Review: Unfathomable revives classic Battlestar Galactica board game

Modern board games reached their peak in late 2000s and so was the new era of prestige TV. These two worlds met. Battlestar Galactica – The Board GameCorey Konieczka designed the. Sadly, it went out of print years ago, with even beat-up versions now collector’s items sold at a premium.

Fantasy Flight Games made a big step forward late last year by reinventing the classic game and introducing a new theme. IncredibleThis is an outstanding board game and it’s well worth the effort.

IncredibleThe basic premise of the game is that you, up to five other friends, are trying to preserve a ship and its passengers, as well as crew. The horrifying Deep Ones are conspiring against you, an evil mother-and-father pair of sea monsters and their family of wet, drippy creatures. It’s all hands on deck to repel the boarders, keep the engines stoked, and ride out the storm to reach safe harbor.

There’s just one problem. One of the six to seven people sitting at the table may be conspiring with The Deep Ones. As the traitor, it’s fairly easy to keep a low profile. The game’s many challenges can only be overcome by tossing cards into a communal pot. If enough of the right suits of cards show up, you’ve accomplished the goal. Because the cards are randomly revealed before being shown, no one can tell who placed which card. All you need to do is put the wrong cards in, undermining the other players’ efforts and causing the disaster to get worse.

Terrorists may also choose to come out. If done at the wrong time, the damage could be irreversible. Play those cards wrong, on the other hand, and you’ll spend the rest of your trip in the ship’s brig.

The original as it was Battlestar GalacticaYou can perform special moves in multiple places around the ship. To speed up the ship, you can either turn on the boiler or search the hold for special weapons. Slowly, but surely the Deep Ones will start to take over the ship. They shut off all of its powerful systems. You could even be damaged by them, which will bring you closer to defeat.

So, IncredibleIt is quite a step up from the previous. My experience is that the Cylons never boarded the Galactica. Once they did it, it was almost over. In this 1920s Cthulhu-inspired version, the Deep Ones will constantly be in your face. IncredibleAlso, there is a clever mechanism that exposes other passengers who are not with you on your cruise to danger. This, along with the subtle redesign of the seascape around the ship makes the game much more fluid.

This isn’t just a reskin of a classic game. It’s a tremendously well-conceived upgrade, and designer Tony Fanchi should be commended for that work.

A selection of Strength, Will, Influence, Lore, Observation, and Treachery cards. — You will need to read a lot in order to win this game.

My only issue is with the card’s art direction. There is a tremendous amount of text in this game, and the tiny little cards you have to hold in your hand could use more real estate — room for, say, graphics of any sort. Instead players will be asked to take in a stack of words, written in 8-point font. Likewise, the card backs don’t feel cohesive, and they don’t scan well at a distance on the table.

Starbuck is a guest star. Maybe Kara’s been reincarnated? Either way, the cat can be brought in without any problems.

Those quibbles aside, IncredibleYou can reap the benefits of quarterbacking. As a knowledgeable player familiar with the rules, it’s easy to put the pedal down and keep the game on track for its lengthy two- to four-hour playtime. If you have a dedicated board gaming group, or an ambitious team of newbies looking for a good time indoors, I can’t recommend this one enough.

Incredible The launch will take place on November 12, however, it is already available for purchase at select locations. Local friendly game shopsThis is the final retail copy of the game. Asmodee provided a final retail copy for review. Vox Media also has affiliate relationships. Although these partnerships do not impact editorial content, Vox Media could earn commissions on products sold via affiliate links. Find out more. additional information about Polygon’s ethics policy here