ND=BE ? huh. So is that some kind of crypto hack or something? Odd letters, subtract 12, evens add 1? And this unlocks what Easter Egg?

Dead Space is another game I'd like to check out if I ever find time.

Just beat it last night. Took me over 16 hours on Medium, but my brother had done it in about 10 or 11. It's pretty awesome from start to finish, and the story, while your typical sci-fi fare, is done well. It really feels like you're in a sci-fi horror movie.

We played the BSG boardgame yesterday. For about 6 hours. I will give a full session report when not on my new ipod touch, but I give it high marks. Especially if you think the setup for Puerto Rico is way to simple and short.

We played the BSG boardgame yesterday. For about 6 hours. I will give a full session report when not on my new ipod touch, but I give it high marks. Especially if you think the setup for Puerto Rico is way to simple and short.

Looking forward to it. One of the things that attracts me ot the game is that the session report write-ups on boardgamegeek are just so much fun, the game seems designed to produce a strong narrative.

(No pressure.)

We've played it twice now and I've been the cylon both times. 1 win and 1loss. And I was told I'm not just a toaster but a Hello Kitty toaster.

So say we all.

And I was told I'm not just a toaster but a Hello Kitty toaster.

All of this has happened before; all of this will happen again.

Does anyone know of any good Brain Age like games for the iPhone?

OK. BSG. I like it. Players can choose one of 10 characters, each with different strengths and weaknesses. Rules for choosing ensure that there is a military character, a political character, and a pilot character. On top of your character skills, you may get a title (President or Admiral) that comes with its own benefits (like nukes).

Loyalty is randomly determined at the beginning and again at the midgame. Boomer has the highest chance of being a cylon, and Baltar has the highest chance of being a sympathizer, but nothing's set in stone; I was Starbuck first and Apollo in the next game, and became a cylon halfway thru in each game.

Oddly enough, even though I was NOT a cylon in the first half of the first game, everyone was convinced I was, so I got outed immediately. Which sucks.

Once revealed, the cylon becomes exceedingly weak, which is my only real problem in what's otherwise a very well-balanced game.

Oh, and there can be more than one cylon, and each one has a different special ability...but when you are revealed, you lose all your normal abilities (Kara Thrace can no longer pilot, for example).

There's a lot more luck than in most Euro-games, but it's kind of a nice break from a game-theory-example-with-theme-glued-on experience. The theme and gameplay are very well integrated, and you can choose whichever style of play best suits you (I like the run and gun, so I've played a pilot both times and been able to get out in space and shoot cylon raiders).

I have a few quibbles - the learning curve was rough, and it would be nice to have turn sequence and damage results printed somewhere on the game board. Also, we used an entire box of snack bags when packing the game back up - there are about 1000 little cards and chits, and 32 plastic spaceships. Also, there's no way to airlock anyone.

However, the aura of paranoia and stress is brilliant, as accusations fly about who the toaster is and the fleet deals with crisis after crisis. Both times we've had players who haven't watched the show (one had never heard of it, or the original series), and both players also enjoyed the game a lot. It keeps you busy, even when it's not your turn (unless you are a revealed cylon, when you spend your time rearranging the damaged vipers and raptors into line dance formations).