Review: StarCraft: The Board Game

This is my first board game review. Sort of. I'm not going to duplicate the publisher's description of the game, nor am I going to take photos of every component. It's a 2007 game, so you can find all that on the internet. You can start on BoardGameGeek. I'm taking more of a wargamer's perspective here.

Introduction

I'm a huge fan of StarCraft. I own both PC games (and their expansions). It was only logical to jump on the occasion to play the boardgame version. The first attempt, however, failed. We made the mistake of starting at 00:30, after a large meal and a couple of beers. Explaining the rules took a very long time; there were some distractions; and we were very, very tired. We played the game halfway through, then quit around 03:00. I wasn't discouraged at all, though. In fact, I could barely wait for a second chance. This time, we started at around 16:30, and we were completely sober for the first hour or so. It went much better!

As a wargamer...

This game has a lot of miniatures!

Here you can see everything on display, for all 6 factions. You get 3 of each advanced unit, and a couple more of the basic units.
Obviously, the miniatures aren't "wargaming quality" - they are not as detailed, or precise. However, I'm thinking that this game could be an excellent hobby starter (much like Shadows over Camelot was for me). You could take them and paint them up as they look like in the PC game, with decals and markings making up for the lack of obvious distinction. It would be a great way to get into painting and learn the basic techniques.

Gameplay and impressions

You might have already guessed, but the ruleset is fairly complex, and not meant for casual gamers.
However, it's nothing compared to a wargame such as Warhammer. After the first round, we started getting into our regular boardgame-y mood (helped along with snacks, pizza, coke and whiskey). In fact, as we progressed, there were fewer and fewer rules mistakes! (Although, to be fair, unintentional mistakes, caused by being tired, did start creeping in.)

The second round of conquering the galaxy

Knowledge of the PC game helps a lot with the basic concepts. It will also produce tons of funny moments, quotes and sound imitations. (It will also annoy you, when you realize that you can't produce 12 Battlecruisers.)
Being a wargamer helps a lot with understanding moves, attacks and combat in general.

Arcturus Mengsk invades a world held by Judicator Aldaris...

Expect lots and lots of tactical moves. Foreseeing what your enemy will do and countering it, foreseeing how the enemy will counter your moves if you take first turn, and generally thinking ahead will be at the order of the day while playing the game.

... allowing Tassadar to hold on to his built-up forces.

Once you get the gist of it, the game is really deep and fun. We kept on going for about 5 matches, finishing around 03:00 in the morning!