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Forbidden Stars - Review

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09 Mar 2016 14:43 #224066 by mads b.
Replied by mads b. on topic Forbidden Stars - Review

charlest wrote: I'm beginning to wonder if the game is really mainly appealing to fans of StarCraft. Those who dislike it mostly seem to be people who haven't played or don't like StarCraft?


I love Starcraft, but I don't care much for Forbidden Stars. And the problem is precisely that they haven't included the things that make Starcraft so fantastic; the three act-structure, the alternative victory condition, the rather tight map, and the neccesity of attacking and getting those points.

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09 Mar 2016 15:14 - 09 Mar 2016 15:15 #224069 by charlest
Replied by charlest on topic Forbidden Stars - Review

mads b. wrote:

charlest wrote: I'm beginning to wonder if the game is really mainly appealing to fans of StarCraft. Those who dislike it mostly seem to be people who haven't played or don't like StarCraft?


I love Starcraft, but I don't care much for Forbidden Stars. And the problem is precisely that they haven't included the things that make Starcraft so fantastic; the three act-structure, the alternative victory condition, the rather tight map, and the neccesity of attacking and getting those points.


Interesting. The alternative victory conditions in StarCraft didn't arrive until Brood War. The attacking pressure is also greater in Forbidden Stars. It seems like half the time in StarCraft someone starts with 2 VP and just sits there defending all game. In FS you have to take the objective planets and the defender isn't super incentivized to defend them like in SC, so it feels more dynamic and less grinding.

I think StarCraft is a deeper game, but I'm very conflicted on which of these I think is better. I think the asymmetrical order system in FS is much better than everyone having standard gold orders. I think the more complicated combat is much better in FS as well. I also think the Warp Storms provide a similar function the Z-Axis points but do it much better. I love that they shift as the game goes on.

I think the asymmetrical event decks are clever as well and beat that generic deck in SC.

The main area where StarCraft seems to overtake FS (beyond the alternate objectives) is the unit variety and building advancement. However, I think SC includes tons of false choices as many units just don't stack up so it's not too much of a win here.

I will say this - try teaching StarCraft to someone. Way more difficult than FS as the person sits there trying to figure out what units/cards they need to research.
Last edit: 09 Mar 2016 15:15 by charlest.
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09 Mar 2016 15:33 #224072 by mads b.
Replied by mads b. on topic Forbidden Stars - Review
The special victory conditions are a part of the original game and Brood War didn't change them, but the leadership cards made them a possibility - you could opt for a special victory being an option or you could get some other bonus. But the reason they work is that they keep everybody in the game, but at the same time Conquest Points are the tie breaker, so that is why you have to attack. You need to get those points, and just holding a VP space for a single turn can be a gambit that pays off. On the other hand in many other DoaM games (including FS, I believe), your primary incentive to take a territory is to either hold it for ressources or in order to move your foward operations base there.

I agree that some of the new stuff they've made in FS is super - the event decks for instance, but also the warp storms. And you're spot on about some unit paths being false even if the new Brood War planets did change this a bit with the air/ground only planets. Also, I really think that Starcraft would be a better game with less different units and with a more streamlined ressource system. I love the one they made in Rune Wars where you have a choice of direction, but don't have to deal with fiddlyness. I know ressource mining is part of Starcraft, but I think they could have put it in a game in a better way.
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