Black Hole Council

Fit

Teach 2.4

Teaching signal

Replay 3.9

High replayability

Interaction 3.6

Highly interactive

Scaling 4.0

Scales well

Strategy 4.5

Deep strategy

Control 3.5

More strategic control

Table feel

Moderate level of direct and strategic confrontation with high interaction frequency, but low emphasis on cooperation.

Replay value

Black Hole Council has a high replayability score due to its high variability gameboard, impactful expansions, deep strategic depth, and good scalability. The game offers different experiences each time it is played, allowing players to discover new tactics and strategies. The player interaction score is decent, and the game adapts well to different player counts. While it may not be the easiest game to learn, it offers a good balance between easiness and depth. Overall, Black Hole Council provides a fresh and engaging experience with a high replay value.

Luck profile

Black Hole Council has a moderate level of luck involved in the game. Random elements, such as card draws, have a notable but not exclusive impact on the game outcome. However, players have substantial ability to mitigate randomness through strategic decisions and planning. The game outcome is primarily determined by player strategy and decisions, with luck playing a minor role. Overall, Black Hole Council strikes a good balance between luck and strategy, making it an engaging and strategic board game.

Overview

Black Hole Council is a 4-8 player negotiation and deduction game about deciding the fate of 32 different planets. Players take on the role of Councilors on the Black Hole Council. Each Councilor has been paid off by shady organizations, and so has a secret agenda card they're trying to fulfill. During six negotiation rounds and three deductions rounds, players attempt to achieve their agenda and guess the goals of other players. During negotiations, a leader chooses whether to settle, tax, mine, conquer, or "black hole" five different planets while the other Councilors attempt to influence the leader's decision. This happens while a two-minute sand timer is running, and after it runs out, all players except the leader vote on the proposal. If it passes, all players advance (or not) on the influence track, depending on how well they did during the negotiation. During deduction rounds, players attempt to guess certain goals held by the other players. Correct guesses earn influence coins for you, while incorrect guesses earn coins for your opponent. The more players can negotiate to achieve their agenda and deduce what other players' goals are, the more likely they are to advance on the influence track and become the new de facto ruler of the Council.

Mechanism

3

Pattern Recognition Simultaneous Action Selection Voting

Media