All of the signs were there: the gentlemen that designed the all-time classic Troyes had a new, sci-fi themed game with lots of dice and multi-use cards. A cool board mechanic that simulates a spaceship moving through space. An incredible-looking production, with personal player boards, lots of tiles, a main action board, lots of variability and cute little robot pieces.
All in a playtime that runs at about 90 minutes for a game with 3 experienced players. Then the reviews started to surface. The Troyes shadow loomed large, and Black Angel had an impossible task: how do we make people see that this is a different game?
Multiple friends sold their copies on the secondary market before even ripping off the shrink. Some held onto their copies but never convinced themselves that they should spend the time investing in a new experience if they loved Troyes anyway. Slowly, Black Angel faded from view, at least for me. Last summer, one of my gaming groups put Black Angel on the table and I really liked it.
I let Black Angel sit on my shelf for 6 months without playing it again. Humanity has done it again, destroying Earth to the point that a mission is launched to potentially save us all. Enter the Black Angel, a ship speeding towards the planet Spes, where a chance at establishing new life awaits. You need to score the most points by the time the Black Angel touches down. First, there are the Ravagers, alien ships bent on destroying the ship.
Then, there are limited dice, and these dice are what all players use to take actions around the two boards of the game: the interior of the Black Angel, and a board representing space. Just like Troyes, Black Angel features 3 main colors of dice that can be used to take actions, and fighting over these dice creates a good amount of tension. Also, just like Troyes , the number of pips on a die dictate what actions are really available to you.
