Eclipse

Eclipse: New Dawn for the Galaxy, commonly known as Eclipse, is a strategy board game produced by Lautapelit.fi. It was designed by Touko Tahkokallio and first released in 2011. The game currently has three expansions – Rise of the Ancients, released in 2012, Ship Pack One, released in 2013, and Shadow of the Rift, released in 2015 – and four mini-expansions. A second edition, titled Eclipse: Second Dawn for the Galaxy, was released in 2019, which is a complete overhaul of the original game, improving all aspects.

Why is Eclipse Popular?

Eclipse is a popular game because it offers a unique and immersive 4X (eXplore, eXpand, eXploit, and eXterminate) experience in a fraction of the time of other 4X games. It is a game of interstellar civilization, where players compete for success with their rivals. Players can choose to play as either a human or alien civilization. The game has received several honors and awards, including the Charles S. Roberts Best Science-Fiction or Fantasy Board Wargame Nominee (2011), Jogo do Ano Nominee (2011), Golden Geek Best Board Game Artwork/Presentation Nominee (2012), Golden Geek Best Innovative Board Game Nominee (2012), and Golden Geek Best Strategy Board Game Nominee (2012).

Game Components of Eclipse

– Hexagonal tiles that form the game board
– Ship Part Tiles and Round Marker on the Supply Board
– Technology Tiles
– Reputation Tiles
– Discovery Tiles
– Ancient Ship Tiles
– Orbital and Monolith Tiles
– Damage Cubes
– Traitor Card
– Galactic Center hex
– Galactic Center Defense System Tile
– Sector hex stacks
– Player Board
– Player starting hex
– Ships
– Ambassador Tiles
– Influence Discs
– Population Cubes
– Colony Ships
– Summary Card
– Storage Markers
– Storage Track
– Technology Track
– Reputation Track
– Interceptor

Game Setup of Eclipse

– Set up the game board using hexagonal tiles
– Set the Ship Part Tiles and the Round Marker on the Supply Board
– Put the Technology Tiles in the bag and shuffle them. Draw random Technology Tiles (according to the number of players) from the bag and set them on their spots on the Research Tracks. Set similar tiles on top of each other.
– Put the Reputation Tiles in another bag and shuffle them.
– Shuffle the Discovery Tiles and set them face down on their spot on the Supply Board.
– Set the Ancient Ship Tiles, Orbital and Monolith Tiles, Damage Cubes, Traitor Card, Galactic Center hex, Galactic Center Defense System Tile, Sector hex stacks, Player Board, Player starting hex, Ships, Ambassador Tiles, Influence Discs, Population Cubes, Colony Ships, Summary Card, Storage Markers, Storage Track, Technology Track, Reputation Track, and Interceptor.

Gameplay Mechanics of Eclipse

Eclipse is a 4X strategy game where players must lead their civilization to prevail over the others. On each turn, a player takes one of six actions: building, exploring, influencing, moving, researching, or upgrading. For example, exploring opens up a new tile in a direction chosen by the exploring player. Each action uses resources (money, materials, or science), and resource management is a key part of gameplay. The player may strategically choose which orientation the tile takes, to create links to existing tiles or to block access by other players.

Game Objective of Eclipse

The objective of the game is to lead your civilization to prevail over the others. Players can achieve this by exploring, expanding, exploiting, and exterminating their rivals. The game ends when one of the following conditions is met: a player controls at least 4 hexes, a player has reached the end of the Reputation Track, or the Galactic Center Defense System is destroyed.

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