Board games really are great. The incredible lateness of this entry can be almost entirely attributed to them. The one which took up most of our evening was the adaptation of the new-ish Battlestar Galactica series, which I still haven’t got around to seeing and really should, from everything I’ve heard.

Fortunately, the game doesn’t require any specific knowledge of the show and doesn’t appear to include any spoilers. What it does provide, however, is a lengthy cooperative experience tinged with mistrust and doubt thank to the fact that at least one player is, at some point, going to turn out to be evil. The exact manner in which this player chooses to conduct themself is part of the challenge of the game, both for the non-traitorous players and the traitor themselves.

What the game does an excellent job of is introducing just enough in the way of random elements to the mix to freak everyone out a bit while allowing the Cylon player the opportunity to subtly undermine everything the others are working for. Later in the game, too, the Cylons have the opportunity to reveal themselves and cause havoc more directly.

The game, like other co-op experiences such as Arkham Horror, initially appears deceptively complex but it’s actually reasonably straightforward to play. It does, however, appear to take quite some time—again, like Arkham Horror. This is fine, but it does mean you need to set aside a substantial amount of time to play, and if you’re hoping to fit a lot of games into a day of board game geekery, this may be one to save for a time when you can focus on it.

Our first attempt was an unmitigated disaster thanks to a combination of terrible luck (three Cylon fleet attacks in a row) and the fact that we had not one but two traitors in our midst, one of whom made themselves reasonably obvious almost from the outset, while the other did a masterful job of undermining things very subtly. It was an entertaining experience despite our failure to save the human race, however, and now we understand the mechanics better hopefully future play sessions will proceed much quicker. I’m looking forward to trying it again.

So of you’re a fan of co-op with a touch of betrayal, Battlestar Galactica is a great game to give a shot, even if you’re only familiar with the TV series in passing.

And now to bed!