Why I Backed Voidfall
4X games usually aren’t my thing. I’ve never purchased one and didn’t think I would anytime soon, so why did I back Voidfall?
I tend to shy away from most games with a heavy combat+random outcomes play pattern even though I loved games like Risk as a kid. These days, if it has lots of dice, random hexes, and random rewards I tend to pass.
I’ll play if someone from my local game group brings something like Eclipse and might even enjoy myself, but it’s hard for me to invest serious energy into a long, competitive game where the outcome might hinge on the roll of a die or a player in last place deciding to play kingmaker. It feels bad, man.
Voidfall is something different, something special even!
I usually scroll right past any 4X space game I see on Kickstarter but Ian O’Toole’s art caught my eye. I already own Kanban EV and On Mars which feature O’Toole’s amazing style (and am patiently awaiting my copy of Carnegie)
As I took a look over the colorful hexes and unique faction art of the different playable houses I was eager to learn more about what made this game tick. Then I noticed that David Turczi (the king of solo design and Anachrony fame) was a designer on the project. I knew that this would be something very different.
Billed as a 4X “for Euro enthusiasts”, Voidborn had me intrigued, to say the least.
First off, the lore is immersive and the story compelling. Even though the Voidborn appear (mechanically) to be no more than NPC dummy units, they are interwoven into the game mechanics and the theme in such a way to make them feel like so much more.
In addition to the great theme, Voidfall “combines the tension, player interaction, and deep empire customization of the 4X genre with the resource management, tight decisions, and minimum-lick gameplay of an economic Euro.”
Voidfall features various modes of play with many scenarios for solo/coop as well as a full competitive mode where players can battle it out or make uneasy alliances. Voidfall features “deterministic” combat which is where the rubber will likely meet the road for most players.
Are you happy to remove the mystery from combat? I am! I can play any number of dice-based or card-based combat games, but I’m much more interested in trying one that rewards tight play more than random luck in key situations. Many will balk at this. That’s understandable. It’s unusual for this type of game, but it has me interested.
The designers explained during an online interview that players can consider combat more of a long-term war resolution than a quick skirmish. The stronger side prevails, unlike a single, tactical battle where an unforeseen element could turn the tides of battle.
The game is also one of economic production, and as such, there are a variety of resources players will need to produce if they want to advance up the 3 (house-based) Civilization Tracks.
Voidborn is played across 3 cycles, each with a different Galactic Event, a new scoring condition, and a number of Focus Cards which determine a player’s course of actions.
The Kickstarter campaign — by Mindclash Games was well-run and wildly successful. Backers participated in an interactive story where their decisions shaped the outcome of some of the eventual components of the game.
The Stretch Goals were also very well received. Special Sector Tiles, New Scenarios, Galactic Event Cards, New Factions, Voidborn Minis, a Gametrayz Storage Solution, Harbinger Minis, and upgraded triple-layer tiles were some of the big ones.
Why might this game NOT be for you?
The Price Point — With an entry-level pledge of $87/75€ this isn’t on the cheap side of board game prices by any means, but the real meat of the campaign is geared towards the $158/135€ Galactic Pledge. This gives you (in addition to everything in the base pledge) An army of fleet minis for all 4 players, translucent stands for the minis, Spot UV treatment for the boxtop, triple-layer player boards, and (almost) full component upgrades.
Iconography — The number of icons and symbols used in this game is perhaps more than in any game I’ve ever seen. On the one hand, the game is mostly language-independent, on the other hand, the iconography is a language in itself.
Give Me Back My Random Combat — There are MANY games that you could play to get the excitement of random combat and random exploration.
Game Length — At a stated “50 minutes per player” this is a long one. If your playgroup includes anyone known to be AP prone this game could run upwards of 5–6 hours per session.
Fulfillment Timeframe — The current estimated delivery date is February 2023, but with the crazy world we live in who could ever be sure?
Despite all of these potential hang-ups I backed Voidfall (ALL-IN!) and will patiently await the day this epic game graces my table.
