Babylon 5 Games The Babylon 5 Collectible Card Game  Reviewed by Jon Carroll (draven@infi.net) At least among science fiction fans, the most anticipated recent releases have been products related to J. Michael Straczynskiís  Babylon 5. This series has gone to great lengths to redefine the nature of science fiction on television. Concepts like multi-episode plot arcs, a continuing story with a definite beginning, middle and end, and substantial character development have earned the show a devoted viewership that has maintained it for five years, and should keep it going well beyond.  Thus far, three gaming products have been released relating to Babylon 5. The first was The Babylon Project, a role-playing game set in the universe of Babylon 5. The second was Babylon Wars, a miniatures combat system based upon the craft and dynamics established by the excellent effects and design team at Foundation Imaging, and later by Netter Digital Imaging. The third, and what will be covered in this review, is the Babylon 5 Collectible Card Game (hereafter referred to as the B5 CCG) from Precedence Publishing.  The game is distributed in starter decks of 60, and there are separate starter decks available for each major race, be your preference Human, Narn, Centauri or Minbari. These packages retail for $8.95 (in U. S. dollars) at most gaming stores. These are supplemented by 8-card booster packs, which retail for $1.95. Possibly by the time this review is published, there will be additional booster packs available from the first supplement, The Shadows. Cards from this supplement will be  reviewed when they become available.  I will admit I am not much of a fan of CCGs, but I have played the Star Wars and Star Trek CCGs from time to time and enjoyed them to some degree. One thing I have always noted about card games is the informality of play... If you had a deck and your friend had a deck, and (in the case of Magic: The Gathering, for example) each had a 20-sided die, you could both play a quick, fun game and even resolve it in a fairly short time.  Unfortunately, that isnít so with the B5 CCG. Not only does the game require you both have a deck, but you also require a Galactic Politics poster (supplied with each starter deck) and at least 11 of some form of counter. (11 assumes that you use dice in some instances- if you use more normal counters, the number quickly becomes 20) This is just to start the game. To continue the game, you must be able to count up to 5 on 8 registers (one tracking your tension with each major race, and one for tracking internal unrest, for both players) and up to 20 on five fronts. (Still assuming two players, you must track each playerís power, then the influence of Babylon 5, the Shadows and the Vorlons) Three and four-player games become even more complex.  Also, the manual makes references to ëNarrating The Storyí and suggests that the players narrate their actions and attempt to explain how use of the card affects the ëstoryí. Apparently by playing the game, you are telling your own story of the last of the Babylon stations. I think this places too much on the players... They are simply trying to enjoy a brief foray into the universe of Babylon 5, not play characters. If they wanted to play characters, there is an entire class of games devoted to that...  On a similar note, the starter decks you receive feel very ëarrangedí... almost like certain cards were placed there by hand. This goes to great lengths to destroy any feeling of randomness in the cards.  On to game playÖ the game system is fairly straightforward, even though the rules explanation is a bit convoluted. At the beginning of every turn, you must figure out who acts first, second and so forth, based on your raceís amassed power and the skills of your ambassador. This results in confusion at the beginning of every turn as the game comes to a screeching halt so everyone can figure out what order they take their turns in. The order of play makes sense, with Ready (resetting turned cards, and influence and then determining initiative), Conflict (initiation of conflicts), Action (take your non-conflict actions), Resolution (resolve your conflicts) and Draw (umm... draw new cards... ) but it seems stilted since each player can only play one card at a time (even if you have multiple playable cards, each player plays one card, and around and around until someone passes, instead of letting each player play whatever card he can play that turn and letting the next person complete the totality of their action. (This can also cause players to forget which course of action they intended.)  Your primary ëcharacterí is your ambassador card (at this point, as of Season One... i.e. Commander Geoffrey Sinclair is Earthís ambassador) and you must draw out and ësponsorí into play your supporting characters, fleets, and locations. (which costs power) In order for some of the cards to be truly effective, you must ëpromote them to your inner circleí, i.e. pay power for them again. (In another round no less) The objective of the game is to amass 20 points of power... whomever does so first (even if it is Babylon 5, The Shadows or the Vorlons) wins. There should be optional rules for smaller-scale games... it takes quite awhile to amass 20 points of power, and it even takes awhile to get your race to the point where it can begin to even amass enough power to defend itself. If your cards come up stacked wrong then guess what... you donít have any ships to defend yourself with at all.  The people I played with were experienced card-game players, and were fans of Babylon 5, but even so, they stated that they disliked the game, they thought both the rules and gameplay were too complex, and in general complained of feeling bored. Another comment which I happen to agree with is the silliness that occurs whenever a player leaves the game... they must surrender to another player and then ëseek political asylumí with another player, leaving their ambassadorís card with them.  All in all, the game has a feel of being rushed to market and not properly playtested and reviewed before publication. Heck, they couldnít even spell J. Michael Straczynskiís name correctly on the back of the packaging. Honestly, I would rate this game as a wait-and-see. Hopefully, after some add-on packs and rules errata ship for the game, its gameplay will be streamlined significantly and make a more enjoyable game.  Copyright © Conrad Hubbard Return to Home Page