We get used to the role of Space Marines

 Galaxy Defenders is a cooperative game in a fantasy setting about tactical battles on a modular hexagonal field with miniatures, like Gears of War: The Board Game . The key difference from the latter is the presence of a campaign during which the heroes (called agents - members of a secret organization like the "Men in Black" dedicated to stopping an alien invasion) upgrade skills and acquire new types of weapons. The outcome of each mission determines which missions will be available next and which special events may occur in the future. There are a total of 12 missions in the retail base, although you won't see everything in one campaign.

 Since the game comes from Kickstarter, it includes Kickstarter exclusives. These are agents and aliens who look like popular characters from various franchises: Arnold Schwarzenegger from "Predator", Ripley from "Alien", villains from both films, as well as game authors stylized as "Robocop" and "Men in Black". In general, you shouldn't take the setting too seriously; it's a collection of fantasy clichés. If you were expecting serious sci-fi... these aren't the droids you're looking for.

COMPONENTS

Kickstarter-exclusive miniatures.

 If you haven't invested in the Kickstarter, then there is good news and bad news for you. Bad news: there were a lot of kickstarter agents, they are very interesting, and their miniatures look great. Good news: even in the retail base there is a lot of everything. It may not be able to replicate Alien vs. Predator, but you'll still get decent variety for a reasonable price. The components are very high quality: thick cardboard, luxurious custom cubes, not a single broken piece. I especially want to note the two-sided health and shield tokens covering values from 1 to 4, which minimizes token clutter.

FEATURES OF THE GAME

 Being an amerithrash, Galaxy Defenders tries to emphasize atmosphere. The 12 campaign missions tell a connected, not too serious story about the struggle between alien invaders and secret agents. There is some humor, there are some unexpected twists. Fans of science fiction will notice many references in the names of the missions: "Close Encounters", "New Hopes", "Old Tech", "Doomsday". Briefings, debriefings and special events are also thematic; although I think the fluff could have been given more attention than a few lines.

 Fortunately, this is more than compensated by the game mechanics. Each of the 5 agents of the base starts with only one special ability, primary and secondary weapons plus a defensive ability, but this is enough to make them feel different and fulfill different roles in the team. For example, Hulk (similar to Mr. T) can take a lot of damage and attack well both at short and long range. Sniper - Don't move to get an attack die roll, which helps maximize damage done. The Infiltrator is invisible until standing next to enemies, and is therefore invaluable as an agent who runs to mission objectives while others distract the aliens and try to survive. The Marine is the most versatile character in combat, while the Biotech is a healer and (with the right gadgets) a designer of sentry drones.

 Kickstarter agents have a more pronounced specialization: yes, the Xeno-Hunter agent (essentially a friendly Predator) disguises itself even better than the Infiltrator and is armed with the most powerful barrels available at the start, but it has to be reloaded after each shot, and reloading takes most of the turn. One of the Men in Black has the Jackal ability, which allows him to steal weapons from slain aliens (for one use), and the other has the ability to shoot twice if he kills the alien with the first shot.

 In addition to special abilities, most agents, as well as aliens, have a defensive ability and several attacking abilities: one for each weapon. They are triggered if a lightning symbol lands on the custom die. Effects are diverse: additional hits, reduction of enemy defense, prevention of weapon failure; additional defensive bonus, damage regeneration... As agents level up, they get new skills and tactics. As a rule, they can be used once per turn or once per game. They provide additional variety, so the agent can be equipped as needed for the situation.

 Another interesting feature is the signal mechanics. Distant threats are represented by a signal token, which appears to appear on your radar... until the signal comes into your line of sight, at which point it's some kind of minion (and sometimes maybe a human - or an important specialist , or a civilian who will immediately disappear). In this way, the game builds pressure, while not overwhelming the player with the need to activate aliens that are far from the plot. It seems to me that players should try to see as few signals as possible (since signals, unlike aliens, are harmless), which hurts the atmosphere of what is happening.

 Each type of alien has its own card, which shows its behavior, available attacks and special abilities. The behavior of aliens varies depending on their species and the situation on the field. In addition, each pimple has several subspecies, differing in complexity (increased parameters) and color, which contributes to diversity. The behavior depends on the distance to the nearest agent. For example, it's a good idea to stay close to the wary Xeno-Bethe, who will double-shoot you if you're mid-range, but spend a turn running away or closing in if you're too close or too far away. And Creatures that prefer close combat are innocent, provided you are able to run away to a sufficient distance. One of the keys to success is skillful maneuvering and the use of cover so that the aliens activate according to the least dangerous algorithm.

COMPLEXITY

 If you think line-of-sight tracking and behavioral algorithms are overkill, don't worry. On a scale of 1 (game for true hardcore players) to 10 (gateway), I would rate Galaxy Defenders a 5. This game is hardly worth getting to know the mobs to start with, but if you already know how to push and want to get to know this genre, then Galaxy Defenders is a good, fairly beginner-friendly option. Compared to Gears of War, this game is clearly smoother because you don't have to bother with the card system. Strategy and tactics are still present (yes, it is very important to understand when it is time to defend, when to attack and demolish a dangerous alien, when to advance to the mission goal), but you cannot call the game overloaded. Controlling the aliens is moderately complex, but not so much that it interferes with focusing on how to be like the players. You'll spend about 75% of the game in combat, rolling dice and comparing results, which can be a plus or minus depending on your preference.

GAME PROCESS

 The game lasts a certain number of rounds, each round is divided into phases. During the start and end of the round, players can recharge used abilities, try to level up or call in reinforcements, and apply event card effects that usually teleport new arrivals to the card. The most interesting thing happens in between, when all the players take turns and after each player's turn comes the aliens' turn. During an agent's turn, he can move, attack and make an extra in any order. action. At the end of the turn, he draws a card of close contacts, which activates some part of the aliens in the game. For example, all aliens of a certain type, or a certain rank, or all wounded, or all in melee. Then repeat with the next player. So Galaxy Defenders scales. However, it seems to me that the more agents, the easier it becomes for players: more opportunities to quickly destroy aliens and maneuver.

 I have no particular complaints about the basic gameplay, although the alien AI often leads to the fact that they are concentrated on one agent, and it was rare that the mission was completed without any losses in the state of the agents. The latter can be problematic if the player dies early in the game: there is absolutely nothing to do with him. The difficulty is average by the standards of cooperatives, and there are optional rules that increase the difficulty. In addition, missions can be completed with full success, with partial success or failure - the consequences depend on this. In my opinion, average players will more often than not complete a mission with partial success and regularly suffer small losses. But completing the mission successfully and without casualties is a real challenge, especially in the campaign mode.

 Many may be put off by the fact that nothing particularly remarkable happens within a particular move. This is because as many dice are rolled in combat as the attacker has hit, so even the most powerful attack can be completely blocked. For example, an Infiltrator attacks a blue Xeno-Beth: 4 attack dice, 5 hits. The first hit absorbs the energy shield, Beta rolls 4 defense dice. 2 shields, 1 hit and 1 lightning - 2 damage goes together. However, lightning activates the ability to regenerate - and 1 damage is healed. During the aliens' turn, the Face attacks the Infiltrator with 3 hits and 1 lightning for +1 hit. The infiltrator rolls 4 defense dice, gets 3 shields and lightning, which the defense ability transforms into another shield. The attack is completely blocked. Together, for the entire turn of the player, after throwing 10+ cubes, the situation on the field has changed by as much as one damage. Thanks to such leisure, there is no risk of sudden unexpected death, but there is also no feeling that you have achieved something serious.

The long preparation for each mission can also repel. Lay out the map and tiles, shuffle a certain number of alien and human signals, assemble mission-specific decks of aliens, close contacts, and events. The last is a particularly dark moment: in order to create a certain sequence of the plot, missions usually form decks of 3-4 event cards, which are shuffled individually and placed on top of each other. It would be better to have more randomness in events than such a commotion.

 Also, the game has some ambiguities in the rules regarding the activation of aliens, capable of driving inexperienced board players into a stupor. But the main problem for beginners is the rule book of almost 40 pages (and part of the rules is on the first 10 pages of the mission book). However, if you read it slowly and thoughtfully from cover to cover, it will become clear that such a volume is due to the variety of illustrated copies, as well as the repetition of rules for greater clarity. However, some players may find the amount of information confusing — especially since some of the detailed rules don't matter at all in the first mission (searching and going through doors and windows in particular) and the fact that optional rules are scattered throughout the book, and not collected in one place. On the other hand, it's nice that the colored bars on the pages explain who this part of the rules belongs to: agents, aliens, or the game in general. It's surprising that no one else uses this feature very conveniently.

CONCLUSION

 If compared to games of a similar genre in my collection, I like Galaxy Defenders more "Mice and Mystics" (much more elaborate mechanics), about the same level as Gears of War. These games have a lot in common. Gears of War is a bit more complex and deeper, while Galaxy Defenders is easier. Both games are great options for co-op or solo shooters looking to shoot alien creatures.

 I already mentioned the campaign mode. Unfortunately, it looks poorly done, but that shouldn't put you off buying the game because they all play great in single player mode. I prefer this mode.

 What is the problem with campaign mode? First, the level-up system looks very strange. Each round (assuming an alien was killed in the previous round), each agent rolls a die with a small chance of instantly leveling up. In order to prevent agents from becoming overpowered too quickly, campaign mode has a limit of one levelup per agent per mission.

 This works fine at the start, but later on, if you take an agent on a mission that hasn't been used before or replaces a killed one, they'll start at base level... and still only get one level up per mission. And therefore, most likely, will die again and again. In addition, the missions feel balanced for characters that are constantly swinging, and the further you go, the harder it gets. A vicious, not at all fan circle. It would be better if the agents automatically received a level-up after successfully completing a mission or a certain stage of it. A rule that allows a novice to catch up with more experienced comrades in development would not hurt either. This problem is especially relevant in a large group, because no one wants to be a weak loser, while the rest command elite fighters.

 On the plus side (provided you're ready to play the campaign and don't mind a hardcore challenge) is the presence of both progress notes and an excellent assistant. In addition, the single-player mode, in which agents start with a certain level and with random upgraded weapons, and can get as many level-ups as they want during the mission, is very good - and the gameplay experience is completely different from Gears of War. Choosing skills, equipment and tactics for the mission, while never knowing how strong you will be able to grow a character this time, is the strength of Galaxy Defenders. And the campaign mode is better considered a hardcore option, and not the basis of the gameplay.

 But if you're into classic sci-fi or want tactical co-op with a focus on combat and character progression, look no further than Galaxy Defenders.

USEFUL LINKS

Galaxy Defenders on the BGG portal

https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/138431/galaxy-defenders

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