Star Trek: Ascendancy

Feelitmon wrote: For example, at the beginning of an 8-player game, before anyone has made first contact, players 1 and 5 might take their turn at the same time, then 2 and 6, etc. Later, in the mid-game, you might separate players into two groups--those that have made first contact and those that have not--and then have those two groups working concurrently. I don't know, it sounds pretty messy, really, but they'll have to do something if they really are planning to increase the player count with each expansion.

This is exactly what they told me at Gencon when talking about players and downtime. That 1&5 would go together, then 2&6, etc... It still doesn't address waits within your group (1-4) though, of which there wasn't really an answer.

It's a shame because I really enjoyed the game, but the time between turns and not having a great group for this style of game is going to keep me from buying it.

Jarvis wrote: It's a shame because I really enjoyed the game, but the time between turns and not having a great group for this style of game is going to keep me from buying it.

This is kind of where I sit right now. Still might give in and buy it eventually, but holding off for now...

Exactly why I won't. I'm not spending a hundred bucks on a premium shelf toad

charlest wrote: Yes, 3 hours isn't terrible although at 4 hours with 4 players it starts to become not feasible on regular game night.

I can see downtime shrinking a little bit but not sure how much. Will play a few more times and see.

OK. if it is around 3 hours for 3-players, and woth the possibility of that dropping a bit with familiarity and simul turns early on, then that is not a problem. We talk so much shit (off-game ramblings as well as game shit-talk) during our games that the downtime won't seem as bad.

Simultaneous turns as a variant is only for the first turn. After that point it's probably not feasible.

Ferengi expanion details went up today. It looks really cool:

startrek.gf9games.com/Home/tabid/56/entr...erengi-alliance.aspx

Review is up at Miniature Market...I'll post it here later.

SuperflyTNT wrote: ...a premium shelf toad

I hope this term catches on around here.

Shellhead wrote:

SuperflyTNT wrote: ...a premium shelf toad

I hope this term catches on around here.

Man, that's like half of my game collection...

Great round table review, I am 100% buying this with expansions.

I thought the point about the three Star Trek phases was most interesting---of three I think the last two phases have been done right in 4x but not the first exploration stage.

Did you guys read that the Borg and dominion are speculated to be the next expansions, but as NPC forces? That's exciting. If there's someone who wouldn't crank purely rote expansions out, I think it's probably GS9.

I'm not buying it because I know it would be a shelf toad with the 3 player requirement. I wish GF9 made more 2 player games.

Playing tomorrow.

CAN. NOT. WAIT.

I'm getting mine on Sunday, playing on Thursday.

Josh Look wrote: CAN. NOT. WAIT.

Yup.

I got to play yesterday and I am still reeling from how excellent this game is.

I'm always an advocate of doing more with less, and this game is unparalleled in that regard. The rules themselves are very clean, easy to grasp, but the game sacrifices nothing in terms of depth. More importantly, however, given that this is a Star Trek game and shares genre space with the likes of TI3, it sacrifices not one iota of character, theme, or dedication to its setting. This is unquestionably a Star Trek game. The factions play EXACTLY as they should with the use of special rules and technological advancements. The mechanics lend themselves perfectly to concepts in Star Trek, exploration and warp travel are especially well done. I wasn't sure how I'd feel about trade agreements in a 3 player game, but the way they fit with other systems in the game is perfect. I love that you have to have a ship adjacent to a rival ship in order to make them. You can practically hear Uhura say, "We're being hailed, sir."

As 4X board game, it's nothing short of a revelation. One ship type totally works, and the special abilities that come with assigning fleets is utterly brilliant. I care about the planets I control, something I detested about Eclipse where I saw them as nothing more than colored cubes. And as mentioned before, the diplomacy and negotiating, the make or break area for any 4X for me, works really well, and it's weird because the rules make no mention of how that will play out. It just happens.

I've long been a defender of TI3, I dismissed the notion of Eclipse replacing it, but I think it's finally met its match. The downtime didn't bother me, and it seemed to get shorter as we got a handle on what we're doing. I would play this with more players once the expansions are out, though I would want everyone playing to have played at least one 3 player game first.

This is my new go-to 4X game, which is probably my favorite genre. It's also the definitive Trek game, replacing my beloved Fleet Captains.

Can't wait for my copy to arrive. I'll probably be able to get it played very frequently with my groups.

Had a great time playing this game.

The down time was not an issue for me. First, because I'm not a crybaby who needs to have a game shoot along at a lightning pace where you have no time to think. And thinking and planning in this game is important. Tactics has it's place and one must adapt to the game state but I think, based on one play, that strategy is what wins this not quick reaction. Therefor, a limited amount of downtime is welcome allowing you to plan and also to observe what your opponents are doing and deducing what their strategies might be. Secondly, because I was playing with Josh Look and Flim Flam and we were laughing and enjoying ourselves immensely so time was a non factor.

I did like the lack of extraneous chrome in the combat system. One ship type, very few modifiers, roll dice, blow shit up. Simple and quick. Combat had significant consequences. Ships are cheap and easy to build so the loss of a number of them is not crippling but if an enemy gets through and destroys or captures a developed planet losing you resources and granting them to your foe that can be quite a momentum shift.

I am a fan of modular boards constructed or discovered through play and the "free floating" mechanic of planets in this game (their exact position isn't entirely fixed until they are connected to two other planets via space roads) was really cool.

The game also looks really cool. The ship minis are neat and are well designed in that they don't flop over like so many in other games do. The board looks fantastic when it's laid out as well AND the planet tiles are big enough to handle the amount of stuff you need to put on them without important information being obscured, another failing of many games.

Play is also enhanced by the presence of illicit space booze. Which as an added bonus has given rise to the best catch phrase since Billy Zavos' "Ayyyy papoi!", that being the excuse given when it was pointed out to me that my Federation was doomed: "Yes, but you'll have to excuse me. I've had some Romulan Ale."

These are, as I mentioned, my thoughts after one play. I'm still thinking about it the next day which is always a sign of a good game.

As an after thought, I wanted to point out that in most games of this type, the turn order would be players take turns or simultaneously spend their resources to construct advancements and units then returning to turn order player 1 would move and act then player 2 would go etc. In this game, and this is what leads to the complaint about down time, Player one does all his building and then does all of his movement and actions. After he's done play proceeds to player 2 who does ALL of his building followed by his actions. The effect of this is that you can build and strike at vulnerable points BEFORE your foe can beef up or reinforce it. (In other games of this type what and where you build is a good indicator of what your planning for your turn and your opponent then suits his build action to counter yours) This then allows for "sneak attacks" and also makes leaving a planet denuded of defense, even in your back field, a much MUCH more risky choice. I think it leads to vastly more dynamic play than is the norm in these games.