All of the
Sword of the Stars games are based on the classic 4X turn-based system. 4X is eXplore, eXpand, eXploit, and eXterminate. It worked for the Romans, so by God, it will work for the universe. The focus of the games seems to be thankfully light on massive macro-management. Fleet battles and planet takeovers are your primary focus. You do have a very healthy research tree to keep up with, but this is all very manageable without getting too caught up in the monotony of it. Let's look at each of the three games separately.
The original Sword of the Stars features four factions: Humans, the lizard race of the Tarka, the space dolphin-looking Liir, and the insectoid Hive. Each race has their own set of checks and balances. Overcoming your weakness and taking advantage of your strengths is the obvious secret to success. Games range from scripted, short, one-night runs to open-ended campaigns that can last for weeks.
The first expansion released was Born of Blood, released in '07. The game added a new race into the mix. The Zuul were hinted about in the scenarios of the original game, but now you can play them. The expansion adds 25 additional technologies, including new diplomacy and intelligence-gathering techs, plus 15 weapons you can add to your ship designs. There are new ship sections for the original four races including: War, Projector, Boarding, and the new Torpedo Defense Platform. There are four additional galactic encounters, a new grand menace, plus 3 unique scenarios and 6 original maps. There are some very interesting features including Slavery, Trade Routes, and Diplomatic Communications.
And yet another year later, we see the latest expansion of A Murder of Crows. We are again introduced to a new race called the Morrigi. And as expected we see more new toys to play with for ships with more than a dozen new ship sections for all races. There are even more new weapons you can add to your ship designs, plus new technologies, including the new Xeno-Cultural and Drone tech trees. There are new gameplay elements such as Civilian populations, independent worlds, Espionage options, and demands for planetary surrender. There are also new ships like the Drone carrying ships, Construction ships, a variety of orbital stations, Spy Ships, Police Cutters, and more. What I wasn't expecting were all of the new user interface options. It really felt like a different, and new, game all together.
Even with all that this one-shot package has to offer, Paradox and Kerberos have announced a new expansion on the way very soon in June with Argos Naval Yard. This collector's set is a solid, "Best Bang for your Buck," pick.
