6 Player varient ?

[XAos]

Does Avalaon Hill plan to sell an expansion to make this game 6 player.?
I don't particularly want to buy 2 copies & paint the extra figures...

[TrimChris]

There are no publicly released plans for any expansions to AH games besides A&A minis.

[boylermaker]

I don't think that 6-player would be very fun. Things would get too crowded, and no one would have enough rubium for the bigger units. And if one expanded the board, the monolith would be too far away.

But you hit on a good point. I wish AH would start making some games for 5-6 players.

[XAos]

I don't think that 6-player would be very fun. Things would get too crowded, and no one would have enough rubium for the bigger units. And if one expanded the board, the monolith would be too far away.
6 players.
Doubleing the number of hexes (and Rubium counters) would add only 1 more hex to the distance between the monolith and a players start hexes. So that should not be a problem.

[boylermaker]

Yeah, but that one is a lot! It seems like it takes forever to get to the monolith as it is. Have you ever seen anyone actually get himself into the position of being able to play Death from Above? If you have, I envy you; I haven't.

[mk31bolo]

Doubling the hexes would also mean doubling the exploration markers. That means more mines and free units. I wonder if the number of pieces would support the armies you could buy/deploy?

Personally, I like the game as it is. it can be difficult getting six people to play, sometimes, whereas four is much easier. (And you don't have trouble reaching across the board, etc.)

[boylermaker]

Happily, I have the opposite problem: four person games usually mean one or two people sit out. Ah, a happy gaming life I live, indeed :o

[Death Stryke]

I was able to use Death From Above the other night but it was only a two-player game. The poor human standing guard did not have a chance.

DS

[boylermaker]

But you would never see that with six players! Nor King of the Monolith (I have seen this one, but only once or twice.)

[StarvingWriter82]

I haven't played this game yet (when you're a college student $40 is no joke) but I can already tell it'll be a big hit with my gaming crowd. As was said already, expanding the game out wouldn't make it too much larger, and hex games are ideal for expansions since you don't have to include too much extra "board". The game would get longer and strategies would change slightly, but in theory the longer game time would make more cards seen before the end, rather than fewer. I could be off, however... I'm basing my assumptions based on how the game appears to work, and my personal experiences with Settlers of Catan (another hex game that changes from 3-4 player to 5-6 with the help of an expansion).

My guess would be it'll be a simple matter of logistics. If the game flies off the shelves and becomes insanely popular, an expansion will be made. Will it be a success?

1) The game listens to the classics. It pulls the best elements of Settlers of Catan, Axis and Allies, and others, and melds them into one game.

2) It seems pretty easy to learn and also seems to have a comparitively low play time. This is another plus.

3) It's science fiction themed. This is probably the only thing that narrows the target audience. All the strategy board game players out there will be hooked on this, but part of the reason a game like Settlers is so popular is because it appeals to a broad audience. I mean, it's not a strategy game, right? There's no fighting, no world domination... you're just building little roads and houses, right? I personally know that Settlers is a strategy game, but I've heard many "non-gamers" use this as rationale to why they like Settlers but not other games. For that extended crowd, my guess is interest will fade as soon as they hear someone say "I guess I'll buy two crystalines and a Rubium Dragon."

So, time will tell I guess.

In the meantime, Risk: Godstorm is a great game for five players.

[StarvingWriter82]

Just had a thought.... how hex-like is the board? If it's all or mostly hexes (like say, Settlers of Catan) you could theoretically paint the pieces and combine all the hexes, for a huge 8 player free-for-all, or even a 4 on 4 or 2 on 2 on 2 on 2 team game.

[boylermaker]

The basic board is 19 hexes, 1 surrounded by 6, surrounded by 12. Then each player has a 3-hex base to add to this.

[StarvingWriter82]

What I mean is, is the layout fluid enough that you could combine two sets and set up an 8 player free for all? It seems like you could concievably play in teams (2 on 2 on 2 on 2) and have allied players start on opposite ends of the board, using the same color pieces.

[gryphon202]

I have games suitable for more than four players, and I have Nexus Ops. I like the idea that you can play with up to four players, but no more, with the current board. Anymore than that, and it would get terribly messy.

Anytime you screw with a game's mechanics by adding new elements, you run the risk of changing the essence of the game. That has to be on a designer's mind when he thinks of how a game can expand.

[StarvingWriter82]

Having seen the board, I think a 6 player expansion could be viable by including extra pieces. However, it seems unlikely for this game - as it is, during 4 player games, you typically have very little influence over the player directly opposite you (other than if you attack his enemies, of course), and in a six player game, this issue would be much worse. I love 4 player nexus ops, but in a six player game, you'd have three players that you'd have essentially no interaction with. Seems like a big addition to the "cons" section of the list for an expansion.