A Billion Suns is a newly released space fleet miniatures game from Osprey. Its author is Mike Hutchinson (of Gaslands fame). I received the rulebook yesterday and tonight tried out the simple tutorial, (changing it up a bit by using a Light Utility Ship instead of the recommended Fighter Wing). The game has no specific miniatures, so I tried it out using starships created from Petite Blocks (off-brand miniature Legos).
Prelude - The Sea Rider:
The captain of the MezCorp Light Utility Ship "Sea Rider" was ready for action, planning to engage and destroy two different hostile facilities. Although they appeared closely adjacent to one another via long range scans, due to a fold in the space-time continuum, the facilities were located on different tables, and would thereby require a "jump" to traverse the two sectors.
Turn One - Jump On It:
Two jump points were placed early in the turn (using up two of the five CMD tokens). The Sea Rider jumped out of hyperspace (at a cost of one credit), close to the first of the jump points, using a third CMD token. An opening round of volleys missed on both sides....
Turn Two - Don't Panic:
The Sea Rider used its CMD tokens in the second turn to issue Power To Weapon Systems, scoring a direct hit - a critical. Although the facility had rudimentary shields, they did not deflect the damage from the Sea Rider's Light Blasters. The Facility was destroyed, earning one credit for MezCorp. However, the Sea Rider took one damage in the preceding exchange of fire, its shields not offering any protection from the facility's Laser Turrets.
Turn Three - Coming in Hot:
The Sea Rider decided to Jump Point Hop to the other jump point in the other sector. The Sea Rider suffered another hit, causing one additional damage to its hull, but inflicted one damage on the facility. Sensing victory at hand and still at 50% operational capability, the captain of the Sea Rider ignored his crew's pleas for repair actions and instead commanded Power To Weapon Systems. The captain was shocked when its Light Blasters attack on the facility missed entirely.
Turn Four - So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish:
Partly due to the Sea Rider being an Easy Target (for not having moved), at the start of the next turn, the facility scored a critical hit on the Sea Rider. Its shields did nothing. The Sea Rider was destroyed.
Epilogue - Life Is But A Dream:
Luckily for the captain of the Sea Rider, this was only a very realistic simulation -- part of MezCorp's officer training program. But even had this been a real mission, MezCorp would have come out even on the ledger. The cost of the Sea Rider was 1 credit, but the destruction of the first facility earned MezCorp 1 credit. All in all, it's a wash.
Conclusion:
The tutorial was helpful to better understand the rules and turn sequence. I like the interplay between the Mass, Silhouette, and other stats. I also like the mission-based approach the game takes. It will take some getting used to wanting low rolls of the dice, but I think there will be much to enjoy here. I look forward to playing a real game in the future.
