Post originally by Keith Higdon at 2004-06-17 13:04:53
Converted from Phorums BB System

First let me say that I find Shannon's reviews very informative, though I don't always agree with them.

When I played my first couple of games of SotG, I was concerned it was a bit too random as well. The disappearing planet mechanic was interesting, but I wasn't sure if it was viable from a game standpoint. In addition, some of the characters seemed under/overpowered.

However repeated playings have proven that this is not the case. In 17 games (11 with 5 players and 6 with six players) each character has one at least once, with only the Tycoon winning 3 times. Interestingly enough those wins came early in our play, later strategies were divised to counter his early advantage. In other words, this game is much more balanced than it initially appears.

There are viable strategies to win the game. You cannot simply look at the map, load up on the cheapest cargo, and run to where you can sell it the most. You actually have to plan a couple cargoes ahead if you want to do well consistently. Paying attention to the other players turns is an absolute must.

The game is also very easy to add options to. We've tried a few in some test cases (not counted in the games mentioned above)that were fun, though we play with the base rules most of the time. We have one that most of the group seems to like, though...

Roll on the Availability table to see how many upgrades are available to buy that turn. Treat Military Starbases as "None" for this rule (after all the Military just doesn't pass their stuff out). This removes some of the importance of Military Starbases from the game.

We have also experimented with some variable strength Pirate/Bounty Hunter rules, but they're not quite there yet.

My group enjoys this game immensely, and it will find a spot on our table for quite a while.