After an initial look, I dismissed this game. I'm so glad I eventually picked it up. This game is incredibly tight. It uses simple mechanics to maximize strategic deicsions. Each nation on each map plays differently and demands to be solved. The game is hard, but beatable. Other "board game" style games haven't done it for me, but this game reall scratched the itch.
One of my all time favorite games. It's incredibly challenging, but it is beatable (at least on easy and normal). This game is definitely easy to learn and difficult to master. The story and random events add a lot and the atmosphere is perfect. I really felt like a small ship's captain on the run from a nefarious rebel fleet. This game has incredible replay value, some of the best I've ever experienced. Each ship plays differently and each game evolves based on the random weapons and upgrades you find along the way, requiring significant strategic choices. The resource system is done beautifully, so that there's never quite enough scrap, and each decision of what upgrade to buy is incredibly important and meaningful. There are also well crafted mods.
