Welcome back, Commander!
In our previous Gameplay Overview for Battlestar Galactica: Scattered Hopes we looked over all of the systems you’ll use in the Fleet Management and Combat gameplay loop. Today we’re back with a deep dive, focusing on just one aspect - The Crisis System.
Battlestar Galactica: Scattered Hopes has been designed around the heavy burden of leadership you’ll carry as one of humanity’s last hopes - escaping the Fall of the Twelve Colonies, and keeping your fleet intact amid overwhelming Cylon attacks.
The Crisis System is the best example of how our teams have worked to ensure that you feel that weight. Forcing you to make impossible choices in the face of dire situations, the Crisis System is at the heart of gameplay.
There are various Crises that can arise for players as you make the journey to the Battlestar Galactica. These are often-complex emergencies which threaten the stability, safety and survival of your entire Fleet. Murders, biohazards, critical system malfunctions and more - Crises pose problems that you’ll have to solve quickly if you want the Fleet to survive. As you try to resolve each Crisis, you’ll continue to suffer its negative effects over time. This could be losing supplies to thieves each turn, or worse. In some cases, Crises will also present limited-time emergencies, requiring you to make fast and impactful decisions to prevent a catastrophe - such as losing a civilian ship entirely. Importantly, Crises will reflect the current state of your fleet, and the politics and relationships in play - delivering a direct consequence to the choices you’ve made up to that point.
Each Crisis begins with a full briefing in the CIC. Here, your Officers will each deliver their own thoughts on the best path to solving your current challenge. These often heated debates will leave you in no doubt as to what your Officers think, but as the Commander the responsibility for making that decision rests with you.
You’ll need to determine the best course of action. Mobilize personnel and resources over time, suffering the negative effects of the Crisis, but save valuable resources? Or address it immediately but suffer heavier costs to resources, time or your standing with the Factions?
Both choices come at a price - you’ll have to decide which price you’re willing to pay.
Your moment to moment decisions have a significant impact on each journey you take. Crises are born of your actions, your choices, the relationships you have with each of the Factions and their influence over the Fleet.
Your relationship with the Faction will determine the nature of Crises, with the Faction’s own influence impacting the severity. Gaining favour with a powerful Faction can offer rewarding opportunities, but antagonize them and you risk severe and wide-ranging consequences for the Fleet - blockades, strikes and military insubordination to name just a few.
Perhaps the most challenging of the Crises you’ll face as a Commander is discovering that one of your trusted Heroes is, in fact, a Cylon traitor! You’ll need to investigate your own Heroes, scrutinising their background to make sure they are a truly human member of your Fleet.
However - each check you make will cost you resources, and time. To make matters worse, until you unmask the traitor, the Cylon insurgent will remain active, sabotaging the Fleet from within!
Crises are just one of the challenges you’ll face in Battlestar Galactica: Scattered Hopes. We’ll be back, so stay tuned for more gameplay Deep Dives with an in-depth look at Squadrons, coming soon. - The Battlestar Galactica: Scattered Hopes team