The Inside Scoop on Gaming

A word or two before beginning the review: I am not a pro-wrestling fan. While I understand its appeal to the masses, it does not appeal to me. That said, I purchased Champions of the Galaxy on a whim and the fact that it is fun for a non-fan like myself to play speaks highly of it. And before anyone asks, even after play Champions of the Galaxy, I am still not a pro-wrestling fan.

Champions of the Galaxy is a game centered on an imaginary professional wrestling federation that is based on a moon of Mars. The game is best described as a third person simulation for reasons that will become apparent later. Champions of the Galaxy is part of a game line with over 20 supplements. This review will focus on the introductory edition which contains the rules and the first set of wrestlers.

Champions of the Galaxy comes in a rather colorful box with an assortment of materials. It contains a rules booklet, a background booklet, 24 Wrestler cards, 5 charts, a pair of dice, and an assortment of promotional material. Both booklets are 8.5 x 5.5 inches and are stapled bound. The rules for basic game are 3 pages long and the additional rules for the advance game take up 3 more pages. The background book is 10 pages long and contains write-ups for all 24 wrestlers presented in the game as well as an alliance/feud table. The Wrestler cards are roughly 4 x 5.5 inches. On the front side of each card is a black and white illustration of the wrestler and on the back is the material needed to use the wrestler in a match. The charts are 5.5 x 8.5 inches and are double sided. Frugal players might wish to laminate the charts are they see heavy use in play.

The rules are simple and can be learned within 5-10 minutes. Some of the rules are not fully explained, but the examples given clear up any misunderstandings. Champions of the Galaxy can be played as a solitaire game or as a 2 person game.

The basic mechanics of the game center around the tables on back of the wrestlers' cards. The tables on the back of each wrestler card contains 18 offensive moves and 18 defensive moves. Both sets of moves are broken down into 3 levels with level 1 being the weakest moves and level 3 being the best moves.

At the start of a contest, the attacker rolls a d6 and looks up the result on his level 1 offense table. It describes the move and which level of defense the defender must roll. The defender then rolls a d6 and looks up the result of the appropriate chart which describes if he was able to block and go on the offensive or if he was hurt and which level of offense the attacker now rolls. Several of the possible offensive results refer to one of several charts. These charts cover being thrown into the ropes, tossed out of the ring, etc... Play continues until a wrestler is pinned or is disqualified. There are even rules for the brawls that occur when a match ends.

In the basic game, the players simply roll the dice and look up the results. With the advance rules, the players begin to make choices for the wrestlers that they control. The choices that are available are determined by the die roll and are often A or B.

To illustrate this, here is an example of level 1 offense table and a level 1 defense table. The information on the actual card is written in a form of shorthand, which has been expanded for clarity. This example illustrates the choices that a player can make when using the advance rules

Die roll

Offensive Move

Defensive Move

1

Standing Arm Bar - Defender rolls Level 1 Defense

Wrestler Dazed - Attacker rolls Level 1 Offense

2

Rear Head Lock - Defender rolls Level 1 Defense

Wrestler Dazed - Attacker rolls Level 1 Offense

3

Shoulder Tackle - Defender rolls Level 2 Defense

Successful Block, Wrestler takes the Offensive, roll a Level 1 offense

4

Toss Opponent into Ropes or reroll another Level 1 Offense

Wrestler hurt - Attacker rolls a Level 2 Offense

5

Try a front face lock - Defender rolls a Level 2 Defense if successful or Throw Opponent into the Turnbuckle

Successful Block, Wrestler takes the Offensive, roll a Level 1 Offense

6

Combo Punches - Defender rolls a Level 3 Defense

Wrestler Dazed - Attacker rolls Level 1 Offense

For the results of "Toss Opponent into Ropes" and "Throw Opponent into the Turnbuckle", the players roll on another chart to determine what happens. One of 4 results usually occurs. 1) The attacker continues his dominace, usually at a higher level of offense. 2) One of the wrestlers is disqualified. 3) Both wrestlers are disqualifies. 4) The defender gets the upper hand and goes on the offensive.

As stated earlier, the game is best viewed as a 3rd party simulation. In the basic game, the players have very little control over the wrestlers. With the advance rules, game play is similar to a "Choose Your Own Adventure" book as the players have limited control over the wrestlers. It is clear that the aim of the game is for the players to run a wrestling federation and not focus on the individual wrestlers. Players are encouraged to set up storylines and change the alliances/feuds as they see fit. The simple rules and choices allow for many matches to be played out in a short period of time. This allows more time to develop the storylines. The majority of the fun comes from the players acting as announcers during the fight as they describe the results of their die rolls.

One of the items that Champions of the Galaxy is missing is any sort of description of professional wrestling. While the target audience is composed of pro-wrestling fans, it would have been nice to have a section going over the trappings of pro-wrestling such as villains/heroes, feuds, alliances, taking over the federation, the different belts, etc... Another item that the game is missing is any sort of rules for making new wrestlers or improving existing ones. Supplements for the game introduce new wrestlers, retire old wrestlers, and improve existing wrestlers.

All in all, Champions is an amusing little game. It is simple, fast to learn, and fast to play. It is also very flexible and players can customize it as they see fit. While it would be better if it had rules for making new wrestlers, the format is simple enough that after a dozen or so fights, the players should be able to create reasonably balanced wrestlers.

Style: 3 (Average)
Substance: 3 (Average)

Champions of the Galaxy Introductory Edition