The first expansion for Into The Unknown (ITU), is on the way finally. I have a great respect for this deep and well constructed game, but feel I may never get a chance to play it properly.
Gt my heart racing when I first saw it, but things have gone a little soft over time.
Unlike Captains Chair, a game designed to be played the same way 1v1 or solo, it is a game that may need two well versed players in both Trek, especially the Dominion War and the game mechanics to really shine.
The roll out is interesting and I feel a little odd.
The Enterprise makes sense as does the Defiant, although needing to buy the expansion just to complete the core cast is a little crap. No Riker and others on the Enterprise, especially one with the Hathaway included seems like a cash grab.
The Dominion make a decent opponent, but why not start with a less specific Klingon or Romulan adversary? The expansion is equally vexing.
Another Defiant class?
Why not a Romulan Scout or Science ship to go with the Romulan included or even a K’Tinga or K’Vort for the Klingons?
The next expansion is not on my must get list. Cardassians and more Klingons. No thanks, I am done. Romulans maybe, but not more Klingons.
The separate ships are also strangely annoying.
A second Enterprise that does not match the other ships (could have been an Akira, an Excelsior, or maybe a Nebula), then a Bird of Prey with a cloaked version (when more than one ship can cloak)? Collectors pieces, not useful additions, with no other useful game additions, especially with another B’Rel BOP coming in the next expansion.
What would I have liked to have seen?
First up I would have made the ships smaller. Why? Because the Borg, DS9, D’Deridex and some others will be prohibitively large I feel, possibly never made because of it. This may have meant making some of the little ships slightly bigger, or not.
Personally, I would have loved them to do themed sets that could be integrated, or not, as the player chooses, maybe even smaller games (1v1) and faction based expansions.
TNG; Fed (1) v Romulan (1) v Klingon (1), then Ferengi and other expansions.
DS9; Fed, Dominion, Cardassian (one large, 1 small each)
TOS; Fed (1) v Romulan (1) v Klingon (1) then a Gorn, Tholian, Orion expansion.
TOM; Fed (2 ships) v Klingon (2 ships) v Khan in the Reliant
TNG later; Fed (Ent E), Reman (Scimitar), Romulan (Valdore x2)
Voyager; Fed (2), Hirogen (2), Kazon (2) then several expansions.
Enterprise; Terran, Andorian, Vulcan, then Xindi and Temporal war sets.
Possibly some Mirror universe sets or even card sets without ships.
The future of this game will be interesting. It is an itch-scratcher, a dream come true for some, but I am not expecting it to end well.