Using different level aliens in same game

[BotanyGuy 0]

Hi all,

I don't have the game yet (but plan to get it someday!)  I was wondering if it was possible, and balanced, to play a mix of aliens with different levels.  That is, can you play a green alien in a game that has others playing red or yellow aliens?  If it is possible, is the green alien able to hold their own, or are they at some disadvantage over the red and yellow aliens?

Thanks!

[slabgar 0]

Almost half of the powers included in this edition are rated Green. Green doesn't  mean weak.  It just means the powers are easily understandable by beginners.  You can see how to play with or against the powers without having a lot of experience in the game.  If there's even one beginner in the game, play only with Green powers.

The idea isn't that Red are the best powers, but rather that they require a deeper understanding of the game to play against.  They can be very frustrating if you're just starting with the game.  This'll help prevent bad experiences turning someone off to the game.   So, before allowing them in to the mix, ensure everyone has played a good amount.

Somewhere inbetween are the yellow powers.  They require that you have a good handle on the game mechanics, and have played some games to have a feel for the flow of the game, and the contents of the encounter deck.

 

Anyway, the intent isn't to only play Red cards together, or yellow together, but rather to add them to the mix.

[Disclaimer - fighting a fever this weekend, if any of my syntax seems a bit off, my brain may still be a bit muddled.  Bleah.]

[Toomai 0]

Yeah, the different alert statuses just show what the skill level of the least-skilled player at the table should be. So a beginner doesn't get trounced by Void, Virus, or Warpish and assume that they're unbeatable because of their stuffs.

And the greenies aren't bad by any means, they just have minor effects on the game. Minor as in "doesn't require much brain to understand", not minor as in "ain't worth jack".

[BotanyGuy 0]

This is good to hear...I was worried that there would be an imbalance.  Thanks for the info!

[Indy 2]

Imbalance is what made this game so revolutionary when it first came out.

It isn't meant to be balanced by rules, the player interaction balances the game, so you could say that imbalanced player powers are a huge part of the game's appeal

[Jhamin 0]

Indy said:

It isn't meant to be balanced by rules, the player interaction balances the game,  <SNIP>

And this right here is why powers are divided into colors.  There are a number of powers that are balanced by the players themselves and not the rules.  This actually works really well, but only if the players know the game well enough to know they need to do it.

Green Aliens don't really need this

Yellow Aliens don't need this, but often require a knowledge of the card mix to play effectively

Red Aliens seem broken and unbalanced unless you know the game well enough to know how to kneecap them in other ways.

 

So the advice of seeing who the least experienced player at the table is and then limiting alien colors by that is really the way to go.

 

[slabgar 0]

That's an excellent description Jhamin.  I'm plan to steal it (or rather, quote it) if I need to explain this at some point in the future.

I especially like the use of the word 'kneecap'...