vast network of Stargates has been spread throughout the galaxy, allowing instantaneous travel between worlds that are hundreds and even thousands of light-years apart. No one knows why the long-gone Ancients created the network, but the current inhabitants of the galaxy have found an excellent use for them: war.
The Stargate SG-1 Board Game is inspired by the television show of the same name, pitting two to six players against one another in a battle to dominate the galaxy. The three factions represented in the game are the Asgard, humanity and the Goa'uld.
The game is played on a circular grid representing the galaxy's sectors, with each sector denoted by a Stargate symbol. Sectors consist of star systems, most of which are capable of supporting Stargate bases. These systems can hold troops, which are used for defending Stargates or for launching strikes through the gates to enemy-controlled systems. Also stationed in these systems are starships, which are capable of carrying troops, attacking enemy ships, traveling through sectors and establishing new bases on previously unoccupied worlds.
Combat is resolved using a game mechanic similar to that in the classic board game Risk. Attackers and defenders roll a number of six-sided dice equal to the number of ships or troops they are using in the fight. In starship battles, the person who rolls the highest number wins the fight, and ties result in a draw. In ground battles, the rules are tweaked slightly so that the defender wins all ties.
Rounding out each faction's arsenal are Stargate cards, which players receive as rewards for finding new Stargates or capturing gates from enemies. These cards can be used to send troops and nuclear weapons through gates to enemy systems, or to "ring" soldiers up to orbiting enemy starships, where they can then battle to gain control of the vessel. Cards also allow players to erect an "iris" on one of their gates, which prevents others from sending troops or bombs through. The ultimate goal of the game is to control a certain number of sectors, with the exact number being determined by how many people are playing.
So-so execution stunts a good premise
The Stargate SG-1 Board Game has a lot going for it—a cool setting, a decent mechanic and nicely crafted playing pieces. The company producing it, Fleet Games, also has experience with other space combat games, namely its own Fleet board game.
The game's Risk-like mechanics do a good job of splitting conflicts between space-based and planet-based combat. They're not nearly as nice as Risk 2210, but they get the job done and adequately replicate Stargate's gate-jumping style.
Unfortunately, the game has a few problems. These start with the instructions. Basic game concepts are bolded and bulleted, but equally important points—like the fact that ships need to stop moving after establishing a Stargate base—are understated and easily overlooked. The game could have benefited from a short tutorial and a FAQ.
The game's playing pieces look good, capturing the feel of the various species' motherships and ground troops, but the circular game board doesn't work nearly as well. The inner sectors of the board are half the size of the outer ones but hold the same number of systems. As a result, it doesn't take long for the various ground troops, ships and Stargates to fill up each sector's star systems, making it difficult to get a feel for who's in what system, or even where each one ends.
Technical issues aside, it would have been nice to see more of the Stargate series reflected in the game. All of the Stargate cards revolve around sending nuclear bombs through the gates or invading enemy ships and worlds. Granted, these are standard SG-1 tactics, but it would have been nice to have had a little diversity in the deck, perhaps something like "you receive a warning from the future—all attacks against your gates fail for the next turn," or "Asgard disintegrator ray eradicates all enemy troops in your home sector." Built-in differences among the three factions would also have been welcome; as it is, there is no compelling reason to pick one race over another.
With a larger board, more instructions and expanded SG-1 content, this could have been a great game; as is, it's decidedly average one.
One of the things my playtesters and I found odd about the game was its use of the Stargate symbols to label sectors. At first we thought it was a nice touch, but then we realized that none of the symbols was defined, which meant that in order to refer to a sector you had to try and describe it yourself ("You know, the one that looks like double triangles"). It led to jokes about "the board game formerly known as Prince" and was the sort of minor flaw that drove us buggy.
— Ken
Back to the top.
