Eclipse (board game)
 | |
| Designer(s) | Touko Tahkokallio |
|---|---|
| Illustrator(s) |
Ossi Hiekkala Sampo Sikiö |
| Publisher(s) | Lautapelit.fi |
| Publication date | 2011 |
| Genre(s) | Strategy |
| Language(s) | English |
| Players | 2 - 61 |
| Age range | 14+ |
| Playing time | 2-3 hours |
| Website | Lautapelit.fi: Eclipse |
| 1 Up to 9 players with the Rise of the Ancients expansion. | |
Eclipse: New Dawn for the Galaxy (better known as Eclipse) is a strategy board game produced by Lautapelit.fi. It was designed by Touko Tahkokallio and was first released in 2011. The game currently has two expansions - Rise of the Ancients was released in 2012, and Ship Pack One was released in 2013 - and four mini expansions.
Game Background
After a ruthless war, the galaxy has been at peace because of the efforts of the major spacefaring species to preserve it. The Galactic Council was formed for that purpose. But tension is mounting again, and a new conflict seems to be inevitable. Which faction will prevail and lead the galaxy?
Gameplay
Eclipse is a 4X (explore, expand, exploit, exterminate) strategy game where you must lead your civilization to prevail over the others.[1] On each move, a player takes one of six actions: exploring, researching, building, upgrading, or moving. For example, exploring opens up a new tile in a direction chosen by the exploring player. Each move uses resources, and resource management is a key part of gameplay.[2]
Resources
There are three resources in the game: money, materials, and science. These are tracked with counters. Each move uses resources.
Exploration
The galaxy is laid out in three rings of hex tiles, most of which get laid during exploration. At the start of play, only the galaxy centre tile and tiles for the players' respective home stars are laid. When "exploring", a player chooses a tileless space which is accessible from a star the player occupies. The player then draws a new hex tile from a stack of face-down tiles and lays it in the chosen direction. The player may strategically choose which orientation the tile takes, to create links to existing tiles or to block access by other players.
Building
Moving
Upgrading
Game Contents
- 84 plastic spaceships
- 24 starbase chits
- 264 wooden population cubes
- 96 wooden influence discs
- 18 ambassador tiles
- 44 sector hexes
- 6 player boards
- 1 supply board
- 96 technology tiles
- 154 ship part tiles
- 21 discovery tiles
- 22 colony ship tiles
- 21 ancient ship tiles
- 1 GCDG tile
- 32 reputation tiles
- 22 orbital/monolith tiles
- 2 crowded hex tiles
- 6 summary cards
- 1 traitor card
- 4 info cards
- 18 plastic dice
- 18 wooden storage markers
- 12 wooden damage cubes
- 1 start player marker
- 1 round marker
- rulebook
Honors & Awards
- Charles S. Roberts Best Science-Fiction or Fantasy Board Wargame Nominee (2011)[3]
- Jogo do Ano Nominee (2011)[3]
- Golden Geek Best Board Game Artwork/Presentation Nominee (2012)[3]
- Golden Geek Best Innovative Board Game Nominee (2012)[3]
- Golden Geek Best Strategy Board Game Nominee (2012)[3]
- Golden Geek Best Thematic Board Game Nominee (2012)[3]
- Golden Geek Best Wargame Nominee (2012)[3]
- Golden Geek Board Game of the Year Winner (2012)[3]
- Golden Geek Golden Geek Best Strategy Board Game Winner (2012)[3]
- International Gamers Award - General Strategy: Multi-player Nominee (2012)[3]
- JoTa Best Gamer Game Audience Award (2012)[3]
- JoTa Best Gamer Game Nominee (2012)[3]
- JUG Game of the Year Winner (2012)[3]
- Ludoteca Ideale Winner (2012)[3]
- Lys Passioné Finalist (2012)[3]
- Lys Passioné Winner (2012)[3]
- Tric Trac Nominee (2012)[3]
References
- ↑ "Eclipse (2011)". BoardGameGeek, LLC. Retrieved 1 January 2014.
- ↑ "Eclipse Board Game : The no-nonsense overview I wished I had found elsewhere. Part 1.". Boardgamery. Retrieved 15 January 2014.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8 3.9 3.10 3.11 3.12 3.13 3.14 3.15 3.16 "Eclipse (2011)". BoardGameGeek, LLC. Retrieved 1 January 2014.