Top 10 Best Sci-Fi Board Games
This week we will take a look at some of Aeithe.net’s favorite science fiction board games. This list is going be a great list so let’s just start!
10. Twilight Imperium:
Fantasy Flight Games
This game is one of the big ones, as it takes a very long time and is such an epic experience. Twilight Imperium is a victory point based war/economics/trading game. It is your tradition 4X game: Explore, exploit, expand and exterminate. The last time I played this game it was over surprisingly quickly. I think it was because we were all having a good time n00bing around and one of the other players was in it to win it and scored a bunch of VP in one turn and basically ending the game. Although this happened, it was a good time and the theme is just so deep in Twilight Imperium. There are tons of different races and so many different avenues for winning (most of the time).
9. Space Cadets: Dice Duels:
Stronghold Games
In this fast paced game player are in two teams each part of a Star Trek like crew and the two ships are in dangerous space combat!. Each team frantically rolls dice trying to set up shields, torpedoes, target locks and maneuvers in order to blow the other ship out of the space sky! This game is so fast paced and action packed it is hard to not enjoy it. Everyone is rolling dice captains are screaming order and making sure their ships are protected. I love playing this game. Plus is plays with so many people! This is one you can get up to 8 people in on and not have trouble explaining the rules or anything.
8. Forbidden Stars:
Fantasy Flight Games
Forbidden Stars is a war game that is set in the Warhammer 40k universe. Each player takes control of one of the 4 races included in the game: The Orks, The Eldar, The Space Marines, and The Forces of Chaos. The goal of the game is for each play to obtain as many of their races relics that are scattered over the galaxy as there are players. If this cannot be accomplished the player with the most wins after so many turns. This game has so much depth that it is a bit over whelming at first. Each part of the game has a deeper importance that you may not get on the first time through. The best part of this game is the order bluffing. You play order face down and no one knows but you what you goals and schemes are until you reveal them! It makes for a very exciting game of chicken. There is a lot more to this game that I cannot go into here but I highly suggest you check it out!
7. X-COM: The Board Game:
Fantasy Flight Games
In X-COM the players take control of the heads of the similarly titled alien defense division. The players are guided by an app through a timed phase of the game. In this phase the players are told to perform tasks in a very small amount of time. If the task not preform it is forgone. During this phase alien and threats are placed and soldiers are sent on missions and scientists are assign to discover alien tech. When the timed phase is over, the resolution phase beings. In this phase player roll dice and resolve game effect to see if their previous timed phase assignments succeeded or failed at protect the people of our world from the invading alien forces. The game has a nice break up of fast paced assignments and suspenseful resolutions. It is a great 1-4 person game but it definitely shines at 4 players as each player having a roll makes the game so much fun.
6. Alien Frontiers:
Clever Mojo Games
I just recently started playing this game and I am thoroughly enjoying it. In Alien Frontiers each player is trying to garner the most victory points before a player builds their final colon, seems simple right? But this dice placement/area-control game is fantastically deep. My favorite part about this game is the player interaction. Most dice placement games to require you to build together or knock other players off spaces. But this game actually lets you steal and hard block other players. It gives this seemingly mundane game a back-stabby feel. I would suggest this game as a solid gateway game. It is incredibly easy to teach but is deep enough that there is always an answer to each little problem you face.
5. Android: Netrunner:
Fantasy Flight Games
I have previously talked about LCG’s on Boxed Culture and Netrunner is one of the best ones. This game is played exclusively by two players, one player playing as a runner and one player playing as the corporation. A runner’s goal is to steal agendas from the corporation and expose their evil schemes. The corporation’s goal is to protect and further their agendas by advancing them to the point of completion. This game is a one of the most thematic deck construction games I have ever played. Each card seems to be designed in a top down fashion, taking a cyberpunk theme or idea and building a card around it. The fact that it is an LCG just makes it even better because you get all the cards at once!
4. Legendary Encounter: Aliens/Predators:
Upper Deck Entertainment
In the same vein as Legendary Marvel, Legendary encounters takes the system and applied a new face to it. In these games you get to play through the Alien and Predator moves, and it is freaking amazing. The game is a co-op deck builder and relies on team work and strategy to get through all the objectives and end the game. Each movie feels distinct with different character decks and mechanics. Then once you have finished all the movies you can make you own. The best part if all the games that use the Legendary system can be combined. This means you can have predators hunt aliens and have the Avengers combat the xenomorphs themselves.
3. Warhammer 40k Conquest:
Fantasy Flight Games
This is the second Warhammer 40k game on this list as well as being the second LCG on this list. You may be thinking this is a ramshackle list of whose-a-whats-it and thinger-mabobs, but Conquest isn’t just you average deck construction game. This game plays out over an entire universe where two armies vie for control of the Traxis Sector! Each player builds a deck around a warlord and their signature squad, a set of cards that must be included when you use said warlord. Then both players deploy units and battle for control of planets and resource. The game is deep and strategic and tactical all at the same time. It is a desperate battle for resources and power and you really feel the sacrifice of war weigh on your mind. I highly suggest anyone that is looking for something deeper than you average deck construction game and loves 40K picks this up. It is still new and not that expensive to get into!
2. Core Worlds:
Stronghold Games
Core Worlds is a game that follows the players building and developing their own barbaric galactic race in order to conquer the core worlds at the end of the game. This game is a deck builder but not your traditional deck builder. You buy units and this will establish how you race will take over planets thought he game. If you want to conquer a certain core world you may need to acquire 14 ground troop power by the end of the game to do it. This is just a small taste of how you would set a deck up. The best part of this game is that the strategy is built and honed throughout the game. If you like galactic conquest game this one is a must and the expansion makes it even better!
1. Xia: Legends of a Drift System:
Far Off Games
Xia was a Kickstarter project, that has some of the best components I have ever seen in a game: metal coins, pre-painted ship miniatures, beautiful plastic pieces. It is just a gorgeous game. On a seemingly unrelated point you will notice that Firefly is not on my list, that is because this game trumps, it hands down. It has the freedom of an open world RPG combined with the same sci-fi themes that make Firefly awesome. The game lets you build your own ship, complete your own tasks and goals, buy new ships, and basically anything else you could want to do in a space adventure game. This game is amerithrash to the max and I love every minute of it. The way you win is you accumulate VP and the way you do it is up to you!
If you want more please check out Cait’s list.
See you next time!
-Kyle
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