I had avoided trying Eclipse, because I had concerns that the game might be too aggressive for my liking. I’d say the most interesting thing about it for me was the ship customization aspect, as well as actually having an ability to turn ships into carriers (a la Scythe) – a mechanic which I’ve recently been thinking that more games need. However, my expectations for “interactivity” were confirmed in spades. It’s one of the harshest king-of-the-hill games I’ve ever played. If you fall behind, you’re likely to fall further behind, rapidly. Sometimes someone gets so powerful that it feels futile to even begin to fight against them. And, sometimes, like in our game, someone simply gets eliminated (pictured, their components neatly bagged at round 6).
That being said, perhaps because of the high stakes, the game creates a memorable experience after playing and somewhat of an “epic” feeling similar to Dune, Rex, or, I’m guessing, Twilight Imperium.
