by MichMedia
An armada of thirty ancient ships holds the galactic center. Can you wipe them all out in nine rounds or fewer?This question drove me to develop the following solitaire variant. I've played it twice now, losing the first game, but, with a few minor tweaks to rules (bolded), winning the second by a very close margin (the last point of damage needed to destroy the last ship was delivered on the last roll).
Object: Take the center (destroy all ancients) in nine rounds or fewer.
Setup: Place the galactic center hex, then your home hex in sector II, as usual. Place one crowded hex tile (A) on the galactic center hex, and the other crowded hex tile (B) aside, along with all thirty (30) ancient ships (21 from the base game, 8 cruisers and 1 dreadnaught from RotA). For an added challenge (though less thematic), the GCDS may also be included.
All technologies are available from round 1; fill the technology board with one of each, plus all rare techs below it. Also set out the three resource-based developments: Mining Colony, Research Station, and Trade Fleet.
Remaining setup is as usual.
Gameplay: As usual, excepting the following: all sector III hexes are available for exploration (they are not limited in number), hexes normally guarded by ancients are left unguarded (as all ancients are in the center), and (optionally), players may go into debt in Science and/or Materials (negative value indicated by turning storage marker on its side on the storage track), but all resource storage must be 0+ by game end (otherwise your civilization is bankrupt and you lose—even if you defeated all ancients). Victory points are unused; there is only the victory condition.
And that's it! I think much of the beauty here is in the simplicity; there aren't many special rules or charts to be followed. The tweaks I made I believe to be necessary, as your fleet will most likely be completely wiped out each round until the end, straining materials production to the limit.
I found it to be a fun challenge, with an emphasis on the management of resource production while still feeling like playing Eclipse. I think there's room for different weapon configurations (though missiles present an obvious attractiveness), and there is still enough randomness to be found in the areas of hex explores, discovery tiles, and dice rolls so as not to feel static or lifeless.
I have not yet tried this using only the base game; it would be easier due to fewer (and weaker) ancients, but there would be no rare techs or developments, either. The GCDS could be added, and perhaps the fewest number of rounds needed to take the center could be stressed in the object.
I hope people have fun trying this; I know many people have been interested in solitaire rules, myself obviously included! I look forward to hearing your questions, comments, and stories. I'll likely be posting a session report for my most recent, second game as soon as I can write it up.