Eclipse - Board Game

I agonised over this versus TI3 for ages and went round and round with all the reviews out there. I finally committed to Eclipse and I am pleased to say that I couldn’t be happier. The advice that finally tipped me into the Eclipse camp was "Both are great, get this one first. If you have more time and want more of a challenge… then upgrade to TI3".My gaming group is only really available on week day evenings which limits the time to 3-4hours at a stretch. Our first game took three of us 3hours to get 2/3 of the way through. This means that a 'first time around’ game is closer to 1.5hours per player, much higher than the 30min per player the box suggests. I’m pleased to say, this time drops dramatically after the first game(s) as the decisions and mechanisms ... MoreI agonised over this versus TI3 for ages and went round and round with all the reviews out there. I finally committed to Eclipse and I am pleased to say that I couldn’t be happier. The advice that finally tipped me into the Eclipse camp was "Both are great, get this one first. If you have more time and want more of a challenge… then upgrade to TI3".My gaming group is only really available on week day evenings which limits the time to 3-4hours at a stretch. Our first game took three of us 3hours to get 2/3 of the way through. This means that a 'first time around’ game is closer to 1.5hours per player, much higher than the 30min per player the box suggests. I’m pleased to say, this time drops dramatically after the first game(s) as the decisions and mechanisms become more familiar and game lengths of 30min per player are more likely. It will help if you can carry out the basic set-up before your buddies arrive and I would most certainly recommend bagging all the items (cubes and ships etc) for each player colour into one bag per player (these baggies are even provided with the game!).Some of the most scathing reviews say that this is "too euro", but I also see a similar amount wishing that this was more co-op or had the fighting element removed. While it’s resource engine is the core and is at least as good as "Powergrid" in its own right, add some fighting, exploring and tech and each part of this game would be a reasonable game in its own right. The fact that you can tilt the balance to suit your alien race, play style, game situation or political goals is awesome. After all, that is what 4x games are all about… and Eclipse does all four very, very well.While I have yet to play (or felt the need to play) the expansions, I think it’s important to note that they also tend to rank highly, especially "Rise of the Ancients". You want more politics… here’s how to play alliances. Want some more tech- Here’s some weird ancient gadgets and developments. Want more aggressive 'barbarian’ ancients… here’s some hives! Want more players- Here’s some additional ships and races allowing you to play 9players!- Need a quicker game, here’s how to play with more than one person at a time. Add the 'Ship Pack’ expansion to allow you to theme your mini space ships in accordance to the various alien races from the original box, beef up the "Galactic Centre" space station or add a fun new, deeper 'turn order’ mechanic as well as the upcoming (end of 2015) "Shadows of the Rift" and you can make this deep game even deeper!After being such a huge fan of 4x computer games over the years (Civ etc) I’ve been wanting a board game to be able to play with mates over the dining room table, and this is it! While there is obviously a Civ branded board game I wouldn’t want to lose the depth that Eclipse brings to the table in such a neat package. I will admit that I am still interested in TI3 but would have to say that I just don’t know when I would have time to play a longer/deeper game… or get a bigger dining room table.

This game is entertaining and fun to play once you get it set up. There are hundreds of cardboard pieces that have to be punched out before the game can b played. This was a little aggravating to begin with, but once the rules were read and the game play started the entire family had fun. It took a little longer than I expected to get the game started and to complete the game, but overall I was satisfied.

I've always enjoyed 4x ('explore, expand, exploit, and exterminate') computer games like Civilisation and Master of Orion, but have never really seen the experience successfully ported over to a board game design. The closest I've come across is Twilight Imperium, but that needs at least six players to work, and can take an entire weekend to resolve. Even the recent Civilization board game doesn't quite manage the transition.I think Eclipse manages it, though. I think it manages it brilliantly. It's got a neat game engine that gives you a real sense of expanding a fledging space empire, building up your fleet, researching new tech, and, finally, encountering other empires (that would be your fellow players) and deciding whether to leave them alone or fight them. ... MoreI've always enjoyed 4x ('explore, expand, exploit, and exterminate') computer games like Civilisation and Master of Orion, but have never really seen the experience successfully ported over to a board game design. The closest I've come across is Twilight Imperium, but that needs at least six players to work, and can take an entire weekend to resolve. Even the recent Civilization board game doesn't quite manage the transition.I think Eclipse manages it, though. I think it manages it brilliantly. It's got a neat game engine that gives you a real sense of expanding a fledging space empire, building up your fleet, researching new tech, and, finally, encountering other empires (that would be your fellow players) and deciding whether to leave them alone or fight them. And the best part is that it only takes 30 minutes to play per player.Easily the best new game I tried in 2013.