Review Details

Star Trek Ascendancy

Product Review (submitted on November 1, 2016):

I have been a long time Star Trek fan. Anytime a new game for Star Trek comes, I am a sucker for it....and many times, I have been disappointed. There have been a few near successes, whether it be a pretty good Civ Builder Like Birth of the Federation, or a shooter like Star Trek Armada, and those were just video games. Board games have had the hardest time with any real luck in the Trek universe.

Enter Star Trek: Ascendancy

I have been really excited since the announcement of this game...so much so, I did worry it could be a flop. Gale Force 9 Delivered a Solid Star Trek Game! Yeah, it may not be Kirk and Spock, or even Picard and Riker...no you are the Federation, or the Klingons, or the Romulans as a whole. This feel like the intent of Star Trek, Explore and Expand!

I really like how each race has the right feel, from Federation and the Prime Directive, to the Romulans and their ever growing Suspiciousness, to the Klingons singing about Death before Dishonor! The growth of the Galaxy as you play is just amazing and truly feels like exploration.

The game play is smooth. Yeah, there is downtime between players, but it is worth it. In our group, we actually helping eachother out, getting the rules down, and helping each other understand the strategies. As with any new game, you get rules wrong from time to time, but we would figure it all out there on the spot and still have a blast. For the most part, this is the first 4X style game that I believe could be considered as a gateway game, but is not limited to being one.

I will admit, this game has to be a bit better once you get 4 or five players going, but even at three it is still a blast. This is a game that will get out on my table more often then not. Every Time, the game feels different, from the way the universe unfolds, to the resources you get, to the advancements you discover and cultivate, to when you make first contact. Even just changing from the Federation to one of the other races makes a challenge in of itself.