Objective of the Game
Battlestar Galactica: The Board Game is a semi-cooperative game where players take on roles from the acclaimed TV series. The primary objective for the human players is to successfully complete enough FTL (Faster Than Light) jumps to bring the bulk of humanity to safety. However, beware: some players might be Cylons in disguise, malicious robots secretly working to sabotage and destroy the fleet.
Game Components
The game includes: - A game board depicting the ship and the galaxy - Character sheets - Skill cards - Crisis cards - Cylon and Loyalty cards - Tokens for resources and ships
Setup
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Choose a Character: Each player selects or randomly draws a character from the series. These characters are divided into categories: Military, Political, Engineering, or Pilot. Each character has special abilities and possibly a disadvantage.
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Assign Roles: Based on the number of players, Cylon and Loyalty cards are dealt secretly. In a five-player game, for example, there are two Cylons among them.
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Prepare the Board: Place the game board in the center and position the ship models on their starting locations. Resources like fuel, food, morale, and population start at their initial values.
Gameplay
A player's turn consists of several phases: 1. Draw Cards: The player draws skill cards corresponding to their character's class.
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Move: The player may move their character to any ship location or into a Viper fighter.
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Take Actions: The player can perform actions found on their character sheet, skill cards, or the game board.
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Draw a Crisis Card: The player draws a crisis card, which presents a challenge that the team must collectively overcome.
Crises and Skill Checks
A crisis often results in a Skill Check, where cards contribute a hidden total value. There are positive and negative skill types, and it is up to the team (including potential Cylons) whether they wish to pass or sabotage the check.
FTL Jumps
The escape is achieved by maxing out the jump track, which can be advanced through successful crisis resolutions and skill checks. After a jump occurs, the route marker is moved farther along a track until it reaches 8, initiating the final jump.
Cylons and Betrayal
As the game progresses, Cylons might reveal themselves to overtly work against the humans by imprisoning players, executing sabotage, or derailing plans directly. Strategic deception is key.
Winning the Game
- Humans win by achieving the final jump.
- Cylons win if any resource is depleted to zero, Galactica takes too much damage, or too many Cylon raiders successfully attack.
