Fantasy Flight Games

Battlestar Galactica: Daybreak Expansion

Published 7 November 2014 | Battlestar Galactica: Daybreak Expansion

Battlestar Galactica: Daybreak Expansion

Learn More About This Expansion for Battlestar Galactica

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Battlestar Galactica: Exodus Expansion

Published 7 November 2014 | Battlestar Galactica: Exodus Expansion

Battlestar Galactica: Exodus Expansion

Learn More About This Expansion for Battlestar Galactica

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It's Time To Journey Home

Published 16 August 2013 | Battlestar Galactica: Daybreak Expansion

It's Time To Journey Home

The Daybreak Expansion for Battlestar Galactica: The Board Game is Now On Sale

Daybreak, an expansion for Battlestar Galactica: The Board Game is now on sale at your local retailer, and in our webstore! The Daybreak expansion invites you to undertake desperate missions, struggle under the constant threat of mutiny, and bargain with Cylon Leaders driven by motives of their own!

Daybreak comes with two supplemental game boards, twelve new character sheets, thirty new Crisis cards, twenty-five new Skill cards, and much more.

Mutiny

Inspired by the events of the fourth season of the television series, the Mutineer mechanic represents the fleet’s unraveling command structure in the face of overwhelming tension and desperation. This new system replaces the sympathizer rules from the base game, and primarily consists of two new components: a deck of twenty-two Mutiny Cards, and the “You Are the Mutineer” Loyalty Card. For more on this mechanic, check out our past preview.

The Search for Home

The Search for Home objective in Daybreak new rules, components, and victory conditions, as well as more opportunities for alliances, betrayal, and intrigue. Perhaps most importantly, it invites humanity to finally reach Earth. Read our Search for Home preview for more on this new objective.

The Journey Home

It's time to head home with Battlestar Galactica: Daybreak. Read the full rules for Daybreak on our support page. Then, purchase your copy at your local retailer, or on our webstore!

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Get Ready to Go Home

Published 26 July 2013 | Battlestar Galactica: Daybreak Expansion

Get Ready to Go Home

The Rules for Daybreak Are Now Online

Daybreak, an upcoming expansion for Battlestar Galactica: The Board Game will be arriving in stores soon! With two supplemental game boards and hundreds of cards and tokens, Daybreak invites players to undertake desperate missions, struggle under the constant threat of mutiny, and bargain with Cylon Leaders driven by motives of their own!

The struggle between humans and Cylons has never been more desperate. Can you overcome treachery, the threat of mutiny, and the enigmatic motives of Cylon Leaders to survive? Prepare yourself with the full rules for the Daybreak expansion. Download them at the support page (pdf, 7.7 MB), and then, get ready for the journey home.

Visit the Daybreak website to learn more, and then, look for Daybreak at your local retailer and on our webstore in the coming weeks!

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The Search for Home

Published 2 July 2013 | Battlestar Galactica: Daybreak Expansion

The Search for Home

Guest Writer Trevor Fehrman Previews the Next Battlestar Galactica Expansion

“The end times are approaching. Humanity’s final chapters are about to be written. And you–you will be its author.” –Number Six

Fantasy Flight Games recently announced Daybreak, an upcoming expansion for Battlestar Galactica: The Board Game. With two supplemental game boards and hundreds of cards and tokens, Daybreak invites players to undertake desperate missions, struggle under the constant threat of mutiny, and bargain with Cylon Leaders driven by motives of their own!

In our most recent preview, we took a look at the Mutiny mechanic, and we saw how the alternative Tom Zarek Character Sheet makes the player controlling him a master mutineer. Today, guest writer Trevor Fehrman presents a look at “The Search for Home,” an optional endgame that incorporates a new objective card, a deck of Mission Cards, and two new game boards.

Trevor Fehrman on Daybreak

In this installment of our ongoing series of previews for Daybreak, we’ll look at an exciting new game option: The Search for Home. This option introduces new rules, components, and victory conditions, as well as more opportunities for alliances, betrayal, and intrigue. Perhaps most importantly, it invites humanity to finally reach Earth. Let’s break down what’s involved.

When choosing to play with The Search for Home option, the human players will finally seek their ultimate goal: Earth. Getting to Earth will prove especially arduous as the Earth objective requires ten units of distance (as compared to eight units for the base game’s Kobol). Through the addition of the Demetrius and Rebel Basestar game boards, however, and the powerful new actions they provide, the journey is survivable…in theory. The catch, of course, is that these actions are available to Cylon players as well. The human players will have to manage their dwindling resources even more carefully than before if they ever hope to reach their destination. Meanwhile, the Cylon players will have to muster all their guile to either neutralize these new actions, or take them for themselves.

The Search for Home largely revolves around a single action space on the new Demetrius game board: The Bridge. By activating this space, players forgo revealing a crisis card for a turn and instead reveal a mission card. All mission cards require a skill check when revealed, and passing the check yields huge benefits to the human players. Even so, caution is wise, as failing the check can result in devastating consequences. Human players will want to activate this space only when they’re certain they can pass the checks–even one failure can prove decisive. Unrevealed Cylons will have to weigh the benefits of forcing a premature mission check (thus inflicting the failure penalty on their opponents) against revealing themselves for who they really are.

Our Last, Best Hope

Demetrius was designed as a sewage treatment ship, and as such its action spaces lack the tactical breadth of those on Galactica. Rather, the action spaces on Demetrius reflect the enormous risk of its far-flung mission. Let’s look at the spaces one by one.

We’ve already discussed the Bridge space above, so let’s explore the Tactical Plot space first. This space permits a player to look at the topmost unrevealed mission card and then decide whether he or she wants to leave it where it is or to tuck it away at the bottom. Mission cards, as we’ll see below, have the potential to dramatically tip the scales of the game, so both humans and infiltrating Cylons alike will reap substantial advantages by controlling which missions can be attempted when. The right mission at the right time could save the fleet–or destroy it.

In the diagram above, Lee Adama has activated Demetrius's Bridge, and has in turn activated the top card of the Mission deck, which is Cylon Civil War. Click the image for a larger view of Demetrius.

The Captain’s Cabin space allows a player to choose a skill type and then distribute one card of that type to each player, including the enemy. This space enables players to acquire crucial skill cards they otherwise wouldn’t be able to, but only by benefiting their opponents in the process.

Mission Control

The Mission Cards are at the core of The Search for Home option. Passing these skill checks will be crucial in keeping the fleet alive while it makes its especially dangerous journey to Earth. By the same token, failing even one of these checks can mean the difference between humanity’s salvation and its extinction.

Passing Attack on the Colony, for example, wipes all the Basestars off the board and then reduces the Cylon supply of Basestars by 1 for the rest of the game–a strong and lasting advantage. Failing this mission, however, instantly places an additional Basestar in front of Galactica, damaging her to boot. Human players might choose to attempt this mission if they’re in the midst of a snowballing Basestar assault, though failure would only add fuel to the fire.

Mission cards offer great rewards and great risks. Click any of the above images to enlarge.

One undeniably significant Mission Card is The Search for Home. It’s a particularly difficult skill check, and failure results in the loss of a unit of fuel, but if the skill check is passed, the fleet gains two distance units, thus essentially negating the extra distance the fleet has to cover to reach Earth. Human players will plan their entire strategy around accomplishing this mission, while Cylon players will use every tool in their arsenal to stop that from happening.

Another significant mission, and potentially more far-reaching than those above, is Cylon Civil War. Passing or failing this check results in the Rebel Basestar game board entering play, but only the winning side earns access to its powerful action spaces. The Rebel Basestar, and whose hands it falls into (as indicated by a flippable Allegiance Marker), is the definition of a game changer. Let’s take a closer look.

Whichever side controls the Rebel Basestar, which comes into play as a result of the Cylon Civil War, controls a potentially game-changing weapon. Click to enlarge.

A Rebel Without a Crew

Following the events of the series, human players have the opportunity to add a Cylon Basestar to their fleet. The Rebel Basestar has three formidable action spaces, but the cost of activating these spaces is steep (each activation costs either a miracle token or a Super Crisis Card) so players must time their usage with great care.

The Hybrid Tank space allows players deep control over the crisis deck. Upon activation, players are permitted to look at the next five Crisis Cards, then rearrange them however they wish. If the human players have control of the Rebel Basestar, activating this space could spare them a potentially calamitous draw. If the Cylon players control it, the human players will be in for the worst disasters the Crisis Deck can offer.

The Datastream space gives players unprecedented access to the skill decks. Upon activation, a player can search an entire skill deck and its corresponding discard pile for any three cards he or she wishes. Those cards are then added to the player’s hand. Activation of the Raider Bay space confers instant dogfighting superiority to the side that controls the Rebel Basestar. Players may put into play either two raiders or four unmanned vipers immediately. The Raider Bay space is for neutralizing threats quickly, or for securing key tactical damage.

The End of an Epic

The Search for Home represents the harrowing adventure of humanity’s greatest trial and, potentially, the culmination of its greatest triumph. With the introduction of the Earth objective card, the Demetrius and Rebel Basestar game boards, and the mission cards, The Search for Home brings the Battlestar Galactica: The Board Game experience through to the epic conclusion of the series. Will mankind find a safe haven at last? The answer is yours to discover.

Thanks, Trevor! Click the link to the right to read an excerpt (pdf, 2.7 MB) from the rules for Daybreak (and look for the full rules in just a few weeks), then bring humanity’s journey to its conclusion when Daybreak arrives on store shelves.

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Under New Leadership

Published 7 June 2013 | Battlestar Galactica: Daybreak Expansion

Under New Leadership

A Preview of Daybreak, the Upcoming Expansion for Battlestar Galactica

“I want to set this fleet on a path to freedom." –Tom Zarek

Fantasy Flight Games recently announced Daybreak, an upcoming expansion for Battlestar Galactica: The Board Game. With two supplemental game boards and hundreds of cards and tokens, Daybreak invites players to undertake desperate missions, struggle under the constant threat of mutiny, and bargain with Cylon Leaders driven by motives of their own!

As we approach the release of Daybreak later this summer, we’re pleased to begin a series of previews that will look at its new mechanics, characters, and challenges. Today, we’ll start with a closer examination of the all-new “Mutineer” mechanic, which allows Galactica’s crew members to gain a range of powerful new abilities...for a price. We’ll also meet a master mutineer, the duplicitous Tom Zarek, and we’ll take a look at how his alternative character sheet makes him the perfect choice for any player harboring a problem with authority.

Distribution of Power

In many ways, mutiny is a matter of perspective. When successful, it’s the rightful overthrow of a dangerous or tyrannical leader, carried out for the good of the crew and fleet. When unsuccessful, it’s a crime punishable by execution. After all, as Tom Zarek once said, "the truth is told by whoever is left standing."

In the complex, high-stakes political environment of Battlestar Galactica, this distinction is even more vital. At worst, a questionable president or admiral might be a Cylon, secretly biding his time before dealing an irreparable blow to the cause of humanity. But even if your leaders are human, their judgement may become clouded or the thrill of power may go to their heads. With so much on the line, can any one person be trusted to lead?

Let’s look at that deck of Mutiny Cards first. Mutiny Cards provide special abilities that players may perform as an action. The catch is that each Mutiny Card also includes a negative effect (negative for the humans, anyway). Send a Message requires that its player damage Galactica to take a powerful shot at a Cylon boarding party, while Necessary Risk buys the fleet some precious food . . . but it also places a basestar and three raiders uncomfortably nearby. With Make a Deal, anyone can enjoy a privilege once held solely by the president, and as a final example, The Strong Survive can move the fleet forward at the cost of a civilian ship! In some ways, Mutiny Cards can be thought of as Quorum Cards for the average Joe. We can’t all be president, but we can occasionally taste that same power.

Moderation in All Things, Including Mutiny

Then why not just load up on Mutiny Cards and use them as you see fit? It’s not quite that simple. The illicit dealings described on Mutiny Cards must be undertaken carefully, away from the prying eyes of those in charge. Successful sabotage, even sabotage for the good of the fleet, must be carried out with discreet, carefully measured movements. Too much insurrection (or even discussion of insurrection) all at once means unwanted attention from those in command, and that in turn means a trip to the brig.

Accordingly, each player may only hold one Mutiny Card at time (with the exception of the Mutineer, a role we’ll discuss a little later). As soon as a player draws his second Mutiny Card, he must choose and discard one, then his character is sent to the brig on charges of conspiracy. Mutiny Cards, therefore, offer a tempting risk/reward proposition. The potentially helpful effects they grant humanity cannot be ignored, but to hold onto one is to live with the constant threat of incarceration. Unfortunately, playing Mutiny Cards is one of the few ways to discard them, but there are plenty of ways to draw them...whether you want to or not.

Crisis Cards in Daybreak often force players to draw Mutiny Cards as part of a penalty. Rallying Support, for example, can result in the current player drawing one Mutiny Card and one Treachery Card, and Secret Meetings can inflict this fate on an innocent bystander! Treachery Cards can also result in an unexpected Mutiny Card draw, so given the fact that anyone can be forced to draw one at any time, cautious players know that the safest number of Mutiny Cards to possess is zero.

The new Colonial One overlay in Daybreak includes the Press Room, where characters can air their dirty laundry and unburden themselves of Mutiny Cards. Click to Enlarge.

Problems with Authority

Some crew members want to bring their leaders down, and they don’t care who knows it. These malcontents live on the edge, wearing their contempt for authority on their sleeves. They may have humanity’s best interests at heart (or not), but they’re fed up with the current command structure and what they view as life-threatening negligence or incompetence.

A new Loyalty Card, entitled “You Are the Mutineer,” represents an agitator who’s a little more comfortable with insubordination than his fellow crew members. This rabble-rouser is willing to take matters into his own hands, and he’s more adept at avoiding the consequences.

When constructing the Loyalty Deck at the start of any game that uses the Daybreak expansion, the players include the new “You Are the Mutineer” Loyalty Card in lieu of the “You Are a Sympathizer” Loyalty Card. And since the Mutineer immediately draws an additional Loyalty Card (after his Mutineer Loyalty Card), he can still be either a human or an unrevealed Cylon! This means that compounding their challenges, the human team will have to grapple with yet another dilemma: there’s a mutineer in their midst...but is his rebellion motivated by a genuine concern for humanity’s well-being, or is that just a convenient cover for his underhanded Cylon agenda?

Either way, the Mutineer can draw one more Mutiny Card than anyone else before he’s sent to the brig, meaning that at any given time, he benefits from the options they bring while enjoying relative safety from their consequences. On the other hand, the Mutineer draws these dangerous cards at a significantly increased rate; whenever the player with the “You Are the Mutineer” Loyalty Card draws a Crisis Card bearing the “prepare for jump” icon (on his turn), he must immediately draw another Mutiny Card!

The Ultimate Mutineer

Whereas some players might find the “You Are the Mutineer” card to be a burden, others will surely relish the role. For players of that mind, we present the ultimate mutineer, Tom Zarek. Notorious for his political cunning and ambition, Zarek returns here as an alternative character sheet – a “Military Leader” version of his former self. Zarek’s “Necessary Steps” gives him an unparalleled command of the Mutiny deck, while his “Abuse Power” once-per-game lets him play a just the right Mutiny card (for good or ill) at a crucial moment!

Click to enlarge

The stakes have never been higher, and there’s no room for failures of leadership. When you can’t trust your commanding officers, isn’t mutiny the only option? Find out when Battlestar Galactica: Daybreak Expansion releases early in the third quarter of 2013!

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Daybreak

Published 15 April 2013 | Battlestar Galactica: Daybreak Expansion

Daybreak

Announcing an Upcoming Expansion for Battlestar Galactica: The Board Game

“If we succeed in our mission, Galactica will bring us home.” – Admiral William Adama

The Battlestar Galactica, humanity’s last beacon of hope, falters and crumbles. A tenuous solidarity between human and Cylon wavers under overwhelming desperation and doubt. For those seeking the promise of peace, a single vessel guards the future. The Demetrius, guided by unknown forces, plots a course through the stars…a course for home. Many would oppose this vision of the future. In this desperate time, both human and Cylon are driven to take matters into their own hands. For some, this means risking everything. For others, this means mutiny.

Fantasy Flight Games is pleased to announce Daybreak, an upcoming expansion for Battlestar Galactica: The Board Game! With two supplemental game boards and hundreds of cards and tokens, Daybreak invites players to undertake desperate missions, struggle under the constant threat of mutiny, and bargain with Cylon Leaders driven by motives of their own!

New Crises, and the Crew to Face Them

Daybreak introduces twelve new character sheets, thirty new Crisis cards, twenty-five new Skill cards, and much more. Patch your fellow crew members up as the crotchety Sherman “Doc” Cottle, argue your way out of a tight spot as the clever Romo Lampkin, or take the role of one of several other fan-favorite characters.

Whoever you choose, you’ll face a range of never-before-seen Crisis cards. Even as the fleet falls apart from years of wear and tear, it is plagued by religious turmoil, an openly insubordinate crew, and constant harassment by Cylons. Luckily, their time at war has also honed the crew’s skills; new Skill cards represent the level of adaptability and fearlessness you’d expect from seasoned veterans.

New Plastic Centurions replace the Centurion tokens from the base game.

An Epic Journey Concludes

As humanity enters its darkest hour, a glimmer of hope appears on the horizon. By undertaking a series of dangerous missions, the Colonial Fleet has an opportunity to not simply survive to see another day, but to once and for all defeat their enemies and find a home to start their new lives.

“The Search for Home” is a collection of rules and components that together make up an optional Battlestar Galactica experience. A new endgame plus much more, “The Search for Home” option adds a game board for the Demetrius, the sewage processing ship that becomes the fleet’s best hope of salvation.

The crews of the Galactica and the Demetrius will go on challenging missions, represented by new Mission cards, as they gradually approach a new life on Earth. These high-risk, high-reward Mission cards offer potentially game-changing effects...if you can earn them.

With all of these options (and much more), the struggle between humans and Cylons has never been more desperate. Can you overcome treachery, the threat of mutiny, and the enigmatic motives of Cylon Leaders to survive? Find out when the Daybreak expansion for Battlestar Galactica: The Board Game arrives in stores in the third quarter of 2013. In the meantime, learn more at our Daybreak website and check back often for previews!

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Humanity's Moral Compass

Published 20 January 2011 |

Humanity's Moral Compass

The FAQ for Battlestar Galactica: The Board Game has been updated

“We make our own laws, now. Our own justice…we’re not a civilization anymore. We are a gang.” –Lee Adama

On a journey to an otherwise unexceptional nebula, the next marker in their quest to find a new home, the crew of Battlestar Galactica nearly buckle under the intense psychological burden of their many challenges. With so many conflicting personalities in the fleet, Humanity needs a unified voice more than ever.

Find the guidance you’ve been seeking, and lead Humanity to salvation! The FAQ for Battlestar Galactica: The Board Game (pdf, 8 MB) has been updated, and now includes questions from the Exodus expansion. Visit the support page to download your copy.

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The Exodus is Nigh

Published 31 December 2010 | Battlestar Galactica: Exodus Expansion

The Exodus is Nigh

Exodus, an expansion for Battlestar Galactica: The Board Game is now on sale

“We have struggled since the attacks... trying to rely on one another. Our strength and our only hope as a people, is to remain undivided. We haven't always done all we could to insure that.” - William Adama

Exodus, the latest expansion for Battlestar Galactica: The Board Game, is now on sale! Visit your local retailer or our webstore to pick up your copy today and save the remnants of humanity from the Cylon menace!

With three new options to add to your game, Exodus is a great way to expand on the accusations and mistrust that run rampant in Battlestar Galactica. You can choose to add any combination of the three new options included in Exodus. Crave more white-knuckle space dog-fighting? Incorporate the Cylon Fleet option. The Conflicted Loyalties option introduces new Loyalty Cards that will test even the most trustworthy allegiances. Finally, relive the emotional turmoil of the hit television series with the Ionian Nebula, which pits players against the various conflicting personalities aboard Galactica.

The Relentless Pursuit

The Cylon Fleet option keeps the pressure intense by introducing the Cylon Fleet game board. This board makes sure that every Crisis Card drawn will result in some sort of enemy ship activity. Once the Cylon Pursuit Track reaches the end, the Cylon ships will transfer over to the main game board, surrounding Galactica. There’s little time for rest between assaults, so get out there and protect those civvies, fighter jockeys!

You Can't Handle the Truth!

Alliances are put to the test in the Conflicted Loyalties option, where the new Final Five Loyalty Cards up the stakes and introduce penalties for revealing your fellow humans’ Loyalty Card. In addition, new Personal Goal Loyalty Cards present players with an incriminating task to undertake. If they don’t fulfill their goal, then they will cause Galactica to lose a resource at the end of the game. Will you raise suspicion by completing the damaging task, or will you lay low and hope your failures won’t condemn the rest of your crew?

Nebulous Intentions

Finally, with the Ionian Nebula option, familiar faces populate the fleet as allies, and can be encountered by visiting locations on Galactica. But beware! The Cylons can influence these non-player characters, compelling them to produce negative effects when encountered. Manage humanity’s conflicting personalities carefully... or infighting will leave you vulnerable!

The survival of the human race hangs in the balance. Where do your loyalties lie? Find out today with Exodus, on sale now!

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Humanity's Only Hope

Published 22 December 2010 | Battlestar Galactica: Exodus Expansion

Humanity's Only Hope

The rules for Exodus, a Battlestar Galactica expansion, are online

“We can’t hide from the things that we’ve done.” –Admiral William Adama

As the Battlestar Galactica continues its exhausting search for a new home, their Cylon pursuers hunt them at every turn. Whether it’s the Cylon fleet or the mental fatigue that catches up to them, the crew of the Battlestar Galactica cannot find a respite from their constant struggles. Paranoia and suspicion may tear them apart before the Cylons can even get a chance to.

The rules for Exodus (pdf, 2.1 MB), the upcoming expansion for Battlestar Galactica: The Board Game, are now available on the support page! With three new options to add to your game, Exodus is a great way to expand on the accusations and mistrust that run rampant in Battlestar Galactica.

You can choose to add any combination of the three new options included in Exodus. Crave more white-knuckle space dog-fighting? Incorporate the Cylon Fleet option. The Conflicted Loyalties option introduces new Loyalty Cards that will test even the most trustworthy allegiances. Finally, relive the emotional turmoil of the hit television series with the Ionian Nebula, which pits players against the various conflicting personalities aboard Galactica.

Visit the Exodus website for more information or to read our in-depth previews. Then, look for Exodus on store shelves late next week!

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Incoming Message from the CIC...

Published 15 December 2010 | Battlestar Galactica: Exodus Expansion

Incoming Message from the CIC...

A designer diary for Exodus, the upcoming expansion for Battlestar Galactica

As humanity searches desperately for the next sign of hope, the Cylons mercilessly maintain their pursuit. Among the harried citizens of the Colonial Fleet, every day is a torturous wait for the next bit of news... a battle, food shortage, or violent act of sabotage. Something has to give. But for the crew of the Battlestar Galactica, redemption may be closer than they think.

The release of the Exodus expansion for Battlestar Galactica: The Board Game is imminent! So far, we’ve seen the three major mechanics Exodus offers: the Cylon Fleet option with its constant pressure from enemy ships, the Conflicted Loyalties option and the distrust it creates, and the Ionian Nebula option with its themes of psychological conflict. Today, we’re pleased to offer a designer diary by Corey Konieczka, in which he shares some of his insights into the design process. Thanks, Corey!

More Cards, More Characters, More Components

With the Battlestar Galactica: Exodus expansion nearly upon us, I thought I’d take some time to share some insights into the new rules and mechanics (as well as some spoilers of new content!). The general design philosophy of this expansion was threefold; first, I wanted to build on what has always been the game’s strongest aspect: Paranoia. Second, I wanted to expand space combat in a meaningful way. And third, I wanted to continue to faithfully recreate the themes of the hit television series.

Exodus adds general components, as well as three optional ways to play. Any combination of the options can be used, and all options (except the Ionian Nebula, with its alternate endgame) may be used with the Pegasus expansion. But before we get into the mechanics of these three options, I thought I’d provide an overview of the general game additions.

Included in Exodus are new Crisis, Super Crisis, Quorum, Skill, Destination, and Character cards. These cards provide all sorts of new options for players. For example, the humans still start with two nuke tokens, but can now build additional ones during the course of the game. The card above (left), “Build Nuke,” makes use of the additional Nuke token that comes with Exodus. This is an amazingly powerful card, with a strength of six and an outstanding text effect... but there’s only one such card in each particular skill deck (check out Political Prowess!), so receiving them is somewhat less likely.

You’ll also notice new skill cards that do not contribute any strength to skill checks (like "Trust Instincts"; above, right). The abilities on these cards are only triggered during skill checks, and add more options that can benefit Humans or Cylons depending upon the situation.

Increased Paranoia

Moving on to the three major options presented in Exodus, the Conflicted Loyalties option was conceived of to make it even more difficult to distinguish friend from foe. I’ve been wanting to do personal goal cards for a while now, and was pleased with the final results. I remember one session in which one of our playtesters was clearly working against the humans. As I started to rally support against him, he fought other players' support to get ME put in the brig!

Over the next few turns, tensions rose and I eventually ended up locked in a lonely jail cell. To my surprise, the playtester then revealed his personal goal (which required me to be in the brig). These few turns of infighting unfortunately let the real hidden saboteur cause even more mayhem while I was distracted!

White-knuckle Space Combat

Any veteran of Battlestar Galactica will tell you that Cylon attacks are the biggest variable in a given game. Although the unknown can be exciting, I wanted to create an option for players who prefer more combat-heavy games. After some discussions, the Cylon Fleet option was born.

The first big element here is that jumping away from a Cylon attack is only delaying the inevitable. Any ships that you do not destroy can (and will) come back to hunt you! My second favorite element is increasing the importance of pilots. The CAG title gives one pilot many important decisions to make, while providing him with a bonus when piloting. In addition, the need to escort civilian ships makes vipers (and pilots) vital to the fleet’s survival! Whenever a viper occupies a space with a civilian ship, the player activating that viper may “escort” the ship to safety, removing it from the board.

The Cylon Fleet Option also provides some options for trickery...

When firing Nukes, the Admiral now targets areas of space rather than ships, meaning he can waste valuable ammunition... or even try to target civilians!

An Emotional Powder Keg

Much like with the Pegasus expansion, it was important for us to advance the theme and plot of the game to coincide with the television series. The Ionian Nebula is for players who want to really embellish the story and flavor of the universe.

Let me give you an example from one of our playtests. I was a support-class character, and was on my way down to the hanger deck to “get the birds back in the air” (ie: fix our dwindling supply of vipers).

I showed up at the flight deck and was not surprised to find the Chief there working on his own repairs. Fans of the show will instantly recognize the Chief’s hot headed temper and how much it affected the fleet at pivotal moments. I approached him asking for help, but startled him, setting off some sort of psychotic or alcohol-induced behavior. Needless to say, I ended up in the sickbay with two black eyes. Luckily, it did not cause us to lose the game, nor did I die from undiagnosed cranial bleeding (as can now happen in sickbay, with an unlucky Trauma token draw).

I hope that you’ve enjoyed this glimpse into the design of Exodus. I’m really excited for its upcoming release, and look forward to crushing some humans... AHEM, I mean Cylons. So say we all!

Thanks, Corey. Keep checking back; we’ll make the rules for Exodus available soon!

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Nebulous Intentions

Published 8 December 2010 | Battlestar Galactica: Exodus Expansion

Nebulous Intentions

A preview of Exodus, the upcoming expansion for Battlestar Galactica

Gaeta: There was another nova... Seen 4,000 years ago, around about when the Temple might have been built. It's 13,000 light years from our present position. It's a cloud of gas known as the Ionian Nebula. Adama: Maybe it was a road sign... showing the direction that they headed to next. -Battlestar Galactica, “Rapture”

A Signpost on the Road to Salvation

On a journey to an otherwise unexceptional nebula, the next marker in their quest to find a new home, the crew of Battlestar Galactica nearly buckle under the intense psychological burden of their many challenges. Although the fleet is full of allies ready to help and hinder, each character must ultimately face his own crossroad if he hopes to prove his worth.

Welcome to another preview of Exodus, the upcoming expansion for Battlestar Galactica: The Board Game! Exodus introduces three fundamental options to your Battlestar Galactica experience, and so far we’ve seen two of them. With the Cylon Fleet option, constant pursuit by Cylon ships will keep your crew’s pilots on their toes. Meanwhile, the Conflicted Loyalties option ensures that no one can be fully trusted. Today, we’ll explore the final the option: The Ionian Nebula.

An Engaging Personal Narrative

The Ionian Nebula option is the most mechanically complex of the three, adding many new elements to the game and profoundly affecting the overall experience. It turns Galactica into a living, breathing community of diverse individuals, and these personalities must be managed if you hope to further your own agenda. In short, both player characters and the new non-player characters will experience “Trauma” based on the hardships they encounter as part of life in the fleet. The important question is, how will these characters’ suffering shape their attitudes? Will a traumatized character become pessimistic and embittered, taking on a dark worldview that could endanger the fleet? Or will he rise above his suffering, finding a purpose in it and deepening his sense of compassion for humanity?

When using the Ionian Nebula option, you’ll find that your character develops a compelling personal narrative over the course of the game, culminating in an unforgettable climax. By the end, fierce fighting will rage in the void of space, paralleling the emotional turmoil raging in the heart of your character. But we’re getting ahead of ourselves; first things first...

Your Favorite Supporting Characters Join the Cast

Ally Cards represent the many individuals inhabiting the fleet for good or ill. Some denote characters who are also playable, but those Ally Cards are removed if their playable counterparts are in use (so no, Gaius Baltar couldn’t meet himself in the Research Lab). At any given time, three allies populate the fleet (their cards lie faceup near the board, and their tokens are placed in spaces on Galactica or Colonial One). If you wish to use a space occupied by an ally, you must “resolve” that ally first. This act thematically represents soliciting the character for his aid. But will he help you, or hinder you?

An Ally’s disposition is dictated by the Trauma token sitting facedown on his card. Take a look at Tom Zarek’s Ally card to the right (you can also see his Ally token, which marks his location). The location under his portrait indicates that this ally will occupy the Administration space on Colonial One; he’ll never move, and he’ll only be removed when resolved, or if his location is damaged or removed. What’s more, any player who ends his movement phase in a space with an ally is immediately forced to resolve that card (and indeed, this is the only way to resolve it)... so even if you suspect that Zarek has ill intentions, you’ll have to encounter him if you ever want to access the Administration space again. By flipping his Trauma token to reveal his disposition, you’ll determine whether he helps you (and subsequently lets you use the Administration space, should you choose), or whether your illicit association with this lowlife gets you sent to the brig!

Trauma tokens come in three types: Benevolent, Antagonistic, and Disaster.

Benevolent Trauma tokens represent a character’s resolve to keep an encouraging outlook despite intense personal suffering. When an ally is encountered, revealing a Benevolent token results in the positive outcome, after which both the ally and Trauma token are discarded.

Antagonistic Trauma tokens represent a person’s tendency to become bitter, brooding, and despondent in the face of tragedy. When an ally is encountered, revealing an Antagonistic token results in the negative outcome, after which both the ally and Trauma token are discarded.

Disaster Trauma tokens represent a terrible event, such as a death, and there are very few of them in the token pool. However, in the context of resolving Ally cards, they mean nothing. You receive neither the positive nor the negative outcome of the ally, and both the card and token are discarded. What, then, do these terrible tokens do? Read on!

Influence the Dispositions of Your Crewmates

Psychological distress strikes the men and women of the Colonial Fleet indiscriminately, so Trauma tokens aren’t just for allies. At the start of the game, each player takes three Trauma tokens, secretly looks at them, and places them facedown near his character sheet (you cannot begin with a Disaster token, so if you get one, redraw). One also goes facedown in the Brig, and another in Sickbay (visiting either location is a traumatic experience; should you do so, you’ll collect the token on this space before replacing it with one from the pool). If a game effect (such as starting your turn in the Brig or Sickbay, or certain Ally card effects) causes a human player to take a new Trauma token, he secretly looks at it and adds it to his personal pool... unless it’s a Disaster token, in which case he’s immediately executed!

Due to the slight risk of sudden execution, taking additional Trauma tokens is seldom desirable. On the other hand, when a player resolves an Ally card, that player replaces it with a new Ally card and secretly places a Trauma token from his own pool facedown on it, thereby determining the outcome for whoever resolves it! Does that mean that anyone who places an Antagonistic Trauma token on an Ally card must be a Cylon? Not necessarily. A genuine human may not have any Benevolent Trauma tokens to place... or he may be trying to “slough off” his Antagonistic Trauma tokens before the start of the Crossroads Phase, the alternate endgame introduced by the Ionian Nebula option.

When playing with the Ionian Nebula option, the final moments of the game are a feverish battle against both Cylons and personal demons. The Kobol Objective card is replaced by the Ionian Nebula Objective card, with instructs players to engage in the “Crossroads phase” after traveling eight distance. This is a pivotal moment in humanity’s search for salvation, as the Cylons launch a massive assault against the beleaguered fleet, and each character searches his soul and faces his own personal crossroads. Finally, each character’s peers will judge whether he still belongs among his own kind. Is your conscience clear?

Face the Judgment of Your Peers

The Crossroads Phase is completed in three steps:

Set up the Battle of the Ionian Nebula
Draw and Resolve Crossroads cards
Stand Trial

After setting up the Battle of the Ionian Nebula, each player draws a single Crossroads card. Everyone now secretly chooses a Trauma token (from his own pool) to determine the outcome of his individual card (if you possess no Trauma tokens, then you're an emotional rock; choose whichever outcome you prefer). In turn, each player’s decision is revealed, and the effects of his Crossroads card are resolved. Naturally, you’ll want the result that’s best for your team... but this is also your last chance to get rid of undesirable Trauma tokens before all players must bear their souls and stand trial for their transgressions. Do your needs outweigh those of your fellows?

After the Crossroads cards are all revealed, the time comes to face final judgement. Each player reveals all the remaining Trauma tokens in his personal collection. All humans discard tokens with the benevolent symbol, and all Cylons discard tokens with the antagonistic symbol. If, at this point, you have two or fewer Trauma tokens remaining, you may discard them as well; you’ve beaten your demons, and can stand among your peers as a gold standard.

If, however, you still hold Trauma tokens in the end, your peers will judge you harshly. For the humans, this means a death sentence. For the Cylons, it means the “boxing” of your entire line, and indefinite exile into cold storage. Either way, you do not draw a new character, but are eliminated from the remainder of the game! When eliminated in this fashion, you've lost... regardless of the outcome for the other players.

A Familiar Face Takes the Helm

The Ionian Nebula option delivers an additional layer of conflict to your Battlestar Galactica experience, while engaging you in an even deeper narrative. Can you defeat your personal demons in time? For more on how best to manage your Trauma tokens, refer to this brief excerpt from the rules (pdf, 2.8 MB). Finally, below is a character who (though a bit misguided) is no stranger to personal trauma. Felix Gaeta receives a range of Skill cards, and his ability to lead a well-timed coup could save the fleet... or doom it.

Keep checking back for more on Exodus, the upcoming expansion for Battlestar Galactica: The Board Game!

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You Can't Handle the Truth

Published 3 December 2010 | Battlestar Galactica: Exodus Expansion

You Can't Handle the Truth

Conflicted loyalties in Exodus, an upcoming expansion for Battlestar Galactica

With the Cylons hounding the humans at every turn, repressed ambitions and personal demons are pitting the people aboard Battlestar Galactica against one another. Hidden loyalties and active suspicions may tear, at any time, the entire ship apart.

Continuing in our series of previews for Exodus, the upcoming expansion for Battlestar Galactica: The Board Game, today we'll explore one of the three new options introduced. Previously, we looked at how the Cylon Fleet option cranked up the tension with a constantly pursuing gang of Cylon ships hot on Galactica’s heels. Today we’ll look at the Conflicted Loyalties option and how it creates even more deception and uncertainty around the table.

One of the central elements of Battlestar Galactica: The Board Game is the Loyalty Card. Not knowing which one of your friends is the enemy creates an exciting atmosphere of suspicion, and in Exodus, this sense of confusion and mistrust is increased. With the Conflicted Loyalties option, players can choose to include the Final Five Loyalty Cards or the Personal Goal Loyalty Cards... or both. These two new types of Loyalty cards are designed to generate doubt and create suspicion.

Before moving on, a bit of context is required. The Exodus Expansion introduces a new process for building the Loyalty Deck, replacing that part of setup from the core rules. Likewise, there is an altered process for handling the wrongful execution of humans (the initial steps of which can be seen in the preceding link). In summary, the Loyalty Deck is now slightly larger than before, and remains accessible near the board even after the Sleeper Phase. This means that if a player needs to draw a new Loyalty card for any reason, a deck exists that can generate mistrust all over again.

Getting back to our preview, the Final Five Loyalty Cards (like the one below, left) have negative effects that are triggered if the card is revealed to any other player. These negative effects can include activating Cylon ships, damaging Galactica, or even executing the player examining the card. What's more, they're all “You Are Not A Cylon” cards, so players that have them will be humans that are encouraging their comrades to not examine their card, or else the negative effect will be triggered (hindering their team). At the same time, an unrevealed Cylon player might use the same argument in a lie concocted to cover his own tracks. Who will you trust?

The Personal Goal Loyalty Cards (like the one above, right) are also “You Are Not A Cylon” cards, but they have certain tasks on them that must be fulfilled. These personal goals will almost certainly arouse suspicion among your companions, as they are generally detrimental objectives such as discarding skill cards or getting sent to the Brig. However, if the player can accomplish his task, he may reveal his Personal Goal Loyalty Card, discard it, and draw a new Loyalty Card. If the game ends before a Personal Goal Loyalty Card can be resolved, Galactica will lose the resource printed on that card.

With all these uncertainties plaguing the Galactica’s crew, there will surely be dire need of adaptable individuals. Cally Tyrol is one such individual. Impulsive she may be, but she has the resources and the dedication needed to pull through in a clutch. Also, her ability to immediately execute someone on the spot can be awfully tempting when the accusations start flying.

Don’t miss our next exciting preview of Exodus, when we look at the Ionian Nebula option!

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The Relentless Pursuit

Published 8 November 2010 | Battlestar Galactica: Exodus Expansion

The Relentless Pursuit

A preview of the Exodus expansion for Battlestar Galactica: The Board Game

The Cylons will not give up the chase. While the last survivors of humanity hurl themselves through space in search of a fabled planet, their aggressors are never far behind. There must be an operative on board the Galactica, because no matter how far you jump or how fast you fly...you cannot outrun them.

Since its release, Battlestar Galactica: The Board Game has been recreating the gripping drama and tension of the hit TV show on tabletops around the world. Whether you’re playing as a human or Cylon, BSG gives you the chance to challenge your opponents in a game of hidden agendas and frantic survival.

With Exodus, the second expansion recently announced for Battlestar Galactica: The Board Game, players can crank up the intensity of their game by adding their choice of three new challenging options. Today we’ll take a look at one of these new options introduced by Exodus: the Cylon Fleet.

The Cylon Fleet option adds several new components to the game. The first, and most notable addition is the Cylon Fleet game board. This board is similar to the main game board, containing six divided space areas. Unlike the main game board, however, the Cylon Fleet board contains a Cylon basestar in the middle, with an all new Cylon location. This location can only be used by revealed Cylons, and it contains several powerful abilities.

(Revealed Cylons can choose abilities at this new location, but cannot choose the same ability twice)

Also on the Cylon Fleet game board is the Pursuit Track, which represents the Cylon fleet actively pursuing Galactica. A Pursuit Marker is placed on this track and usually advances as a result of Cylon ship activations. Rather than nothing happening during Cylon ship activation when there are no ships to activate on the main game board, ships are placed on the Cylon Fleet board, and the Pursuit marker advances one space. Once the Pursuit Marker reaches the end of the Pursuit Track, the Cylon fleet has caught up to Galactica and all the Cylon ships are moved from the Cylon Fleet game board to the main game board. The space areas on the Cylon Fleet game board correspond to the spaces on the main game board so Cylon ships can easily be transferred in this fashion.

(Once the Pursuit marker reaches spaces 2 and 4, the CAG places the appropriate number of civilian ships on the main game board)

And don’t think jumping away will shake those Cylons! Rather than completely discarding Cylon ships after jumping, those ships are placed on the corresponding spaces on the Cylon Fleet board, while civilian ships are left where they are.

The Cylon Fleet option cranks up the tension outside Galactica, giving both human and Cylon players more challenges and more choices. When using this option, don’t expect any more respites from Crisis cards. Whenever a Crisis card calls for Cylon ship activation and there is no activity on the main game board, focus then changes to the Cylon Fleet game board. Eventually, the ships on the Cylon Fleet board will find their way to the main game board. This ensures there will be no lack of dogfights for pilot characters. It should also be noted that the Cylon Attack cards are removed from the Crisis Deck when using this option.

So, as you can see, humans now have their work cut out for them. What kind of assistance can they expect in light of these overwhelming odds?

First off, human players will be given a new title: the CAG. Much like the President and Admiral title cards, the CAG will have special abilities and a line of succession. One of the primary responsibilities of the CAG is to choose where to place civilian ships when instructed to by card or ability effects. This gives the CAG a bit of control over the board (which can be devastating for the humans if the CAG happens to be an unrevealed Cylon). In addition, the CAG has the ability of quickly commanding unmanned Vipers.

Speaking of Vipers...

Humans also have access to the advanced Viper Mark VIIs. These superior Vipers function similarly to regular Vipers, only better. These ships begin the game in the “Damaged Vipers” box of the game board and may not be used until they are repaired. Once repaired, these new Vipers can be a great boon for the human players. Due to technological advances, the Viper Mark VIIs are much more agile than their older models, moving two spaces instead of one when activated. This also makes them harder for enemies to hit, since these Vipers can only be damaged on a roll of 6-7 (as opposed to 5-7 for normal Vipers).

Vipers also now have an option of escorting a civilian ship in their space as an action. This is vital, since it is the only way human players can safely remove civilian ships from the board.

These new vipers will need capable pilots, and many eager nuggets are lining up for a chance to bring down some toasters. One such rookie pilot is Samuel T. Anders. While he’s still a pilot in training, Anders was once a star pyramid player, giving him a head for leadership and quick instincts.

Check back next when we delve further into Exodus!

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The Enemy Within

Published 21 October 2010 | Battlestar Galactica: Exodus Expansion

The Enemy Within

Announcing Exodus, an expansion for Battlestar Galactica: The Board Game

“We can’t hide from the things that we’ve done.” –Admiral William Adama

Fantasy Flight Games is pleased to announce Exodus, the latest expansion for Battlestar Galactica: The Board Game! With three new options to add to your game, Exodus is a great way to expand on the accusations and mistrust that run rampant in Battlestar Galactica.

Visit the Exodus website for more information, and keep checking back. This winter, will humanity finally find a lasting peace?

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This is Not a Drill!

Published 2 September 2009 |

This is Not a Drill!

Pegasus Expansion is now on sale

“The Cylons are coming to Earth. If they find us, they are coming for us. Those are the stakes. They always have been, Bill.” - President Laura Roslin, “A Measure of Salvation, Part 2”

Action stations! Action stations! Set condition one at your neighborhood game store. This is not a drill! DRADIS is picking up something big...

Fantasy Flight Games is pleased to announce that Pegasus, the much-anticipated expansion for Battlestar Galactica: The Board Game, is now on sale!

Pegasus Expansion brings the paranoia and intrigue of Battlestar Galactica: The Board Game to a whole new level with the addition of seven new characters, two additional game boards (featuring the awesome firepower of Battlestar Pegasus and the nail-biting tension of the end-game escape from New Caprica), and hundreds of new cards. Will you take the new role of the Cylon Leader, and try to manipulate humans and Cylons alike? And when the fleet attempts its exodus from New Caprica, will you man a viper and offer protection, or will you leave innocent thousands behind, abandoning them to their fates?

Head down to your friendly local game store and pick up your copy today!

So say we all...

Battlestar Galactica: The Board Game is a semi-cooperative game of politics, betrayal, and survival for 3-6 players, based on the hit Syfy Channel series.

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Executive Orders from the Colonial Admiralty

Published 20 August 2009 |

Executive Orders from the Colonial Admiralty

The New FAQ for Battlestar Galactica is Now Available

Previews of Battlestar Galactica: The Pegasus Expansion released at Gen Con Indy 2009 to overwhelmingly positive response, and we thank you all for the amazing support you have shown this game. But, just like after the Sleeper Agent Phase, questions still linger. To that end, we have updated the official Battlestar Galactica: The Board Game FAQ to take into account new questions that have arisen with the release of the Pegasus Expansion. You can download the new Battlestar Galactica Frequently Asked Questions document (v1.1, updated 8/18/09) from the Battlestar Galactica Support Page.This document should answer your Battlestar Galactica questions... except, of course, who among you is a Cylon...Battlestar Galactica: The Pegasus Expansion will be arriving in stores on September 2nd at your Friendly Local Game Store and at the FFG Webstore. To submit rules questions for Battlestar Galactica: The Board Game or any other Fantasy Flight Game, please visit our Rules Questions page. Battlestar Galactica: The Board Game is a semi-cooperative game of politics, betrayal, and survival for 3-6 players, based on the hit Syfy Channel series.

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...And They Have a Plan

Published 6 August 2009 |

...And They Have a Plan

The rules for Pegasus Expansion are now available!

People! I realize that there are still many unanswered questions here, but I refuse to lose sight of what this has always been about: Our mission to save humanity. Yes, it is a big one, but it is our foretold destiny... and I for one am not going to waver from it now. If there is anyone here who does not have the stomach for this mission, you are welcome to [leave]...

-Laura Roslin, “Home” part 1

At next weekend’s GenCon, Galactica will face new threats in its fight for survival... and gain new allies.

But you can start making your plans for humanity’s fresh start (or its destruction) now! The rules for the Pegasus Expansion to Battlestar Galactica: The Board Game are now available on our support page! Check them out, then come see us at the FFG booth to see a game in action!

Battlestar Galactica: The Board Game is a semi-cooperative game of politics, betrayal, and survival for 3-6 players, based on the hit Syfy Channel series.

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Success in Failure

Published 4 August 2009 |

Success in Failure

A Pegasus Expansion designer diary from Daniel Clark

Over the past several weeks, we’ve previewed Cylon Leaders, the Pegasus board, and the New Caprica board. This week, we bring you a designer diary from Daniel Clark, one of the developers in the team responsible for bringing you the Pegasus Expansion to Battlestar Galactica: The Board Game this fall! So without any further ado, we present “When Failure is not Really Failure.” Enjoy!

As I’m writing this, the Pegasus expansion for Battlestar Galactica is undergoing final editing and approvals. Looking at a calendar, the design cycle for this expansion went by fairly quickly – at least as far as my involvement went. But when I think about all the iterations that the project went through, it seems like it’s been a long, strange trip. The design element that I think has changed the most from initial concept to finish product is certainly New Caprica, and my experiences there have me thinking. To put it delicately, not every version of New Caprica that I designed was well-received by playtest groups. In fact, the final version of New Caprica that is going out the door as I type these words does not bear any strong resemblance to any of the designs that I submitted prior to moving on to Project: PHOENIX [an unrelated new project – ed]. One could argue that each of the designs of New Caprica previous to the final were, in fact, failures. So was that time and effort wasted? Does it mean that I’m a failure as a game developer? (Well, I certainly hope not, especially since many other elements I did design survived to the final version!)

When I began work on Pegasus (cleverly code-named PEGASUS before its announcement to the public), BSG designer Corey Konieczka already had fairly detailed notes on what would be in the expansion and some rough ideas of how each element would work. The New Caprica phase was probably the least well-defined, with the only known features that it would be played on a new board, that it would occur at or near the end of the game, and that humans and Cylons would both have reasons to interact on the New Caprica board.

Story-wise, we knew that the New Caprica phase would be representing the early episodes of Season 3, during which time the New Caprica Resistance fought a desperate (and rather morally grey) guerilla war against the superior Cylon Occupation Authority. Galactica herself would not be present for the first part of the New Caprica sub-game, as she had jumped away when the Cylon fleet appeared.

The first design had the human players splitting up between Galactica and New Caprica, having to manage dwindling resources in both areas until such time as they could be reunited and New Caprica could be evacuated. A special crisis deck was designed that had a mixture of “Galactica” crises and “New Caprica” crises. Players in the wrong location when a crisis was drawn had a reduced ability to contribute to the crisis, as if they were in the Brig. Meanwhile, the (known) Cylon players would move down to New Caprica and command battalions of Centurions to harass the Resistance.

There were a number of problems with this initial design. For starters, the division of crew into two pieces was messy, complicated, and led to a wide variety of rules confusions and lessened interaction – and a hidden Cylon could derail the whole process. (Leaving just Admiral Adama aboard Galactica? Whoops, turns out he was a Cylon! Humans lose!) Secondly, the locations on New Caprica were, at least in this version, mostly weaker re-treads of existing locations either in the Cylon locations or on Galactica or Pegasus. No one wanted to go down to New Caprica! Finally, the whole experience was overwhelming to the players with no obvious payoff. Simply put, there was no compelling reason to go down to New Caprica except that the rules said to do so.

Now, the design goal for New Caprica was an exciting, climactic finale to the game – something more gripping than “one last jump.” This had a number of corollaries, such as the entire phase being neither too long (which would make it boring and too hard on the humans) nor too short (which would make it seem pointless), having meaningful things for both the Cylons and the humans to do, and having a definite progression to an endpoint.

The next iteration of New Caprica saw a tightening of the location design and the addition of a Centurion “patrol path,” where the Centurions marched across the board locking down locations. The humans, then, had to destroy the Centurions to allow them to use the locations beneath them, which would give them the tools they needed to escape the planet safely, while the Cylons would be ordering more and more Centurions onto the patrol path in the hopes of capturing Resistance members. This gave both the humans and the Cylons some clear actions to take, short term goals to enact, and ways to interact with one another more directly than was typical in a normal game of Battlestar Galactica.

It was slightly more successful as a design, but was fairly repetitive for the Cylons and brutal for the humans. Back to the drawing board.

Another draft removed Galactica from the game board entirely, only to have it reappear for a massive final battle as the fleet jumped back into orbit! There were a number of really exciting mechanics and components tested out during this stage that made the space combat more intense than ever! Sadly, under that design the final battle lasted for only a few turns – not even necessarily one complete round around the table. Those mechanics will have to wait for another day to shine.

By a few iterations later, we had a workable, moderately exciting appendix to the Battlestar Galactica board game in the form of New Caprica…but an appendix was all it was. On reflection (these things are much easier to see from a remove, which is a big part of why playtesting is so important and why working in a design studio environment like FFG is such a joy), the New Caprica phase as presented had just a little bit too much complication for a little bit too little payoff, and most damning of all it did not smoothly connect past performance with future success. Performing well or poorly in the early stages of the game didn’t necessarily reflect on your success in New Caprica.

Then Corey Konieczka turned his red-tinted Cylon-vision to New Caprica and, in a display of humbling game design talent, turned what we had into the elegant, clean, well-integrated and exciting version you’ll find in the box very soon.

So the road to New Caprica is paved with failures. Discarded game mechanics, some of which I hope to see return when the time is right. Failed concepts that were either flawed from conception or flawed in execution. (No joke - I have a piece of notebook paper that reads “New Caprica hidden roles - get pregnant, +1 population!” Let’s all be thankful that never made it to the prototype stage.)

But from each failure rises a new idea. When a concept or a design fails, we as designers are obligated to ask ourselves: why did it fail? Was it too complicated? Did it create too much downtime? Were the abilities too weak to be desirable? Once we can answer those questions, we can take another crack at it. The patrol path concept failed in its first iteration because it created repetitive gameplay for the Cylons for too little payoff. As you’ll see, that didn’t mean that there was nothing of value in the idea, and identifying the how and why of the failure gets us that much closer to success…

Battlestar Galactica is one of my favorite board games, and it was a privilege and a pleasure to work on Pegasus. I think you’ll agree when you see the finished product that all that failure was worth it…

Enjoy the game!

Thanks, Daniel! Pegasus Expansion will be FTL jumping onto shelves soon!

Battlestar Galactica: The Board Game is a semi-cooperative game of politics, betrayal, and survival for 3-6 players, based on the hit Syfy Channel series.

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The Exciting Conclusion

Published 30 July 2009 |

The Exciting Conclusion

The third preview for Battlestar Galactica: Pegasus Expansion

We're all going to New Caprica. All of us. Every last, single one of us! It's our chance to be together. To be together again... I'm going to sign my first executive order requiring the fleet to immediately establish settlements on the planet we have come to know as New Caprica. -President Gaius Baltar, “Lay Down Your Burdens, part 2”

Offering a renewed confidence in the future, New Caprica seemed to many to represent a chance to finally put the war against the Cylons to rest... a chance to start over. Although the land was harsh and the climate was unforgiving, the crew of Galactica dreamed of starting families, building homes, and setting down roots. But the dream soon became a nightmare. The Cylons arrived, and with promises of peace and aid, occupied New Caprica and subjugated humanity once again. Their only hope was that Galactica, which had abandoned them when the Cylons first arrived, would return to liberate them.

Welcome to the third preview for the Pegasus Expansion of Battlestar Galactica: The Board Game! In the first preview, we took a look at Cylon Leaders. In the second, we explored the capabilities of Battlestar Pegasus herself. This time, we’ll get a sneak peek at the New Caprica board, the setting of humanity’s new victory condition. We’ll also meet the troublesome and manipulative Ellen Tigh, a new addition to the political leader category, and we’ll thumb through the New Caprica Crisis deck, a collection of all-new obstacles specific to the revised endgame!

The optional New Caprica Objective Card, if used, replaces the existing Kobol Objective Card, requiring that the action of the game shifts to the New Caprica Board after the humans have traveled seven or more units of distance. That is, if they make it that far. New Destination Cards give greater options to the Admiral, so you’d better be sure of his or her loyalty! The “Binary Star” destination, for example, grants two distance at a cost of only one fuel, but the confusion it causes temporarily leaves your civilians vulnerable. The “Misjump” destination provides an opportunity for a conniving hidden-Cylon Admiral to kick humanity while it’s down; not only does it fail to move the fleet forward, it destroys a civilian ship! If humanity overcomes these threats, they’ll face an even greater challenge on New Caprica’s surface.

In the mountains north of here there's this little stream that comes down into this lake... The water is so clear, it's like looking through glass. I'm thinking of building a cabin. -Laura Roslin, “Unfinished Business”

Once the New Caprica phase of the game has begun, things change in some fundamental ways. The ultimate goal for the humans during this phase is to protect themselves from the Cylon forces and prepare for Galactica’s return. The main Galactica board remains in play, (as does Pegasus, if she has survived this long) but its locations are off-limits, and its jump track takes on a somewhat different function; it represents the time remaining before Galactica’s return to New Caprica (at which point players can again use its locations). In order for the humans to win, they must prepare the remaining civilian ships for an escape, and the Admiral must order a final jump with Galactica (once it has returned) thereby leaving New Caprica and ending the game. Any human players left behind are executed and any civilian ships not evacuated are destroyed. If these losses reduce any of the resource dials to zero, the humans lose. If not, they escape and win, after which the Cylon Leader reveals his Agenda card to see if he can claim victory as well!

Upon the start of the New Caprica phase, all human players (including unrevealed Cylons) move their characters to the “Resistance HQ” space of the New Caprica board, and all revealed Cylons move their characters to the “Occupation Authority” – neither team may leave the board until Galactica returns. Any remaining civilian ships are randomized and stacked on the “Locked Civilian Ships” space; the humans will need to prepare them as they hold out for Galactica’s homecoming!

The Cylons have established a human police force… Hundreds of us have been rounded up by the Cylons, held in detention. Questioned. Tortured. -Laura Roslin’s Diary, “Crossroads”

The New Caprica Crisis deck, an all-new set of obstacles based on the award-winning third season of Battlestar Galactica, provides the game timer for the New Caprica phase, just as the standard Crisis deck had done for the majority of the game. Until Galactica returns to orbit (a timer which is still based on the recurrence of the familiar “prepare for jump” icon), all Cylon ship activation icons are ignored. But once Galactica returns and the evacuation is underway, these icons are again obeyed; additionally, players may then move between the ship and surface as they wish. The result is a frenzied and climactic endgame, as some crew members remain behind, desperately fighting to move the remaining civilian ships, and others head into orbit to defend those who have already launched against a new onslaught of enemy ships!

Before that, however, the humans must work to prepare as many civilian ships as possible. In the New Caprica Crisis card to the right, “Labor Union Strike,” you can see two important new icons along the bottom of the card. In this example, after the crisis is resolved, players should resolve the lower-left icons first, as usual. The first icon is the familiar “Activate Raiders.” Unless Galactica has returned and is in orbit (indicating that the end of game is imminent), this icon should be ignored. Next to that, you’ll notice the new “Activate Occupation Forces” icon. This icon indicates when “Occupation Forces” tokens are to be placed or moved along the bottom of the New Caprica board (the same result can be achieved through the use of a Cylon action on the “Occupation Authority” space), and when these tokens leave the shipyard, the top locked civilian ship is destroyed! This creates a desperate race against the clock – humans must either prepare all the civilian ships, ensuring their safety, or they must actively destroy occupation forces... all while rooting out hidden Cylons, and (if Galactica has returned) fending off raiders, heavy raiders, and basestars in orbit!

Continuing with the “Labor Union Strike” crisis example above, you’ll also notice a new icon on the lower-right corner of the Crisis card. Just to the left of the “prepare for jump” icon, the “evacuation” icon is only resolved when Galactica has returned to orbit (and in this case, the “prepare for jump” icon is ignored). It requires that the current player draw the top civilian ship from the “Prepared Civilian Ships” space and move it to the main board, indicating that it has been successfully evacuated (but leaving it vulnerable to raider attacks!). Since ships can also be evacuated using the “Shipyard” space on the New Caprica board, the humans will need to coordinate as many evacuations as it takes to feel secure in the final, game-ending FTL jump. After all, any abandoned characters or civilian ships will immediately translate into a loss of valuable resources!

I went to see them, the Cylons. Finally got to the one in charge... and I got him to notice me … the way men notice me. I'd do it again. I’d do anything! I didn't want anybody to be killed. -Ellen Tigh, “Exodus, part 2”

This Fall, the devious and ambitious Ellen Tigh joins the available characters. A political leader falling just below Tom Zarek on the presidential line of succession, Ellen is adept at taking power at just the right (or wrong) time. A deeply conflicted character, she is the only non-Cylon-Leader who draws Treachery cards as part of her skill set. Her “Politically Adroit” ability, however, gives her impressive control over her hand, and her once-per-game “Manipulative” ability means she can make the big decisions when it suits her.

The addition of the New Caprica board and mechanics promises to create an even more satisfying endgame for your Battlestar Galactica experience! In our next preview, we’ll present a revealing designer diary from Daniel Clark, who along with Corey Konieczka and Tim Uren, designed and developed Pegasus. In it, Daniel will share some of the “bumps in the road” that the design team encountered, and will give his insights into how even those failures had their benefits.

Battlestar Galactica: The Board Game is a semi-cooperative game of politics, betrayal, and survival for 3-6 players, based on the hit Syfy Channel series.

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