I am teaming up with the folks at the Have Fun and Play Podcast (https://havefunandplay.com/) on Instagram @havefunandplay and we are sharing our Top 10 Most Replayable Games in celebration of Groundhog Day. What makes a game replayable? There are a lot of different reasons that you might want to play a game over and over.
Battlestar Galactica almost didn’t make it into my list of replayable games. It is a great game. But it goes against a few very important rules for replayablility, in my opinion.
First of all the game probably appeals mostly to fans of the re-booted TV show (which started almost 20 years ago).
Second the game isn’t very difficult to learn but it is fairly complex and it is easy for a new player to entirely unhinge the entire purpose of the game with a simple mistake.
Third it takes a very long time to play (I’ve never finished the game in under 5 hours).
Not normally my typical “favourite” sort of game.
However, the traitor aspect is what made the reboot of the show so good and it’s what makes every game of Battlestar Galactica so memorable, exciting and fun. Every game has at least one player hiding amongst the group secretly working against the team and our goals. The rest of the survivors from the Twelve Colonies must work together to keep the ship flying, avoid the Cylon enemy, discover the traitor(s) and get to safety.
Looking for clues, making accusations, discovering the traitor is and how closely the feel and theme of the game match the mood of the show is what makes this game so cherished by fans and why it makes it into my replayablility list.
The theme and mood of the game alone is always such a thrill and were it not for the incredible length of the game, Battlestar Galactica would be easily be my #1 favourite game of all time. When I’m playing Battlestar Galactica with friends, it feels like I’m inside a story-arc from the show. The immersive experience of Battlestar allows me to overlook some of the other factors and will always see me agreeing to play it again whenever I can.
Is it important for someone to have watched the show to enjoy this game? No. But you will definitely enjoy it a lot more if you are a fan of the show.
What do you think? What makes a game replayable in your opinion? What are your favourite games to replay over and over? Leave a comment and share your thoughts.
Comments