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This page is about the 2015 board game by Eric M. Lang. For the 2012 video game it was based on, see XCOM: Enemy Unknown.

XCOM: The Board Game

Designers	Eric M. Lang
Publishers	Fantasy Flight Games Edge Entertainment Galakta Galápagos Jogos Giochi Uniti Heidelberger Spieleverlag
Genres	Board game Dice game Strategy game Real-time
Players	1-4 (4 Recommended)
Setup time	5-10 minutes
Playing time	60-120 minutes (1-2 hours)
Chance	high
Age range	14 years and up
Skills	Quick decision-making, Cooperation, Hand management
Materials required	Device capable of running companion application

XCOM: The Board Game is a Cooperative_board_game designed by Eric M. Lang and first published in 2015 by Fantasy Flight Games. This board game is based on the 2012 strategy video game XCOM: Enemy Unknown.

XCOM: The Board Game was released on January 28, 2015. Players assume the roles of leaders of the international organization known as XCOM (short for Extraterrestrial Combat Unit) to defend against an alien invasion. Players work together to decide on how to respond to alien attacks, allocate resources, research and implement technology, and prevent global panic. The game ends when either XCOM is defeated or the aliens are driven away from Earth. The game has random elements, from the alien attacks and dice rolls, and strategy, from co-operation and quick decision making. Players must work together to achieve the goal of saving the Earth.

Gameplay

The players in the game are assigned roles. A player may have more than one role if there are less than four players. See roles below. The board game utilizes an application to randomly generate alien actions. The game has three difficulties; easy, normal, and hard. The difficulties determine the severity of the random actions performed by the aliens.

The game is setup in rounds, with each round containing a real-time action phase and a untimed resolution phase. During the real-time phase, the players are notified of the alien activities. Players will then respond within the time limit and allocate resources to the various events on the board. After all of the resources are allocated, the events are resolved through dice rolls. If either the XCOM base is destroyed or two countries have fallen into panic, the players have lost the game. If XCOM was able to successfully complete the final mission, then the players win the game. The whole list of rules can be obtained through the tutorial included within the application or here.

Roles

1. The Commander manages the budget for XCOM and deploys Interceptors to attack alien UFOs.
2. The Chief Scientist researches alien technology and applies the technology to XCOM soldiers.
3. The Central Officer controls the app and relays information from the app to the other players.
4. The Squad Leader leads XCOM in battles and defends the XCOM base.

A typical game played at GDC in 2015.

History

XCOM: The Board Game was based on the 2012 video game XCOM: Enemy Unknown, which in turn was a remake of the 1994 game UFO: Enemy Unknown. The board game follows a similar story to the video game counterparts. XCOM was created by a group of countries, known as The Council, to combat the alien threat. However, instead of being in command of everything, the player in the board game would control only one component of XCOM, assuming that there are 4 players. The players will have to communicate effectively in order to achieve their goal.

Release

XCOM: The Board Game was first announced on August 5, 2014 by Fantasy Flight Games. The game was planned to have a release in the fourth quarter of 2014. The release was delayed until the first quarter of 2015. It was released on January 28, 2015.

Reception

XCOM: The Board Game has won an award for being "a fantasy and/or science fiction game that conveys a strong atmosphere while having simple rules."

Awards

• 2015: Spiel der Spiele Griffin Scroll

External links

• Official website