Just finished our first game, which was a two player game, And wow it was amazing it was tricky to learn but worth the effort, can't wait to play again.
My two favorite recent acquisitions are Eclipse: Second dawn for the galaxy and Abomination: The heir of Frankenstein. I never owned the origional Eclipse, so this was my first dive. They have put alot of thought into the organization of this box. I'm not sure I would play this if I had to keep it all in zip locks.
Eclipse is one of the all-time great designs. It is incredibly elegant. Yes - with experienced players it should play at 45 min. a player. This does not include set up and clean up time.
Thank you Cody. You expressed my thougts so well. I really really love this game. So much that it was the first Kickstarter that I backed. Unfortunately, I still did not get it due to Covid-related issues - no worries. Cheers!
@@TheDiscriminatingGamer They asked me if my company was still operating during the pandemic. Unfortunately, their mail went to spam and I could not answer in time. And now their warehouse (in France) is not operating. Will have to wait some more weeks I guess :)
I am so much of a TI4 fanboy, we manage to have 4-6 player games every 3-4 weeks, so although I guess I would like this game .... I am not sure if I want to get it:))) Good to have luxury problems. So, thank you pointing out thats a different beast and obviously great. Bests to Texas
Great review, Cody. However, you do conflate a couple of game components and mechanics. Discovery tiles and Reputation tiles are not the same thing and work quite differently (@ 7:15). Discovery tiles are NOT drawn from the black bag - they are placed on the center of some sectors and can be claimed either when exploring or when defeating non-player control of that sector (Ancient / Guardian / GCDS). These tiles are two-sided, and when you collect one you choose which side to use: an immediate in-game bonus (ships, ship upgrades, resources, etc.); or as 2VP for game end. The tiles you draw from the black bag are Reputation tiles, and they are part of combat resolution. These are one sided, with values from 1 to 4 VP on the face and a black back. Following combat (and your performance therein) you draw one or more of these tiles, keep the one with the highest value, and place on your mat (face down) to add to your score at the end of the game.
I look at SE4X as more of a wargame with 4x elements. I look at Eclipse as more of an economic game with 4x elements. Eclipse feels more Euro-y, but has enough direct conflict and dice that it should satisfy someone who likes Ameritrash. I love them both. Gun to my head - I probably prefer SE4X.
The only thing what keeps me back to buy this game that I have Forbidden Stars and my wife didn't spek english... I have translated Forbidden Stars and Battlelore 2 but man it is time consuming.
@@TheDiscriminatingGamer Maybe one day. I considered myself a lucky basterd because my better half is a heavy boardgamer now. Before we met, she never have played any board games, but I "trained" her and now she is my bigges nemesis, cause she knows all of my mooves. In FS we have around the same winrate (she terrorises me with the fanmade Tyranid faction), but in Anachrony (you SHOULD try that one out) she beats me almost all the time with a few points. Maybe we will try out Eclipse and I will make a translation for her. We only have FS as a space opera, so there is one more space for this type of game. We plane to check out SW Rebellion with the expansion too (it have official Hungarian translation), because it is a perfect heavy 1v1 game for us.
Very different games. Space Empires 4X is a wargame with civilization building DNA. Eclipse is primarily a Euro/economic game with a dash of wargame DNA. Both great games.
This looks really interesting, I haven't tried Eclipse yet. Have you been trying tabletop simulator during the lockdown? SUSD did a video if you haven't heard of it.
Missed out on the KS; game won't be available for retail sale until Summer 2020, unless the joy sucking Covid virus pushes the date back even further. I think you demonstrated some real talent in that silent rendition of "Believer", and perhaps should consider a career in Kabuki Karoake, because as you know, a mime is a terrible thing to waste.
@@TheDiscriminatingGamer nooooooo i wish i backed the kickstarter, This is my favourite Game. I bought my copy after play TI for the first time and like It so much! but was 11 hours Game....So i go right straight to Eclipse... For me is like IT but soooooo streamlined hahhaa.
Really want to play it, but the thing that pushes me away is that really dry design of tiles. It just looks like void without anything in it? exept iconographics, which is not enought when we talk about epic 4x strategy
Yeah I agree. I am sure this is very harsh and it's probably a very good game, but it looks like a poor man's TI game. Not to mention TI is a landmark of board game experience that no other game comes even close. But I understand playing for 8 hours straight is not for most people.
I really think the reason to pick this one up is for the highly improved components and the storage solution that cuts down significantly on setup and takedown. I don't know that you need to get it if you are all in with the first edition.
Did they fix the plasma missiles? They were way too powerful in the original. It was just a race to who got them first. Kind of sucked how busted they were. Otherwise a great game.
Love that you called 3 hours quick! Lol, I have a lot gamers that cringe at anything over an hour. Wimps! I was raised on old Squad Leader, Third Riech and SPI games. Tobruk! Omg! The memories... NYC to far from Texas. 😎
Just finished our first game, which was a two player game, And wow it was amazing it was tricky to learn but worth the effort, can't wait to play again.
Glad you liked it. Great game!
@@TheDiscriminatingGamer played it 6 times so far, it's definitely my favourite game in my collection.
My two favorite recent acquisitions are Eclipse: Second dawn for the galaxy and Abomination: The heir of Frankenstein. I never owned the origional Eclipse, so this was my first dive. They have put alot of thought into the organization of this box. I'm not sure I would play this if I had to keep it all in zip locks.
Yeah - the storage solution is here is really first rate. Much better than first ed. I always use Plano boxes for bigger games like that.
Yeah, we don't have a company for a game with such length as TI4 so this is a fantastic alternative; we bought it immediatelly upon release :)
Fantastic!
Eclipse is one of the all-time great designs. It is incredibly elegant.
Yes - with experienced players it should play at 45 min. a player. This does not include set up and clean up time.
With the new edition, set and take down are remarkably fast. I agree. Fantastic game.
Just got it, played three games over three days. Excellent and very fun!
This is a fantastic game! One of the all-time greats!!!
@@TheDiscriminatingGamer played it at 2, which was fine. But wow does it shine at 4!
@@Lordborg909 I think 4 is the best.
Thank you Cody. You expressed my thougts so well. I really really love this game. So much that it was the first Kickstarter that I backed. Unfortunately, I still did not get it due to Covid-related issues - no worries. Cheers!
Murat Is it on it’s way?
@@TheDiscriminatingGamer They asked me if my company was still operating during the pandemic. Unfortunately, their mail went to spam and I could not answer in time. And now their warehouse (in France) is not operating. Will have to wait some more weeks I guess :)
Cody you're an unrecognized musical genius. You've invented an entirely new musical genre, mime music!
I don't like to brag.
@@TheDiscriminatingGamer I can't wait for the full length album to come out on video!
@@meenki347 You might be waiting a while. Copyright issues and all that.
@@TheDiscriminatingGamer But why do you need to bother with copyright issues if there's no audio?
@@meenki347 Well played, sir. Well played.
can't wait for retail. I waited and missed it on KS. great review Cody. Wish you would have talked more about those things they streamlined.
Thank you, sir. The big thing really is the storage that cuts down on setup and takedown.
They did away with the OP missiles.
Great review. Loved the dramatic music set to the game. Reminded me of being at Epcot.
Thanks. Glad you enjoyed it.
Great review. Thanks. Useful detail, all the key points covered. Watching and finding out what's in each game is almost as much fun as playing a game.
Indeed. Happy to help.
I am so much of a TI4 fanboy, we manage to have 4-6 player games every 3-4 weeks, so although I guess I would like this game .... I am not sure if I want to get it:)))
Good to have luxury problems.
So, thank you pointing out thats a different beast and obviously great. Bests to Texas
Thank you, thought I am no longer in Texas.
I did it, I finally chuckled at one of your jokes. Great review of this game. I look forward to breaking out my copy when my group gets together next!
Fantastic. That's my motto, "Give me 500 reviews, and you might actually smile."
@@TheDiscriminatingGamer haha, you did it again!
Great review, Cody. However, you do conflate a couple of game components and mechanics. Discovery tiles and Reputation tiles are not the same thing and work quite differently (@ 7:15).
Discovery tiles are NOT drawn from the black bag - they are placed on the center of some sectors and can be claimed either when exploring or when defeating non-player control of that sector (Ancient / Guardian / GCDS). These tiles are two-sided, and when you collect one you choose which side to use: an immediate in-game bonus (ships, ship upgrades, resources, etc.); or as 2VP for game end.
The tiles you draw from the black bag are Reputation tiles, and they are part of combat resolution. These are one sided, with values from 1 to 4 VP on the face and a black back. Following combat (and your performance therein) you draw one or more of these tiles, keep the one with the highest value, and place on your mat (face down) to add to your score at the end of the game.
Yes. I misspoke. Thanks for the clarification.
Thanks for the review Cody.
Thank you!
Cool review! Time for the ultimate question: Eclipse vs Star Trek Ascendancy?
I was waiting for that one. Gun to my head, STA by a hair.
How would you compare this to Space Empires 4X? They both seem to have a strong focus on exploration and economy.
I look at SE4X as more of a wargame with 4x elements. I look at Eclipse as more of an economic game with 4x elements. Eclipse feels more Euro-y, but has enough direct conflict and dice that it should satisfy someone who likes Ameritrash. I love them both. Gun to my head - I probably prefer SE4X.
Is there any conceivable way that this would make for an interesting solo experience? I'm guessing no, but it looks so good...
Check out the Invasion v. 3 module found on Board Game Geek.
@@randomfleming thanks!
I'm sure there are fan scenarios out there, but I'm not familiar with them.
The only thing what keeps me back to buy this game that I have Forbidden Stars and my wife didn't spek english... I have translated Forbidden Stars and Battlelore 2 but man it is time consuming.
That’s too bad. I hope you get a chance to play it at some point.
@@TheDiscriminatingGamer Maybe one day.
I considered myself a lucky basterd because my better half is a heavy boardgamer now.
Before we met, she never have played any board games, but I "trained" her and now she is my bigges nemesis, cause she knows all of my mooves.
In FS we have around the same winrate (she terrorises me with the fanmade Tyranid faction), but in Anachrony (you SHOULD try that one out) she beats me almost all the time with a few points.
Maybe we will try out Eclipse and I will make a translation for her. We only have FS as a space opera, so there is one more space for this type of game. We plane to check out SW Rebellion with the expansion too (it have official Hungarian translation), because it is a perfect heavy 1v1 game for us.
Is the song in the beginning the cities skylines theme song!?!
The music during the montage? I don't know. I found it on RUclips's free audio listings.
Only when talking about TI4 can a 3 hour game be considered ‘quick’. Haha
Indeed.
Great review. How does it compare to Space Empires 4X according to you?
Very different games. Space Empires 4X is a wargame with civilization building DNA. Eclipse is primarily a Euro/economic game with a dash of wargame DNA. Both great games.
@@TheDiscriminatingGamer thanks!
Would you say the Kickstarter is worth chasing over the retail?
I am VERY happy with the KS version.
Score: Eclipse 2d down played 20 times a year and TI4 played once a year > Happiness / Price ratio winner is ... ECLIPSE!
Interesting forumla. However, when factoring in the total Fun Factor, the reverse is true.
The size of that table at 0:58!
This looks really interesting, I haven't tried Eclipse yet. Have you been trying tabletop simulator during the lockdown? SUSD did a video if you haven't heard of it.
I'm familiar with it, but I haven't tried it. I've been too busy working on my dissertation.
The Discriminating Gamer The Stalin and Hitler one or was that for another degree?
@@Ad3tr That was my Master's Thesis. My dissertation is on George Marshall and Eisenhower.
Missed out on the KS; game won't be available for retail sale until Summer 2020, unless the joy sucking Covid virus pushes the date back even further. I think you demonstrated some real talent in that silent rendition of "Believer", and perhaps should consider a career in Kabuki Karoake, because as you know, a mime is a terrible thing to waste.
You are wise. But there is sadness in your wisdom.
jezzz just bought the 2nd expansion for the 1st edition looool
Were you unaware of the new edition?
@@TheDiscriminatingGamer nooooooo i wish i backed the kickstarter, This is my favourite Game. I bought my copy after play TI for the first time and like It so much! but was 11 hours Game....So i go right straight to Eclipse... For me is like IT but soooooo streamlined hahhaa.
Really want to play it, but the thing that pushes me away is that really dry design of tiles. It just looks like void without anything in it? exept iconographics, which is not enought when we talk about epic 4x strategy
Aesthetics are a personal thing, but the game is really something and I hope you get a chance to play it. I think it will change your mind.
@@TheDiscriminatingGamer I hope so, too, I`m just spoiled by TI4 design of tiles)
TI4 is a good looking game.
Yeah I agree. I am sure this is very harsh and it's probably a very good game, but it looks like a poor man's TI game. Not to mention TI is a landmark of board game experience that no other game comes even close. But I understand playing for 8 hours straight is not for most people.
Cody, I have the original, all expansions and promos. Is this worth getting? I don't think I'd be able to use so much of what I already own.
I really think the reason to pick this one up is for the highly improved components and the storage solution that cuts down significantly on setup and takedown. I don't know that you need to get it if you are all in with the first edition.
@@TheDiscriminatingGamer Ok, that's informative. Thank you. By the way, I didn't realize you are in Texas. What general area?
DFW.
@@TheDiscriminatingGamer Cool. I'm in the Houston area. Have fun down here. Thanks again.
Did they fix the plasma missiles? They were way too powerful in the original. It was just a race to who got them first. Kind of sucked how busted they were. Otherwise a great game.
Hasn't come up in any of the games I've played.
They made them more expensive (16) and they now need power to use,
@@Manny-M Amazing!
I would concur that TI4 is a superior game. So much grander and much more epic.
Indeed. But this one has its own charm.
I think Neil Diamond wrote the song.
Indeed. It's a little known fact that every popular song between 1961 and 1989 was written by either Neil Diamond or Bruce Springsteen.
@@TheDiscriminatingGamer Really... As Johnny Carson used to say " I did not know that"
:)
Thanks!
Follow standard Imperial procedure and dump this game before going to lightspeed.
A.J. Ha! Disagree.
First one suck! Missiles were OP
Perhaps. Still a fun game.
This game needs a trance / techno beat not this classic orchestra shit.
Don't do that foolishness again 😒
Which foolishness would that be?
The mime thing at the beginning, otherwise I like your reviews! Keep up the good work Dr!
Love that you called 3 hours quick! Lol, I have a lot gamers that cringe at anything over an hour. Wimps! I was raised on old Squad Leader, Third Riech and SPI games. Tobruk! Omg! The memories... NYC to far from Texas. 😎
Yeah. I guess it’s a matter of perspective. “Quick” compared to TI4, I guess.
Do you discriminate against all gamers?
Late reply sorry, but he discriminates against bad games, not gamers ;)