Battlestar Galactica and Spimatic Meaning in Games - Game Play: Paratextuality in Contemporary Board Games - page 88

Figure 4.3 Yoke of a Colonial Viper. Battlestar Galactica ©Universal TV 1978.
To block one of these commands, opposing players have three “evasive
maneuver” cards, which negate the efect of the force ield or laser cannon.
Players can use these cards at any time to countermand the Command orders of
their fellow pilots/enemies. Because there are so few evasive maneuver cards in
relation to the command cards, players have to remember what their opponents
played and how many of a particular type they might have let.
From the standpoint of player interaction, the game quickly loses the sense
that all players are on the same side, leading to a more competitive sense of
fun. he competitive nature of the game means that players are soon pitted
against each other rather than working together, as might be seen in a more
contemporary cooperative game (like BSG08 or Star Trek: Expeditions ), despite
the underlying connection between characters. his player competitiveness-
instead-of-cooperation ends up distancing the player from the cult world of
Battlestar Galactica (1978). Instead of investing the players within the Spime—
itself constructed from the interaction between the game/narrative/player
elements—the BSG78 game turns the players into faceless entities.
In contrast, the BSG08 game relies most heavily on a cooperative player
interaction, with a dash of competition implied by the hidden Cylon mechanic.
Players must recognize that they are on the same side, but also may not be
able to trust one or two people to be truthful in their interactions. he game
sows mistrust among players, as all actions in the game are observable, but