If you are looking for a genre of board games that has a large following, then look no further than the sci-fi 4X games. If you are unfamiliar with the term, 4x stands for: explore, expand, exploit, and exterminate. It’s basically any game where you build up and control your empire.
One of the drawbacks of the 4x genre is you are usually looking at massive playtimes (I’m looking at you Twilight Imperium). Sometimes we just don’t have 8 hours to dedicate to a board game, no matter how awesome it is. Well our newest Kickstarter of the Week looks to make many improvements on the sci-fi 4x game. Burning Suns, currently in funding on Kickstarter, bills itself as an “intense tactical science fiction game.” So what makes Burning Suns different then other games in a similar genre? There were two things that immediately caught my attention when comparing Burning Suns to the two “big boys” in the genre. Burning Suns is less complicated and has a shorter play time then Twilight Imperium; and has less economic management and more diverse races then Eclipse. Couple all that with some fantastic looking components and you have a game that I can’t wait to play.
From their Kickstarter Page:
343 Empires: With 343 playable empires in the base set, you may play hundred of games without meeting the same enemy or using the same empire twice.
Endless Galaxies: Burning Suns uses a different map/galaxy layout each game, giving you compete creative control when building your map/galaxy.
Tactical Depth: In Burning Suns actions are carried out in a simple and intuitive way – leaving the tactical decisions entirely up to you.
Thematic Game play: Burning Suns is filled with mechanics that besides being well adjusted, also add to the thematic experience. Align yourself with the dark, neutral or light powers. Use unique race abilities to conquer or ally with your opponents.
Dieships (my favorite part): With the Dieships, you’ll be able to keep track of their hit-points in a thematic and practical way.
So in Burning Suns you have a 4x game that’s incredibly thematic and has a ton of replay value. I’m really looking forward to getting my hands on a copy of the game so I can see how it plays. But so far things are looking good. Burning Suns has already hit its funding goal and if you’d like to become a backer, a £55 pledge will get you a copy of the game and all stretch rewards. The game is scheduled to be in backer’s hands in September of 2014. You have until Saturday, October 5 to become a backer so head over there today and make your pledge.
