse is a pretty awesome little galactic empire building game that, unlike it's big brothers, can easily be played in one evening.  The at-a-glance reference card simply and elegantly simulates ship customization, tech development and the game's clever economic engine.

But comparing it to Twilight Imperium is like comparing Green Day's "Coming Clean" with "Only In Dreams" by Weezer.  They're both awesome, but for totally different reasons.

Speak of the devil, next week on "YAFGB", it's Part One of our epic series on Twilight Imperium.  

Well, it was nice knowing y'all.   

Wow, Did "Eclipse" Just Kill "Twilight"?

If I played board games just to win them, I'd never play board games.  Witness last Wednesday's run of Touko Tahkokallio's brilliant game of galactic conquest Eclipse...

Employing a conservative strategy of consolidating my own region of the galaxy, I jumped out to a sizable early lead.  But, just as soon as someone made the observation that I might be winning, my primitive monkey brain immediately began to ponder the best route towards self-immolation.

Before we get into that, here's Dean's handy summation of the game's elegant and intuitive rules:

PART ONE

In Part One, I find myself surrounded by indigenous people and immediately ponder the most expedient method to wipe them all out.  I also annex a nearby science/resource world and then purchase robot slaves who I totally did not use for sexual purposes, BTW.

Dean finds free neutron bombs lying around, settles for cash monies, rebukes a planet filled with eggheads and purchases robot slaves who he totally didn't use for sexual purposes, BTW.

Chad makes a beeline for Coruscant, crushes two star systems under his booted heel, encounters some Ancients and buys shielding which makes his ships look all dark and broody.

PART TWO

In Part Two I build and then pimp out an entire fleet of Defiants, stomp a mudhole in the ass of my peaceful neighbors and win a free cruiser apparently by "Rolling Up The Rim To Win".  

Dean is the first one to build a star destroyer, gets slightly inconvenienced while subjugating some nearby Space Mayans and then picks up some afterthought phase shielding.

After boiler-plating some adamantium onto the side of his ships, Chad then proceeds to explore the shit out of the entire galaxy.

PART THREE

In Part Three I de-regulate the banks for an illusory Advanced Economy, lease my own damned dreadnought for only forty (thousand) easy payments, equip my ships with tougher hides and (illegal) engines, and then continue to conquer large tracts of the galaxy in the name of space democracy.

Dean starts printing Monopoly money for his Advanced Economy, tinkers away on orbital platforms and interceptors, wins the Intergalactic Powerball, settles Planet 1% and indulges in some weird science courtesy of his new Advanced Laboratory. 

Chad annihilates some pesky Ancients that had the gall to exist in his neck of the woods, finds himself up to his nose in brown stuff (!), hires a pack of drunken lemurs to invest in his Advanced Economy and then discovers a fusion source (in his pants).  

PART FOUR & REVIEW

In the game's thrilling conclusion, my hubris has me opting for overcomplicated tech instead of WHAT WOULD HAVE WON THE FUCKING GAME FOR ME.  I also ponder the limited appeal of 2001: A Space Odyssey merchandise and foolishly try to rip the corsage out of Chad's hand.  

Dean builds a space diaphragm, gives his ships a new coat of paint before sending them off on a suicide mission and then wisely decides not fly his entire armada into the sun at the eleventh hour.    

Chad summons a wave of defenders, all of whom are apparently armed with the wave motion gun from Star Blazers.

Despite my proclivities towards seppuku, I really dug this play of Eclipse.  Yes, it doesn't have all the chrome of a Twilight Imperium but I certainly appreciate the fact that I don't have to say good-bye to my loved ones for an entire weekend in order to play it.

My dice roll review: 5 pips outta 6!