A new addition is coming to the popular XCOM game franchise, this time in the form of a board game.
The XCOM franchise has an established fan base that began cultivating with the release of the 1994 computer game UFO: Enemy Unknown, which was also released under the name X-COM: UFO Defense. The game made its way to the PlayStation console in 1995. This turn-based strategy game spawned a handful of subsequent X-COM releases for the PC. A remake of the game was released in 2012 called XCOM: Enemy Unknown. This release initiated an XCOM flood, bringing the game to PCs, Macs, the PlayStation 3, the XBOX 360 and mobile devices too.
And in 2014, we’ll see XCOM in board game form. XCOM: The Board Game will be released by Fantasy Flight Games later this year. The company describes:
In XCOM: The Board Game, the alien invasion has begun. Early encounters have only served to prove that the world’s militaries are hopelessly outgunned. Panic leads to riots, and governments struggle to maintain any control. Human civilization is on the brink of collapse…
As the department heads of XCOM, you and your friends must succeed where the world’s militaries have failed. You lead the elite members of an international, military organization, which is funded by a secret coalition. It is your job to destroy UFOs, research alien technology, uncover the alien invasion plan, and find some way to turn back the alien invaders. You must do this all while preventing the collapse of the governments that secretly fund your organization, and you must do it quickly. You do not have the luxury of time.
Each game of XCOM: The Board Game requires the cooperation of XCOM’s four department heads: Commander, Chief Scientist, Central Officer, and Squad Leader. Whether you play the game solo, with one friend, or with three, you must always include all four roles. Each department head manages a specific set of responsibilities, and each is vital to the world’s defense.
As the description explains, the game can be played with as many as four people, and as few as one. The four department heads within the game have specific duties for which they are responsible:
Commander
The Commander is responsible for the management of XCOM’s budget, has to decide when to access the organization’s emergency funding, and how to allocate that funding.
Chief Scientist
The Chief Scientist is responsible for studying advanced technology and learning how to harness it to manufacturing better weapons and armor. The Chief Scientist is also responsible for equipping the organization with the tools needed to survive.
Central Officer
The Central Officer is the communications relay between XCOM and the outside world. To do this, the officer manages the organization’s satellite network and ensures that XCOM is aware of potential threats. The Central Officer communicates and coordinates efforts between branches, and scrambles as many alien transmissions as possible.
Squad Leader
The Squad Leader is responsible for assigning the right troops to the right missions. The Squad Leader assembles strike teams to engage the aliens in battle, while also assigning troops to defend the XCOM base.
What really sets XCOM apart from other board games is the innovative incorporation of digital technology within gameplay. XCOM: The Board Game includes a free digital companion app that can be downloaded or accessed online. This app reportedly heightens the gameplay experience by coordinating alien activities in real-time.
It sounds like this app basically serves as another player, runs the game, and times what you do, intensifying the time-crucial element of this game. PC Gamer opines, “This is the genius of XCOM: The Board Game. It uses an app to change the very structure of the game (Do well, and you’ll get critical information before you have to act. Do poorly, and you’re flying blind), and it adds an element of real-time panic to what would otherwise be a fairly staid resource and strategy design.”
PC Gamer’s Julian Murdoch demoed the game at GenCon 2014, and he provides this example of how the app works during gameplay:
“Commander, assign your interceptors. You have 15 seconds.”
Africa’s about to fall into panic. Europe’s no better. I have six inbound UFOs, and six interceptors, but I’m short on cash. If I move to defend, I’ll have nothing to give my ground troops, who are repelling a base-invasion at XCOM HQ. And the Science Officer won’t shut up about wanting to get more salvage.
“Five seconds!” screams my Central Officer.
I let Africa fall, assigning three interceptors to Europe.
“Done!” I cry. He presses a button on the iPad next to me. “Squad Leader, Defend the Base! You have 13 seconds.”
This game hasn’t been released yet, but it already has a couple of things working in its favor: 1. The XCOM franchise has an established cult following. And 2. The integration of a digital component seems to be implemented well in this case, not just a sloppy gimmick.
The official release date has yet to be announced. But when the game is released later this year, we're sure plenty of curious XCOM fans will happily spend $60 to check out XCOM: The Board Game.
