Black Angel cover
2019BGG rank #1,025

Black Angel

by Sébastien Dujardin, Xavier Georges, Alain Orban · Pearl Games

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Players1–4
Time60–120m
ComplexityMedium-Heavy
Age12+

About the game

What is Black Angel?

Humanity, through its irresponsible behavior, has exhausted the natural resources of Earth, making it almost uninhabitable. In a burst of lucidity, pressed by the irreversible degradation of your planet, the great nations are forced to put aside their differences and share their knowledge in order to create the most vast spacecraft ever constructed. The Black Angel, the first intergalactic frigate in history, must transport the genetic heritage of humanity beyond known worlds, over a journey that is likely to last several thousand years. Her crew will be composed of only robots. Because no nation is willing to trust creation of the AI (artificial intelligence) that will control this crew to any other nation, a compromise is found: The Black Angel will be co-managed by several AIs, and the utility of each decision will be evaluated in VP (Validation Process). Players take the role of AI robots, piloting the Black Angel while engaging with alien species and fighting off ravagers. Actions are determined by cards and die rolls. Rounds continue until either of the following situations occurs: The Black Angel figurine arrives on Spes (during a Sequence B) or The Ravager card deck becomes empty (during a Sequence A). Players finish the round in progress, and then play one final round. At the end of the final round, victory points are tallied (depending on the end condition) and the player with the most victory points wins.

How it plays

Mechanics

BiasDice RollingHand ManagementMap AdditionMap ReductionSolo / Solitaire GameTile PlacementVariable Set-upWorker Placement with Dice Workers

On the shelf

Categories

Science FictionSpace Exploration

Questions players ask

Questions to bring to BoardGameBrain

  • How do setup and the first turn work in Black Angel?
  • When does scoring happen and what ends the game?
  • How should the table resolve an unusual timing or rules interaction?