Into the Void with Eclipse Miniatures and Lost Ship
Travel through the lonely galaxy with this Lost Ship session about surviving and finding a new home planet.
I picked up a few simple paper-and-pencil solo games recently. For some reason, the theme of Lost Ship just felt like something I wanted to try out today. So, off I went into space! Normally, the only needed components are a writing instrument and dice. However, I did something a little different only because I unpacked some spaceships recently!
Game Overview
Game Name: Lost Ship
Publication Year: 2020
Designer: W.M. Akers
Solo Mode: Designed for Solo (Included in the Base Game)
Before you rush out expecting to see these miniatures included, know that this game only includes a rulebook.
My fiancé’s copy of Eclipse: Second Dawn for the Galaxy arrived recently. I spent part of an afternoon unpacking and sorting through everything. Such lovely spaceships!
I simply had to use them here for a little added fun.
A Lonely, Lost Ship
The premise involves a colony ship that becomes separated from its fleet, with no way to return. The goal is to leap through the galaxy in search of a new home planet.
Enemy aliens lurk in the black void, though. They typically show up, unless the dice are kind. Speaking of the dice, the game centers around continuous random rolls.
My ship, named the Canary, had a good deal of luck with her first leap. With a special modifier, there was no threat!
But this was far from good. With limited fuel and parts, along with amateur pilots, space was dangerously lonely.
Scouting the Enemy
As the Canary sailed into uncharted territory, the scouts headed out in search of a possible new planet.
What they found was rather alarming: A small fleet of Mark I enemy ships approaching at a rapid pace!
The game includes just 3 classes of enemy ships, conveniently labeled Mark I, II, or III. Each one is stronger with more power. I was glad to only encounter these!
These scouts had a chance to take out some of the ships before they had a chance to close on the Canary. Naturally, this first combat round went rather poorly for everyone.
Surrounded by Aliens
Before long, the Canary was in a dangerous position. Whereas the first combat round only involves damage to scouts, later rounds can lead to serious hull damage.
Oh, and possible death. Spaceships aren’t invincible! I had just 4 scouts and a mining laser to fight with. Yikes!
One thing I noted with this initial play was the minimal amount of decisions. I didn’t feel like I had a lot of control over what was happening, but had to rely on the dice.
All the same, I was ready to fight off these aliens with everything I had. Battle stations! Or whatever one says…
A Wild Space Battle
Ships zoomed all over as the real battle commenced! Untested pilots took their scouting ships in all sorts of directions, intent on confusing the enemy.
I managed to pull off some absolutely fantastic explosion effects here. Ha ha! Straight out of the 80s. Or 70s?!
Although everything was dice-based, having some sort of visual representation with these ships really made a difference for me. It felt a lot more alive.
The nice part was that I didn’t have to stage every single battle, but could still have the ships in front of me.
Unexpected Anomalies
When the dark void of space cleared, the Canary still stood proudly. Sadly, one of the pilots was killed during his very first battle. So young. He would be remembered.
The system looked empty as the sensors swept across the region. Hope for a new home held everyone on edge.
Then, I rolled a wonderful result on the anomalies table! These serve as random events and range from horrendous to extremely useful. What would happen to the Canary?
An ion storm happened, of course! The sensors suffered major damage, and finding a new home seemed unlikely.
More Space Battling
As is so often the case, my luck went from bad to worse. Still with limited resources and damaged systems, the scouts picked up more alien activity in the next sector.
The Mark I ships looked less than dangerous. It was the large Mark II spaceship that gave everyone pause.
It had more hit points, more chances to do damage, and more fuel reserves. Each class runs out of fuel at a certain point, but the smaller ones are much easier to handle.
I had to plan how to best take down the ships. Would I focus on the small Mark I targets, or go after the Mark II?
A Glorious Explosion
Take that, aliens! I went with an all-out assault on the Mark II. Each pilot had to roll separately, so there was no way of knowing if it would actually be destroyed.
The pilots themselves often feel rather alive. Destroyed ships are recorded, and each pilot can be promoted to veteran or ace depending on that number.
Although pilots have names, so do the scout ships. I had myself a lovely fleet of the Diamonds, Hearts, Clubs, Spades, Joker I, and Joker II. “Clever,” said no one. Ha!
Every Mark I then proceeded to miss during this round.
The Accurate Canary
As the aliens approached the Canary, I had to be careful. With a few bad rolls, the hull could easily be breached.
The little scout ships did an excellent job! Well, technically it was just the Joker I that landed a direct hit for 2 damage. That took care of one Mark I ship.
The other crept closer to the colony ship. It looked dire: The rest of the scout ships missed and sailed away.
At the last moment, the mining laser hummed to life and took the alien completely off-guard. Another direct hit to clear the region! It was rather exciting.
Continued Exploration
From this point on, I found that the gameplay felt a little repetitive. My dice were horribly unkind as the fuel reserves dwindled and nothing could be found on any planets. Even though I didn’t feel the need to act out the rest of the battles, I felt like there was real tension surrounding the fuel. Pretty soon, the Canary was going to be stranded. Forever.
This also brought out some of the issues with poor rolls. Upgraded systems provided some assistance, but I was still at the mercy of whatever the dice decided. As I mentioned above, the decision-making process seemed very limited.
Hope on the Horizon
After another battle with the aliens, the Canary felt somewhat hopeful. There was only minimal damage, along with a good chance that fuel could be located.
As the sensors swept the sector, excitement blossomed on the bridge. There was something out there… A planet!
It looked like the fuel reserves would finally be refilled, and the journey could continue.
Despite that fact, there would be no fuel to find. And, happily, no journey to continue because this was a habitable planet. The colonists had a new home, at last!
The Roster of Pilots
I used a random name generator to come up with these pilots. Apparently, the Canary was a Belgian spaceship.
“I’m not a Frenchy! I’m a Belgie!” A fantastic line from the wonderful movie, Murder, By Death. It applied here and I imagined everyone yelling it at the aliens. Ha ha!
It was interesting to see each pilot advance. Kasper Pollet, the pilot of the Clubs, grew into a sharpshooter of sorts. Even Margot Francois, a new recruit, had a role.
Perhaps in the future, a closer connection to the pilots might improve the story and add more depth.
Session Overview
Play Number: 1
Miniatures: Eclipse: Second Dawn for the Galaxy
Solo Mode: Designed for Solo (Included in the Base Game)
Required Play Space: 28″ x 22″
Setup Time: 10 Minutes
Play Time: 1 Hour
Outcome: 6 Leaps (Win)
Not everyone made it to the end. Jordi Fremault was killed in his first battle. Elisa Dubois was lost when her ship, the Diamonds, exploded. The Canary made it, though! I was rather proud of making it to the end with almost no fuel.
%
1 Play
Affordability
Price & Value
7
Functionality
Challenges & Mechanics
7
Originality
Design & Theme
7
Quality
Components & Rules
10
Reusability
Achievement & Enjoyment
4
Variability
Distinctness & Randomness
4
Continue the Conversation
What do you think of Lost Ship? I plan to try it out purely with its intended components in the future to see how that goes. Do you sometimes add miniatures or other elements to add more to certain games? I love the idea of repurposing components and finding new ways to enjoy simpler games. As a wise toy once said, “To infinity, and beyond!”
Looks interesting, but I do like to have lots of meaningful decisions. I shall keep an eye on your future posts.
I see the “game” as more of a simulation. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but I know that won’t work for everyone. I’ll likely go into it with a different perspective in the future to enjoy it more!
Systems do get upgraded over time and there are decisions about which ones to work on. Parts are scarce, too, so using them for repairs can be important. Still, the choices are rather limited. I don’t know if I would recommend it to someone who definitely wants meaningful decisions.
Still, I’m willing to keep playing and finding ways to enjoy it! I think these miniatures might be a requirement. Ha ha!