Eclipse, analog space 4x game

[Matti]

Eclipse is an analog 4x space strategy game from Finland. As players explore the universe, hex plates are placed on the table. Some have planets for colonization, and some also have enemies and/or loot boxes. Each player has a large card to represent his faction. When planet is colonized, player takes a cube from his card and places it on the planet. Removed cube reveals a number to indicate increased resource income. Technology is researched and ships are upgraded (with researched technology). Trade with other player factions provide more income.

[Matti]

Status card of my faction, Orion Hegemony. On top you can see my ships and their upgrades. In middle is researched technology. Close to the bottom are resource income, actions I have taken (black discs), and available actions to take with respective cost of resources. At edges of the card (right and bottom) are my resources where pink is research, orange is money (to pay for the actions), and brown is minerals (to pay for the ships).

[Matti]

Explored universe. Yellow player stabbed me (black) on my back by starting war and invading. I retaliated by sinking my resource reserves to build more ships to stonewall his attack on the border system. Both of our respective ships can pass only through the edges with full circles (half circles become accessible with appropriate technology), and our border has only 1 hex side with such access. Right now he is competing with white player to defeat the NPC boss at galactic center (equivalent of one in video game Master of Orion). Green player stabbed White on the back by raiding (conquering even?) his systems with the cheapest ships.

Combat is simple dice rolling: 1 die per weapon, targeting equipment increases chance to hit, shields decrease it. Because my chosen faction has ships equipped with both targeting computer and shield from the start, thus nullifying effect of level 1 targeting computer, yellow player replaced targeting computers of his ships with more armour before attacking me. Wasn't enough. But combination of heavily armoured space stations and dreadnoughts strongly discouraged me even though his cruisers are occupied at galactic center. By this point game was on the last turn and I was out of the resources to upgrade or move my ships.

[Bedwyr]

We play eclipse regularly. It's either near the top or at the top of my to-play list and I've already contributed to the Kickstarter for rev. 2.

[Sabelkatten]

Haven't played in a few years, but my gripe with it was that all exploration was done in the early game, then there was only fighting. I want exploration to be available throughout. :(

[worktroll]

Oddly enough, that's a good replication of what's expected once mankind does spread to infest the stars. After a while, the unexplored portions are farther & farther away, and the planet next door is full of handy pre-refined metals, etc ...