I think it takes a step towards something new in terms of story development  - character progression in particular - to an extent not seen previously in a board game. Disregarding RPGs and story-telling games such as Once Upon a Time and The Extraordinary Adventures of Baron Münchausen, I believe this is the first board game I have encountered where the story of the protagonist(s) evolve beyond simple meta-game narration related to the main plot, and takes a direct hand in fleshing out the characters. A detailed background providing a bit of flavour is usually all you can hope for in a board game, provided the setting warrants it (I don't care if my game piece in Ludo has been in and out of rehab for several years), but ultimately it has no bearing on how you play the game. Arkham Horror is a fine example of this trend to integrate story into a game, which it did so with loads of flavour text - beautifully done so, in my mind - but the characters are unimportant story-wise.

Android, however, seems to take a different approach, and really embraces the notion that in order to tell an immersive story you need compelling characters, and for that to happen they can't remain static passengers along for the ride, as is the case with the investigators from Arkham. I like this idea, that the story is character-driven instead of the other way round.

I have yet to purchase the game, so whether or not they have succeeded in their endeavour and successfully implemented meaningful storylines while still retaining the features necessary for a fun gaming experience is yet to be determined.

Thanks for your breakdown of the rules, extremely helpful!

Big Head Zach said:

You still can user other Twilight cards to pay for the cost right?

eg. I have 3 cards and I'm on the furthest dark side of the TL-track, I still can play 1 light card of "2" by paying with the other two?

Yes, providing you have still one time left.

 Just to clarify, you have to be able to pay a DL cards full cost in order to play it, correct?

Also a two questions about DL card play:

a) Can you play a card that you do not have the additional costs for? (i.e. if the card directs you to pay a favor for some effect)

b) If you can pay the additional cost are you required too?

Another question I had about events:

Many events direct you to place a npc marker and the rules cover the case where the npc marker has been eliminated, but what about if the npc's owner is not in play?

tommh said:

Yes. But remember that you can discard additional cards to lower the twilight cost.

tommh said:

No.

tommh said:

Unless somewhere in the card the entire text or a part of it is linked with a "may", you are required to.

 tommh said:

Resolve the event normally.

Don't know if this has already been answered, but:

How and when do you sacrifice things?  Do you have to do it on your turn?  Does it cost time?  Specifically i was wondering in regards to putting bad baggage on other players.

thanks

wellist said:

Mu understanding is that you must !) sacrifice it on your own turn 2) it does not coast an action or time or light/dark shifting unless specifically mentioned and 3) you c annot gain any other benefit from sacrifing it.

Ive had that same question for a while now.

Also, if you perform an action that consumes something (favor, pass, etc) and that action is canceled, do you still lose was you were using to perform the action?  I say yes, my friends say no.

And when someone plays a fight card on you, do you get to know the consequences(trauma, etc) of your light and dark choices when choosing?  Or do you just pick one and hope for the best? Once again, I say yes, my friends say no; theres even light fight cards you play on yourself.

When you play a card on someone, they should be allowed to read the card so that they can make a decision based on the outcomes presented.  For those of you who think it would be more 'realistic' or 'RPG-like' to keep this information secret, just imagine a few games in when one player gets to know the cards.  And you then play with a new player who doesnt know the cards - they are at a big disadvantage.

Like all other cards in the game, all players should be able to see them, read them, etc.

There is nothing in the rules that tells you to draw the card, keep it secret and only read out certain things from it.  All games that I have that should be played like this specifically state that in the rulebook.

 When you Dig Deeper instead of picking a conspiracy puzzle piece, does this cost an extra time?  The rules don't explicitly say so, but the caption in the rules suggests it.  Or does that represent the time spent following up the lead?

Phantom said:

No it does not cost more time.  The cost has already been paid and this is one of the outcomes of uncovereing the conspiracy.  The 1 time was spent in "Following up a lead" and "digging deeper" was how he resolved it.

In relation to the Louis Blaine plot that states something like "Each time you sacrifice a Sara favor, put one good baggage on this card," do you have to wait until something else forces you to sacrifice a Sara favor, or can you sacrifice a Sara favor on your term.

I was getting confused with the use of that term, which seems like you need to wait until something else forces you to sacrifice a Sara favor, with the use of the term "you may."  Like in the Rachel plot that says, "You may sacrifice a Lena favor for $2,000."  But then was further confused with some other Louis plot that like "When you discard two light cards, gain a good baggage." 

So, do plots like this let you fullfill these on your term versus waiting for something else to fulfill the condition?

I think ANDROID has 2 strong points:

1. It's 3 types of games in one, 3 income streams for Victory Points, so you have to either balance your efforts or go hog-wild to focus on either Plot Points, Evidence on Suspects, or Conspiracy bonuses.  The big points seem to be more on the Conspiracy Puzzle side, since Plot Points and Points from successful Hunches are capped, you can't get any higher than certain numbers, but possible Conspiracy linkages and 5-in-a-row (4 VP) seem to go on and on.  But then again, some successful conspiracy linkages give bonuses to your Plot Endings or Hunches as well.
2. The strong "cyberpunk" theme appeals to me, and the plot card Endings are beautiful!   I thought it was very joyful when Floyd the Bioroid got a breakthrough and could imagine animal shapes in the clouds, taking a step on the path to becoming a Real Boy (lol!)  And it was depressing when Caprice could not quite control her psychic flashes or shut out people's unwanted thoughts and grim emotions and, with tears in her eyes, had to start taking medications to suppress her powers rather than go insane.

These endings resemble the post-climax bits in drama series, some personal vignettes after the action and violence.  Each "episode" ends in a hopeful uplifting ending, or a nasty depressing incident that paves the way for the character to try harder to overcome problems (in another episode!)  Viewers invest in the characters' stories, identify with them, and get primed to keep following the developing story.  This is great that a game does this!

I well imagine "ANDROID" and its well-defined characters and relationships as a TV series.  The only thing it's missing for a series is more interaction and personal rivalries between the detectives instead of impersonal bomb-dropping at a distance.   Or maybe a romance between Floyd and Rachel since they appear to be the only unattached detectives?

For the love of all that is Science Fiction, SOMEBODY get a copy of this game in the hands of Joss Whedon (writer and director of BUFFY and FIREFLY).

The play of the cards means someone else can force you to LOSE a Sara Favor if you have one.  Sacrifice means more that you own and control a thing but may choose to destroy it at any time (paying any other costs mentioned) to gain something else.  LOSING and SACRICIFING something are not the same but arise from different causes.