Join us at Pandemonium for a special demonstration of Voidfall, a game we’re teaching by popular request! You’re especially welcome if you’ve never before played hobby board games (and are curious about where to start), but know that this is a LONGER session (4-5 hours post-teach) with a game that is extreme on the complexity end (though fairly intuitive once understood – so reviewers say).

WHAT IS THIS GAME ABOUT?

“For centuries, the Novarchs…have ruled with an iron fist over the feudalistic galactic empire of humankind, the Domineum. During this time, they brought stunning technological innovation and scientific advancements to their domain….. As the House of Novarchon grew in power, so grew the religious cult that surrounded them, proclaiming grim prophecies about an ancient cosmic being from another dimension: the Voidborn.

“Many thought it to be only a myth, but in truth, it was the Voidborn's dark influence that granted the Novarchs the sheer knowledge to achieve rapid expansion for the empire. While the cult of the Novarchs envisaged eternal life through the otherworldly entity, the Voidborn's only intention was satiating its eternal hunger. And so, when the Domineum had achieved a vastness fitting the Voidborn's craving, interdimensional rifts opened at the heart of the Domineum to unleash cosmic corruption. As the House of Novarchon and its followers welcomed the Voidborn and sought their false salvation, the entity infected and spread and seized control over the inner worlds. Now, it is time for the remaining Great Houses to purge the galactic corruption, prevent the Voidborn from fully manifesting in our dimension, and to ultimately overcome the chaos as the new rulers of the Domineum.”

– From the publisher (edited)

BUT WHAT DOES THAT MEAN AT THE TABLE?

“Voidfall is a space 4X game that brings the genre to Euro enthusiasts…. It combines the tension, player interaction, and deep empire customization of the 4X genre with the resource management, tight decisions, and minimum-luck gameplay of an economic Euro. Win by…overcoming your rivals' influence in restoring the Domineum.

[Or, in less jargony terms, an attempt to create a new perspective on a well-worn genre with mechanisms you typically wouldn’t expect in that type of game.]

“...As the leader of a defiant Great House, you play through three cycles, each with a game-altering galactic event, a new scoring condition, and a set number of focus cards that can be played. Focus card decisions and sequencing is the centerpiece of the gameplay. By selecting two of their three impactful actions as you play them, you develop and improve techs; advance on your three house-specific civilization tracks; manage your sectors' infrastructure, population, and production; and conquer new sectors with up to five different types of space fleets. Space battles are fought either against the Voidborn's infected forces (which are present as neutral opponents…) or against other players. Instead of relying on the luck of a die roll, battles in Voidfall are fully deterministic and reward careful preparation and outsmarting your opponents.”

— Again, edited from the publisher

LOGISTICS

If it seems like we were taking a great deal of text from the publisher, it’s because it’s a bit hard to judge what this game will be like, a priori. Reviews indicate that the thrill of play comes from chaining together a number of smaller actions to generate a bigger effect, but the tension of play, ultimately, comes from out-competing your rivals to snag points and technologies before they do.

And in a game that probably takes at least one hour per player, it helps if you know, going in, that it’s a game of calculations and puzzling, rather than throwing your fate to chance. It means that swingy, cinematic moments are few, but sniping a very precise target after carefully lining up a shot will be more of the excitement in the game.

Note that the designers of Voidfall built it for multiple audiences: it has a competitive, cooperative, and solo mode. We will be playing the competitive mode, as it has fewer rules than the other two, but if interest remains after this experience, we can look into teaching the cooperative game.

Note also, that we’ll be eschewing the game’s advice of playing the Tutorial mode, first. Advice on the Internet (not from the Voidborn) indicates that learning the game through playing a regular scenario is the way to go, so we’re going to try it. We’re going to do everything we can to make this as accessible as possible, but don’t be surprised if we hand you a stack of reference sheets when we start playing!

So if that sounds like something you’d want to try, do sign up for the event! For big games like this (price-wise and rules-wise), we like to demo them so you can tell if it’s really for you and your group, but we also demo smaller games semi-regularly as well. Our Events Calendar will indicate future events on Saturday and Sunday where you can read (shorter) descriptions of what to expect. Thank you for your interest and for reading all the way to the end!

RULES FOR ATTENDING: 

 

• Proof of vaccination is no longer required. If COVID levels rise, masking will be required. We will make an announcement about this on our website and social media if re-instated. 
• Photos may be taken at events to be used in our social media or promotional materials. Please inform the staff member running the event if you do not want your photo taken.
• Advance online registration is required.
• Anyone not registered in an ongoing event will not be allowed in the event space to maintain capacity limits.
• Food is not allowed in our event space. Drinks are allowed.