As we wade through the pre-tinsel and Mariah Carey, this month we’re making a journey (if not an expeditious retreat) through gifts for the “serious” geek in your life, with a detailed thoughts on the new Stonemaier game set in the SCYTHE universe, Expeditions, a look at Klingons and Romulans for Star Trek: Away Missions AND thoughts on the Trek RPG Lower Decks campaign guide from Modiphius Entertainment.

Thanks to our chums at Asmodee UK, we even have copy of Expeditions to give away as a PRE Xmas giveaway! Quite the pre-xmas treat. Oh, and of course, the winner of our Disney Dixit Giveaway from last month also.

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EXPEDITIONS: A SCYTHE UNIVERSE GAME

⌚ 90 mins approx.
👥1-5 players
❓ 14+.
⚖ Mid-Heavy weight
RRP £84.99

THE PREMISE: Set in the alternate 1920s of Stonemaier’s SCYTHE (but no foreknowledge required), Expeditions moves the timeline on. Deep in Russia’s Yeniseysk, a mysterious object crashes in Tunguska, warping the land and producing countless mystic bounties. You and your animal companion must take trek with your Ironclad across swamps, forests and stranger lands besides to recover the unearthly treasures, using strength and guile to wipe out corruption, hiring soldiers, farmers and other citizens, choosing a path to glory and greatness.

As if you hadn’t deduced, Expeditions a sort of late-Steampunk Mythos-infused worker placement game with deck-driven engine-building mechanics. That’s quite a mouthful, eh? As is increasingly the case, we’re seeing an uptick in game complexity derived from a number of different proven mechanics, and it’s how well those integrate – both as a ruleset and thematically – that makes or breaks so many games.

One of the best elements of the game is in its setup: you are assigned a random character (and companion) and a random Ironclad. Because they have distinct rules, benefits and preferred worker-engines, which not only guides you in the early game but also lends considerable replayability: even with the same character, the game plays very differently if you have the Ironclad that can take additional upgrades to the one that can move faster than any of the others.

At the start of the game all players begin the explored, uncorrupted south of the board. This leads to an initial tussle, and your first big strategic decision: do you try to generate a steady engine for growth, or strike out and open up hidden tiles with better potential and access to cards? This is paired with the game’s excellent action system, as indicated by the gearbox on your Ironclad’s card. There are 3 actions: Move, Play a card, or Harvest, and on the first turn you have access to all 3: however, you must then “move gears”, covering one option up.

Each turn, you ordinarily only have 2 options available to you, therefore, unless you take a Recover action, which gives you all 3 BUT returns cards (and meeples) in play to your hand. It’s a very interesting decision mechanic, even more so because all players’ cards are face up at all times. For the first few plays, this can be a bit bewildering and lead to some analysis paralysis but fortunately, you soon get the hang of it, particularly with the game’s accessible iconography and clear reference sheets. I would also HIGHLY recommend buying the playmat, which really helps immerse you in the game (as well as keeping everything organised!)

THE GOOD: It’s an utterly beautiful product, especially with the playmat (though I know the mat is divisive). It openly wears its debt to Arnak, Dune Imperium et al on its sleeve, and that’s no bad thing. If you’re a fan of worker placement and engine generation this is absolutely the game for you – it takes many elements from others but still feels like something distinct and new. I am a big fan of the Mythos theme and there’s a bit of a dearth of Cthulhupunk out there – plenty of horror/mythos board games, but not so much the steampunk vibe. So it most definitely scratches that itch. Unusually, for a game of this weight, it’s not massively time-consuming to setup, play or tidy – massive thumbs-up there. And, as we’ve come to expect from Stonemaier, the solo Automa is fantastic, making for a very different play experience as the AI beetles about and is generally awkward.

THE BAD: Whilst you are competing for resources and spaces, at low player counts that doesn’t feel that restrictive. Equally, at high player counts, it is very much about blocking people, and it can feel a little frustrating at times; also, it take up a LOT of table, and mostly at one side thereof. Not deal-breakers, by any means, but may put some people off. I’d also like a quick start (which, say, Wingspan does so well) and clear explanation of victory conditions from the outset. But it is at the heavy end of things, so that’s not that surprising, really; also, it really is physically HEAVY – it’s a big old brick, which some folk love, but will take up a lot of shelf. And though I like the different coloured meeples, in this day of premium products, I wouldn’t say no to some printing on them (or even) different shaped meeples to indicate the different roles.

THE UGLY: Despite the fact that it’s undeniably great, I don’t… LOVE this game at 2 players, which is actually quite the niggle for us given that most gaming in our house is myself and the Elder Spawn. But the REASON I feel that way actually stems from other Stonemaier games. I love both Viticulture and Red Rising, and though I’m ambivalent about Scythe (feel a bit overwhelmed by it) My Little Scythe is a hit in our house. At times, though, Expeditions lacks the brutal cut and thrust interaction of (say) Red Rising. I’m not advocating direct combat, but some more overt interference would be good. Perhaps the answer would be to incorporate, to some extent, the excellent Automa at 2 players (as Dune imperium does).

Overall, though, this is a very solid and highly recommended game, which you’ll keep coming back to. It’s not bewilderingly complex, but it’s certainly demanding, in all the right ways.

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STAR TREK AWAY MISSIONS

CHANCELLOR GOWRON’S KLINGONS, COMMANDER SELA’S ROMULANS (£19.99 ea) and DICE SETS (£4)

Both expansion sets for Away Missions (reviewed HERE) really change up the game and it’s no exaggeration to say that, if you or your geek of choice have the core set, you’re going to want at least one if not both of these.

The Klingons represent a fundament change in gameplay, because they are – shock – all about combat. Klingons want to get into combat, do honourable deeds and DIE with honour. Let’s be clear, getting assimilated means No gettting to Sto’vo’kor (No’vo’kor?), so they’re a very satisfying match-up against the Borg, as you have to balance causing damage with avoiding Adaptation and of course those pesky tubules. It’s a really interesting match-up as, of course, Borg get BETTER when they Adapt. I like the chunky Bat’leth tokens to indicate HONOR from a game logic perspective but it is a wee bit confusing when characters can have an equipped Bat’leth item… perhaps a Mek’leth, or even just a classic Klingon Triskellion?

The stand-out character is, unsurprisingly, Gowron himself – Combat 4 makes him the deadliest (and most honourable) character in the galaxy, but it’s also worth mentioning that all the sculpts for the Klingons are really good – and, weirdly, don’t look derpy. I’m not quite as sold on Klingons vs the other factions, simply because I don’t like the game turning into combat (not very Trek) – Riker et al can hold their own, but you essentially have to be aware beforehand of the match-up. Of course, Klingons do have the option to play the “regular” game, gathering up Starfleet tech, but if you want to sneak around and do missions, you’d be better to wait for the House of Duras. Or…

Play Romulans! The preeminent skill machines of the game, Romulans have high Skill ratings than anyone, and an even broader range of skills than the Federation. This, matched with their ability to gather intel and absolutely ruin your opponent’s plans is enormous fun. I could niggle and say that they should be tougher – they’re basically Vulcans, after all – but they are otherwise highly thematic. You can gather Borg tech, oppose your opponent’s rolls with the Tal Shiar or build a long-term conspiracy for a grand victory. They are shifty and very, very nasty on the board. I’m not as fond of their models – some sculpts are a bit samey, which can be confusing, and they also have the goofiness that plagues the game – but mechanically, they’re at least as interesting as the Borg, perhaps with even more of a challenge for the experienced player.

Also, let’s not forget the faction dice! Perfect geeky stocking filler or secret Santa gift! Lovely chunky quality too, at a ridiculously good price.

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STAR TREK: LOWER DECKS CAMPAIGN GUIDE

(RRP: £45)

I’ve mentioned before that I’ve been a Trek fan for many years, and I’ve also played a lot of Trek RPGs over the years. When Lower Decks first aired, many of my old gamer buddies noted that it feels almost like you’re watching a group sitting round the table playing Trek – a wonderfully weird mix of genuine, earnest Trek and unabashed silliness. So I was interested to see what form a book set in the show’s version of Trek felt like – was it even necessary?

A simple answer – this is a GREAT expansion, and well worth the price tag; it has much more content than I expected. I’m not sure quite why I was surprised by this, as Modiphius do produce very detailed books (and us Trekkies and Trekkers do love our tiny details) with lots of interesting character options and ideas for GMs. Systemically, their games use a 2d20 system which is VERY swingy but really suits narrative play, especially where characters are inherently expert and advancement is about a character’s personality and goals – in other words, it’s ideal for Trek (less for Dune, FWIW). Previous Trek systems (FASA, LUG, Coda) could become bogged down in a plethora of skills and everyone rolling ridiculous dice, which obviously intrudes on storytelling; with the Modiphius system, however, the emphasis is on the story and building narrative Momentum (itself a tangible resource) to counter growing Threat. It’s very natural, intuitive and enjoyable… but does that suit the more irreverent tone of Lower Decks?

Let’s be clear, the book absolutely embraces that tone; as well as tremendous original art in the Lower Decks style, it does so by having commentary and log entries from the perspective of (mostly) Boimler and Mariner, which definitely immerse you in the feel of the show – granted, some may find that jarring, but I actually rather liked it. It’s worth mentioning that from the outset the book specifically discusses the fact that, whilst Lower Decks certainly emphasises fun, it’s fuelled by a very affectionate and sincere love of Trek. It’s not parody or pastiche, or even homage: it is, 100%, Trek. Some scenarios will play to comedy, of course; but that doesn’t mean there won’t be character development or genuine pathos.

The update covering the state of the Federation post Dominion war is genuinely useful no matter what style of game you want to run, giving you information on the state of the Federation and other galactic players. It covers life as a junior office, which if you’re running any post academy game again is great for research and understanding life on as a Lower Decker, shenanigans or otherwise. Having new lifepath options is always welcome, if only to stimulate backstory, and many new species – including Cetaceans, Gorn, Pakleds, and Exocomps – get a look in too. Ships of the era are covered also, including the California, Obena, and Parliament classes, and many of the ground vehicles (Argo II!) are detailed also. There’s plenty of GM advice (for Lower Decks or other, Wej Duj style games), an army of NPCs to draw on AND a mini campaign that can be used in any era. All in all, a really solid product that I’d recommend faster than a mugato (gumato?) in heat.

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GIVEAWAY

So thanks to Asmodee UK we have a copy of Expeditions to give away – what a stonking good prize that is!

All you need to do is comment below with your favourite worker placement, engine builder or other heavier-weight board game!

And remember to Like, Comment and Share across your socials (FB, Insta, Twitter and/or Mastodon) tagging us @bigcomicpage & @games_with_graven to bag yourself a bonus entry! UK only unless you’re willing to fork out the postage, alas.

A quick-heads up that in the Mid-Month we’ll be doing ANOTHER giveaway, because we’re just full of the spirit of the season. It’s definitely not because my wife is sick of all the boxes of stuff in the dining room.

AND the winner of last month’s Disney Dixit Giveaway (despite not picking Hades) is… Darthtater77! Congratulations!

Remember to get in touch with admin@bigcomicpage.com within 30 days to claim your prize!

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The Writer of this piece was: Sam Graven
Article Archive: Geeking Out
You can follow Sam on Twitter and Instagram

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