BSG
Congrats to the Cylons.
I had a feeling we were done for after Dee revealed and we lost half the fleet in one turn, but kept hoping we could turn it around if the Cylons would just stop attacking us for 5 seconds. Alas, it wasn't to be.
I had a lot of fun playing Starbuck. That extra action for being in a viper is huge and opens up a lot of options. My backup plan, if BT had nixed me using two Full Throttles in one turn, was going to be to discard to move to the Hanger Deck, repair a couple vipers, then use my second action to launch myself back into space and XO Gaeta.
Would have cost the same number of cards, get us two vipers back in reserves, but would have meant me shooting two less raiders. In the end it wouldn't have helped, because I don't think we got a single card that added vipers to the board after that, anyway.
Oddly enough, I suspected Helo, but Roslin's accusation actually made me less sure. There is such a thing as being too paranoid.
I was also certain Ellen had chosen to drop our Fuel down to 2 because she was a Cylon. Oops.
Once we hit the Sleeper stage, and Helo revealed, I was pretty sure Roslin and Gaeta were human because they passed up prime oppurtunities to screw us if they'd been Cylon. Which left Dee or Ellen. I was very much in favor of leaving Dee in the brig from a tactical standpoint, but felt sympathy for her player since she hadn't done anything toastery yet. Which is why I just stayed out of the check completely.
As for the Pegasus stuff, I'm also not in favor of the new ICs. Especially in a check that takes Yellow, it's painful to spend that card ahead of the check and still potentially be off target by up to 10 points.
Also, while I like the new Piloting options, I find the additional Green and Blue cards kind of offputting, simply because XOs and Repair cards are so essential, and they reduce your chance of drawing them.
I do like the revised Cylon locations, and like the option of the Airlock thematically, even if I don't know how often it would be used by non-Cylons in a game.
The remaining Pegasus locations, I could take or leave. I'm also not really sold on the Engine Room. Other than the time Gaeta used it to ensure an autojump, it mostly felt like a waste of turns and cards to me.
BSG
Pretty confusing, but I was starting to get the hang of some of the Pegasus stuff by the end, and there are pretty fun possibilities in there. I wouldn't want to completely throw over the original for the expansion, each has elements I prefer.
BSG
One additonal, non-Pegasus-related note: I think this is the first time in awhile we didn't have the Chief, and man-oh-man were we missing him in the end with both Battlestars full of holes and our vipers dropping like flies.
BSG
It didn't help that Dee can repair and I ended up being toaster.
BSG
Yes, half the crew was able to draw Blue this game. (There's no question that the Chief is king of repairs though.) Ultimately Galactica and the vipers were tking too much punishment to keep up.
One possibility (if you'd managed to jump away safely and had time for it): Consolidate Power lets you draw, potentially, a
lot
more Blue. And since Roslin wasn't President anymore and isn't much good at activating locations, she may have been your most efficient avenue to fixing some stuff.
BSG
That was some pretty smooth fifth-column double-agent stuff, P-C. If I hadn't seen your loyalty card I wouldn't have suspected you at all.
I would just like to note that I totally suspected Helo, in large part because he kept sending me emails saying things like "LET ME SPIKE SOME SKILL CHECKS YOU GUYS.", and on a related note, "I WANT TO SPIKE A GODDAMN SKILL CHECK." Helo really wanted to spike a skill check, is what I was hearing. One of the best things about running this game was being privy to his constant stressing about how best to sink the knife in.
BSG
One possibility (if you'd managed to jump away safely and had time for it): Consolidate Power lets you draw, potentially, a lot more Blue. And since Roslin wasn't President anymore and isn't much good at activating locations, she may have been your most efficient avenue to fixing some stuff.
I had the same thought, but as you said, there was never time to do it.
The advantage of the Chief in this instance, is not only does he draw a lot of blue, but repairing stuff doesn't "waste" his turn. He can also potentially get 4 vipers back up in one turn. (6 if he's already in the hangar and gets XOed.) So if we had a non-toaster Chief, we might have been able to keep a lot more birds in the air, in addition to getting Command and Weapons Control back on-line.
BSG
Yeah, when I chose to play Chief last round, it was because I was thinking he was a background character and I`d be able to get my feet wet. But this game it was clear just how valuable he was. In no small part because his player is thinking about fixing things as his first priority, whereas we are all doing stuff with other priorities, and really we could have used some stuff fixed! I mean, everything was broken at the end there! Ok, not everything, but you know what I mean.
BSG
I felt worn down to the raggedy end there those last two turns.
BSG
Some of my thoughts on the new Pegasus elements:
- The new ICs I'm not so keen on, being as I am something of a control freak. They seem necessary for game balance though, with all the other elements.
- I like the new skill cards in the various colours. The base game has only two possible effects in each deck, which after a while gets too predictable. New options also opens more ways for players to pull clever moves; in this game, I was impressed to see good use made of such options as Preventative Policy and Full Throttle.
They do change the odds of getting the staples - a player that draws 2 Green could previously expect an XO about 90% of the time, but in Pegasus it's only 80%. I'm not so sure it's a bad thing - it makes it easier for a Cylon to claim they didn't get one, and creates the occasional need for new strategies. (This is less the case with the new ICs; they really only add randomness.)
- I love the Treachery deck (and Reckless skill checks), for one simple reason: it gives revealed Cylons something to
do.
In the base game, revealed Cylons barely interact with the crew. They can spike skill checks and that's it between turns. Now, they have additional options. I'm a fan of the changes to the Cylon locations too; it makes them more viable and more interesting choices.
- The Pegasus locations are ok, but really seem to be just reworked base game mechanics. Pegasus' weapons add greater risk and uncertainty. Note too: they make SPs more valuable. An SP changes the result on a shot from Galactica only 25% of the time. It improves Pegasus CIC a full 50% of the time, and the Main Batteries are even better. The Engine Room is best for desperation situations, where you just need to get out of there fast. Then there's the Airlock, which brings us to:
- Executions. Thematically I like them - a lot of the main cast didn't survive to reach Earth - but they need to be handled with care. Some crews have used them as a go-to loyalty check - just start offing people so you know you can trust their replacements. I like it as a Brig alternative, but that reduces Tigh's attractiveness as a character.
- New Crisis Cards, Super Crisis Cards, Quorum Cards, Destinations, Characters. Big fan. I like the added variety, and some of them are really quite clever. The characters all seem fairly well balanced, except possibly Cain (who also makes Adama a lot less popular).
- Cylon leaders. I'm not such a fan. They're problematic as a balancing mechanism, and can be a lonely experience (mistrusted by everyone). On the other hand, at least you know for sure whose side you're on from the start.
- New Caprica. Overall I prefer Kobol, but it can make a fun change every now and then. Of all the new elements, though, this one changes the game experience the most.
In broad terms: I like elements that add variety without needless complexity; improve game balance; make the suspicion and deceit side of the game more interesting (and treacherous); and keep individual players more involved. I'm less keen on things that reduce game balance and/or increase randomness without offering the ability to control or manage it. Overall, I think Pegasus offers some very positive additions, but not everything works quite as well as they wanted.
