I actualy played a real-life 'at the table' game of BSG last night. I was the only person who'd played before and was helping the others to learn.

We spent the first third of the game (real time, not turns) involved in one massive space battle comprised of the initial force of Cylons plus two other Cylon attack cards. We used Communications effectively and had herded all EIGHT(!) civilian ships into sectors 4 & 5 with Raiders bearing down on us from both sides, vipers whittling at the raiders and Galactica suffering 3 damage (it takes 6 to destroy it).

We just managed to fix the FTL drive and jump out of there early, losing 1 population as opposed to the mass of ships we would have lost the next turn.

The rest of the game, there was only one other Cylon attack.

Still, the humans lost the game, losing their last point of morale just before they were to jump beyond the 7 distance they had covered.

The thing that really turned the balance of power was the Cylon Baltar who used the Resurrection Ship's power to give one of his other Loyalty cards to President Roslin turning her into a Cylon. She played a Quorum card that cost us our last Morale Point.

At the end of it all there were 4 Cylons - Boomer, Baltar, Tyrel & Roslin and 2 Humans - Apollo (comically) and Tigh (played by me, natch).

BT, I have a question; has there been much discussion about the Resurrection Ship's power? It seems insanely powerful to pick a probable human player and instantly turn them Cylon. I just can't imagine winning a game when the humans are outnumbered two to one.

BT, I have a question; has there been much discussion about the Resurrection Ship's power? It seems insanely powerful to pick a probable human player and instantly turn them Cylon. I just can't imagine winning a game when the humans are outnumbered two to one.

Yeah, the Resurrection Ship doesn't automatically make a new Cylon. It lets you pass off your unrevealed Loyalty cards. (So not the one sitting face-up in front of you saying 'suck it, meatbags!') If you happened to be dealt both Cylon loyalty cards, then you can make a new Cylon that way (this happened to me in the first game I ever played). If, however, your other card has Baltar with his arms wide as if to say "I'm this much of a tool", then all you can do is make the other players suspicious.

Yeah, I know it's your unrevealed cards, but if the Cylon in question doesn't have an extra "You're a Cylon" card then someone else does and that still makes it likely that the odds are there is (or will be with the Resurrection ship's power) 4 Cylons and 2 Humans, right?

I mean, the Loyalty deck is always completely used up after the Sleeper Phase, right? Maybe the guy who set up the game got that wrong...

I can't find my bloody rulebook!

If you have six players, the loyalty deck should have two Cylon cards (and at the Sleeper phase, one Sympathiser card). That's a hard limit on the number of Cylons in the game. Though I've occasionally been tempted to hand out Cylon cards to every player and see how long it takes for them to realise.

Another rule, easy to miss: a Cylon can no longer pass off their extra Loyalty card(s) once the fleet reaches 7 Distance or more. In Pegasus, incidentally, a Cylon automatically passes off their extra cards when they reveal - it doesn't cost an action.

BSG

Admiral Adama has chosen to lose 1 Fuel and 1 Population. Next, the basestars fire on Galactica again:

Attack 1: 7. Hit! Lose 1 Fuel.

Attack 2: 8. Hit! Lose 1 Food.

Finally, the jump prep track advances by 1. That concludes Zarek's turn. Admiral Adama, I'm sending you your card draw. When you're ready, please post your move and action.

(I have an exam soon, so I'll be dark for a few hours. I'll pick things up again when I'm done.)

BSG

End-of-turn summary:

Round 5.3 - Zarek

Locations and Hands
Apollo: FTL Control; 9 cards
Helo: Weapons Control; 4 cards
Zarek: President's Office; 8 cards
Adama: Research Lab; 5 cards
Boomer: Brig; 7 cards

Sectors
Sector 1: 1 Basestar
Sector 2: 1 Basestar
Sector 3: Empty
Sector 4: Civilians A
Sector 5: Civilians B
Sector 6: 1 RSV, Civilians C

Resources
Fuel: 5
Food: 4
Morale: 8
Population: 11
Viper Reserves: 7
Damaged Vipers: 0
Raptors: 2
Boarding Party: 0

Other
Nukes: 1
Jump Track: 3 (Blue)
Distance Travelled: 5
Galactica Damage: Armoury, Hangar Deck

Administrative note: Adama's card draw has exhausted the Leadership deck. I've reshuffled the discards.

frak!

Lego Star Wars is on my Do Not Like list too. Lego Indiana Jones is way better.

I've only played LSW I as part of The Complete Saga, which fixed some of the levels to bring them inline with LSW II. Having played the original levels in the "bonus" area, I can easily see why they changed it.

I don't know, I might just be too forgiving on a game that lets use a lightsaber to deflect blaster bolts and "cut" droids and Storm Troopers to pieces. (And have Chewie rip Storm Troopers' arms off.)

I also find the cut scenes, especially in II, highly amusing.

Although Mal and I did giggle ourselves into fits: we both became Jar-Jar and then threw ourselves off a cliff, over and over and over and over.

Mattias did that. He doesn't even know who Jar Jar is, but he picked him and we started off Dooku's stage where you're standing on a ledge. He managed to position Jar Jar perfectly where he slipped to his doom immediately after respawning and Mattias was reduced to lying on the floor, shrieking with laughter within 30 seconds.

I'm looking forward to Lego Harry Potter though I doubt I'll be able to afford it.

I think all the Lego Games have been released in the $30 range, so far, and rapidly drop to $20. Of course, this is Harry Potter, so who knows?

The gf is very much looking forward to the game, despite not playing video games at all since SNES days, to the point where she'll jump in and play some Lego Star Wars with me from time to time just to get the basic skills down.

BSG

Yikes. At the rate we're losing food Zarek may have to use his one-time ability to break out the Soylent Green.

If you have six players, the loyalty deck should have two Cylon cards (and at the Sleeper phase, one Sympathiser card). That's a hard limit on the number of Cylons in the game. Though I've occasionally been tempted to hand out Cylon cards to every player and see how long it takes for them to realise.

Yeah, I just had a word with the guy who was hosting and did deck set-up; as I suspected he misread what to do to the Loyalty deck when there's a Baltar or Boomer. Instead of adding 2 "You are not a Cylon" cards, he added 2 "You are a Cylon" cards. I thought the balance of power was off.

I have to admit some wry amusement though that these people's first game of BSG was as unrelentingly grim as the actual TV show.

This game is hard enough as it is.