RIP BSG?

Reading this BSG thread, there seems to be some signs that Fantasy Flight is putting Battlestar Galactica out to pasture.

Here's the thread...

If true, it's not a tragedy or anything. The game had an excellent run, much longer than anyone could have reasonably expected. Three expansions is impressive, even if none of them managed to really elevate the original game. Besides, the IP really isn't very meaningful to a lot of people anymore. And honestly, I haven't played much in the last three or four years. I always like playing it again though, I should dust it off with my new group.

But it does make me a little sad. BSG was for me at least a formative game. I never really wanted anything to do with long thematic experiences before this game, but this one was really my gateway to this end of the hobby, and really to this site as well. It's still the best hidden role game I've played, and probably the game that nails its setting and themes best after Dune.

Not only is the IP old, but the hidden traitor mechanic has been done many times since.

If this is truly the end, it had a great run and sold a ton of copies. Shouldn't be too hard to find for now, but if and when it does disappear from retail I think enough copies were printed that it will take awhile to accelerate in value.

I only played it once, and it took forever. Dead of Winter replaces it for me with no problem.

And the game that best nails its setting and theme is Spartacus.

It was fun, despite length. It was a sign of things to come for FFG as far as convoluted bloat goes.

BSG Express is my go to when I want hidden traitor nowadays.

Colorcrayons wrote: It was fun, despite length. It was a sign of things to come for FFG as far as convoluted bloat goes.

BSG Express is my go to when I want hidden traitor nowadays.

I gave the expansions a lot of chances (the first two anyway) and I think the bloat rears its head most in those. After stripping them out I was impressed at how lean the original game felt.

The base game had flaws, but overall was a very good game. The expansions offered an expanded ala carte menu of rules, but generally weren't worth the money.

Shellhead wrote: The base game had flaws, but overall was a very good game. The expansions offered an expanded ala carte menu of rules, but generally weren't worth the money.

Just another comparison between BSG and Dune that holds up.

hotseatgames wrote: I only played it once, and it took forever. Dead of Winter replaces it for me with no problem.

I'd take BSG over Dead of Winter. It's too easy for a losing player, or a traitor, to collapse the entire game and ensure no-one wins. It also has bad downtime issues. Not that it's a bad game overall, mind, it just doesn't improve on BSG in any meaningful way for me.

And while BSG is long, I've found it to have an oddly predictable play time. Seems to run three hours like clockwork unless there's an early traitor win.

Not played in a while. Might have to get it off the shelf again.

One thing BSG did exceptionally well IMO was capturing the theme and feel of the IP.

Not that it would be the same mechanic, but I can't help but wonder if Babylon 5 came out say 15 years later than it did, what kind of games we'd see using that IP.

Can't believe some of the stuff I'm reading here.

Spartacus having more theme than BSG - bollocks.
Base game had flaws - bollocks.
Played to long - only if you're a eurogamer trying to get three games played in an evening.
Too much bloat in the expansions - possibly with Daybreak there was but not in Pegasus, although it was a weaker expansion, and maybe in Exodus only if you play both Conflicted Loyalties and Ionian Nebulae options and some people be dicks.

BSG captured the theme WAY too good for it to be played with friends. We literally got into a screaming match last time accusing each other of being traitors. It was awful.

i won't miss it

too long and boring. I much prefer Dark Moon.

Southernman wrote: Base game had flaws - bollocks.

I'm with you on most of your points, but you don't think the Sleeper mechanism was flawed? People would often take damage on a single stat forcing it into the red for gamey, non-thematic reasons.

Also, some games will have pilots with literally nothing to do because either Cylon fleet cards never come out, or Galactica jumps almost right away.

MattDP wrote:

hotseatgames wrote: I only played it once, and it took forever. Dead of Winter replaces it for me with no problem.

I'd take BSG over Dead of Winter. It's too easy for a losing player, or a traitor, to collapse the entire game and ensure no-one wins. It also has bad downtime issues. Not that it's a bad game overall, mind, it just doesn't improve on BSG in any meaningful way for me.

I agree, sadly. While Dead of Winter seemed fun at first, after a couple games our group came to realize most of the time spent in the game was not spent actually playing it but in ultimately boring stuff like reading cards, drawing cards and rolling dice. In the end, it seems the "mechanical core" of the game is very shallow and the "negotiation/don't trust" aspect impacts it very little so it doesn't really end up being as fun as it should.

I also agree it's very easy for the traitor to tank the game. In that sense, it was a game I liked at first but that I'm grown less attracted to over time.

it pains me to admit that the vast majority of its running time is spent in

charlest wrote:

Southernman wrote: Base game had flaws - bollocks.

I'm with you on most of your points, but you don't think the Sleeper mechanism wasn't flawed? People would often take damage on a single stat forcing it into the red for gamey, non-thematic reasons.

Also, some games will have pilots with literally nothing to do because either Cylon fleet cards never come out, or Galactica jumps almost right away.

I'll nearly give you that one, I've forgotten about that as we never played it with the Sympathizer after the first game or two, either with 5 players or a Cylon Leader or Mutineer (only once, can't even remember how that plays) when with 6.
The gaming the sleeper was a gamble though and could give an edge to the game.
And yes the Cylon fleet cards could cause havoc or not, but then you could say that was thematic with the show - chased constantly in some arcs and a quiet time in others We had one game where the fleet cards came out so fast that us Cylons won before the first jump - but that can't be any worse than the annihilations we all suffer in Eldritch or Arkham Horrors