Nemesis

Big box games are often enticing, but few deliver on the the promised experience to the extent that Nemesis does. Firstly it does this with style - it is a very pretty game - the most obvious element of which are the miniatures included, from the diminutive player character models, through to the towering (and horrific) Intruder Queen . Even in the base grey plastic these are very detailed and enhance the immersion considerably. Each player takes on a character type, ultimately trying to survive the Intruder presence on your ship by working to achieve various win conditions. The game shines in the various factors that influence how you can accomplish or fail these goals: the ship map is randomized every game, where the ship is headed, the state of the engines, the Intruders you encounter, the character you play, the equipment you discover - all are randomized during every playthrough, providing tons of replayability. And then you need to factor in how your friends round the table choose to play their characters! The game can be played fully coop (a good intro to the mechanics and rules) or semi coop where Nemesis truly shines as you can no longer trust your fellow shipmates to have your best interests at heart, usually with terminal consequences! No mistake this game is difficult to win, but it is better game because of the challenge. Plus the difficulty is not the result of overly complex rules (in fact the core mechanics are relatively straightforward) but because the…