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Nemesis
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Description
In Nemesis players will each take control of a character waking up from hyper sleep with some serious problems. One being the hyper sleep fog that means they don’t remember the layout of the ship, and the other being the multiple warnings going off and the dead body. From this point on Nemesis is a game of cat and mouse with the intruders (aliens) and potential the other players.
At the start of the game each player is given two secret objective cards, and at the point that a player first meets an intruder everyone must chose one of these cards. Generally one card will have a more selfish goal and one a goal that benefits the team. Which they choose is up to them. Even if their goals are more team based they may unknowingly conflict with other team mates. Some may want to head the ship to Earth, others may want to go to Mars.
As well as this players will have to be careful in their encounters with the intruders, lest they get infected. An infected player cannot win the game! Nemesis is a game that creates memorable stories each time you play. Last time I played I managed to double check the ship was headed to earth (it was despite what my lying teammates told me) and jump in an escape pod before jettisoning away from the ship. A quick health check showed no infection! However after I left the ship it became clear one player was trying to blow it up, as they set the self destruct before claiming another escape pod! In the dying turns the remaining players cancelled the countdown and returned to hyper sleep!
Nemesis has quality components through out and is in my mind more that worth the higher cost than other games!
Player count: 1-5
Time: 90-180 minutes
Age rating: 12+
Awaken Realms are rapidly becoming a tour de force in the gaming world. Matching incredible production values with solid gameplay has seen them gain well earned clout. Nemesis is their take on the alien franchise. Aside from it being a quite cheeky imitation have they nailed it?
In Space Nobody can Hear you Scream
Nemesis is a semi co-op game. I was going to call it a narrative game but that might be a tad misleading as the narrative develops from you and the other players, rather than reading passages from a provided scenario book. Despite this, maybe because of it, Nemesis has created some of the most memorable stories and experiences I’ve had in gaming.
There is no getting away from the source material, but being as there is no official Alien game in this vein I’m more than happy to let it slide. Lifeform also takes Alien as it’s inspiration and to use the films as a reference if Lifeform imitates Alien, then Nemesis is more like Aliens.
Your chosen characters, with their unique skills, awaken from hyper sleep to a dead body. The hyper sleep fog means that you don’t have a detailed memory of the ship beyond the basic layout. Each player will also start with two objective cards. Generally one of these is more selfish (kill another character or set the ship self destruct!) or a more co-operative one. You don’t choose which to pursue until one of the team first encounters an Intruder.
Game Over Man! Game Over!
Play is card driven and you will move around the ship checking and repairing systems, and often causing a lot of noise. Noise will draw the attention of the Intruders, which will seed the ship through a clever bag building system. The more lucky escapes you have the more the draw bag is filled with danger!
Dealing with the Intruders depends on the gear you have scavenged and the role you play. The solider is far better equipped to deal with the intruders, but they may have their own agenda… Objective cards will lead you to have to explore the ship, find certain rooms, make sure the ship doesn’t blow and is heading to the a certain destination. Sometimes this might mean checking something someone else claims they have done. For example the medic might claim the ship is heading to earth, but who knows if that’s true, and if it isn’t true then what does that say about the medic?
For the ship to carry on working two of the three engines need to be working. You sent Susan to check and fix them but what if she sabotaged them instead? You really need to head back to hyper sleep but should you check them first. All this time the Intruders are popping up like unwanted party crashers, spraying silly string all over the place and eating all the food. And by silly stream I mean hot fiery death and by food I mean crew.
Get Away From Her You Female Dog!
Nemesis does the grand sweeps well. The game is full of suspicion and tension, caused as much, if not more, by the other players as the intruders. There is a level of upkeep that comes with this though, and while it doesn’t break the immersion, it helps if a least one player is thoroughly aquatinted with the rules. Thankfully I found the rulebook to be refreshingly good and appreciated the way it cross referenced itself complete with page numbers!
It goes without saying that the components here are fantastic. Awaken Realms produce some of the best game components I’ve seen and this is no different. From the ‘star of the show’ minis to the plastic tokens and cards, everything feels premium. Those wanting a bit more immersion can even pick up the Terrain Expansion to replace even more of the cardboard!
Despite all this goodness the absolute hands down best thing about Nemesis is the stories you will create as you play together. Shaped by individual and collective decisions, these will become tales of legend within your friendship group. Betrayals and heroics will be long remember and how you acted in one game will effect your trustworthiness going forward.
Bishop to Knight Four
That’s not to say this game is for everyone. As mentioned upkeep is a factor, as is game length. Nemesis is not a short game clocking in at a minimum of two hours, which is made more of a problem by player elimination/escape podding. In one game I made an early escape and the other players still had another hour or so to go before they too finished. Thankfully for me this was at a convention and I could wander of and play something else, but it would have been different in my house for example. Players can also die and be out of the game that way. For some this would be acceptable, for me the thing that saves it is again the story you create together.
The semi co-op nature of the main game will also cause concern for some, as it is unusual for this genre to work. I found this to be quite compelling, and I think in Nemesis’ case I would call it more of a hidden traitor(s) mechanic, as we could all decide to work only for ourselves, or for the good of the team. Indeed there’s a strong argument that without it the game would be missing something. Then again if you have never like semi co-op gameplay there is little to win you over here in that mode. There are ways to change the game though and have a player take charge of the intruders, or even work co-operatively against them.
Bug Hunt
The game length coupled with potential player elimination/escape podding might put others off too. There is no getting round the length, and if you don’t buy into the theme then you may find your patience running thin. I’d also advice having some quick two and one player games off to one side as players can die, or achieve their own personal success some time before the game finishes. This has never been much of a problem as the story keeps on going and has been compelling enough to draw in spectators and players who have left the ship.
My first game of Nemesis was a two player affair where I’d drawn the captain. Things had generally gone well for me with my clumsy team mate attracting all the intruders while I went about my business. Thankfully despite his task of blowing up the ship he actually fixed an engine for me! I returned that favour by ordering him (special Captain perk) into a room full of Intruders while I was left to hop back into hyper sleep. Job done. But I’d forgotten I still have my infection check to do…
That was my first game and I still remember the story we created to this day. I don’t know what you want from games, but this definitely satisfies me!
Nemesis has often been compared to the Alien franchise and the influences are apparent. You are aboard an isolated spaceship rife with danger, uncertainty and.. the ever present intruders; gigantic xenomorphic creatures that respond to every movement.
Nemesis is highly regarded, often receiving top scores and there are plenty of reviews and videos raving about its brilliant imagining of deep space terror.
However, after playing this game several times, there’s one part that leaves me uncertain.
Rise and Shine!
The semi-cooperative game is designed up to 5 players, but playable with 6. You take on the role of the ship’s crew awakening from a long sleep to find a dead body.
You start Nemesis with two objective cards, but soon have to choose which to complete to win the game. In larger groups, you may receive an objective which incentivises you to take out another player.
The ship starts unexplored, and you spend your five cards to perform actions and movements; some actions cost more cards than others. Exploration and movement take up most of your actions, and each time you move you generate noise, which leads to the intruders appearing.
Once all cards are exhausted, or some players have passed to hold on to a few for next round, everyone moves through the event phase which acts as the tick of the clock. Fire burns, intruders attack, things happen.The game loops until everyone escapes or dies.
Channels the Great Sci Fi Visuals
The models and artwork are great. They are consistent with the theme and high quality. Every aspect of the game has been subject to care and attention, which supports why it’s priced so highly. Bringing the imposing adult intruders onto the ship is always a joy just to witness how terrifying they are juxtaposed to the crew and the rooms.
The small pieces are cardboard as you would find in most games, but Nemesis has gone all in on the aliens and it’s worth it.
A Fast and Lean Rulebook
Nemesis is not complex either. Once you understand how taking actions work, the rest of the rules are on the cards or the board. There are some upkeep pieces in the game such as fire, eggs, intruder bag tokens, but if one person has read the rules, or has the book at hand, it’s easy to pick up and play along. The setup is cumbersome, as is putting it away after, due to the numerous small, unique pieces required. If you have a small group to play with, or a large group all confident with the rules, then the game doesn’t last too long either.
Hard As Nails
However, I started by saying that I have been left uncertain by Nemesis, and it’s true. After playing it several times and approaching the objectives from different perspectives, I have only won once, and seen anyone else win maybe two or three times, and I only won through fortune and mistake because it occurred the first time I ever played. I wandered around, unsure how to help, then jumped in an escape pod when they opened, having achieved my objective passively.
The concern I have with Nemesis is that objectives can require cooperation, but Nemesis is, by design, not cooperative. Nemesis doesn’t hide its semi-cooperative design from players, it’s advertised on the box itself, but the chances of success are often truly minimal.
The escape pods are placed as one less than the total players, but after entering an escape pod, you must risk two things, someone attracting an intruder in the room which forces you out, or someone being infected in the escape pod with you and murdering you both
You can eject the escape pod as soon as you jump in too, so.. will you be waiting for your friend to try and hop in too? Would they wait for you?
Secondly, all objectives are unique. There is some overlap, i.e. destinations require engines to work, however, largely, everyone has a different goal to achieve. If you’re stuck with getting the ship to a certain destination, you should pray someone wants to help you do the same. In all my games, no one ever checks the engines because they cost too many cards to check, and you need to trust the person checking them.
Despite my concerns, I should add that Nemesis offers cooperative goals and they are an option to choose during setup. This is not the core game as it is designed which is why I’ve omitted them from review.
Nemesis is a semi-cooperative game, but for me, it leans much more toward competitive.
When Are We Playing Again?
Yet, I will continue to play this game, and I have another evening planned for it coming up already. It is the moments in this game that bring you back. It’s the story that is told indirectly, watching everyone around the table contemplate their next decision, and then witnessing it unfold through the event phase and how one action can change an entire plan.
I’ve seen a last survivor spend two turns dashing the long way around the ship, desperate to escape before it self destructs, and escaping at the last possible moment, winning on a roll of a die.
I’ve been victim to betrayal after joining a trio to cooperate with each other’s objectives; I helped clear out the intruders in the airlock control, just for my companion to use those against me and try to wipe me out.
I’ve seen alliances made and vows of vengeance given over the table because of this game. Quite often, when all hope is lost of survival, players turn to desperate measures to bring others down with them, or, they show their true heroism and give everything they’ve got to help you win. Both become great stories to tell.
Maybe this game is hard as nails, and you will rarely succeed in survival, but you won’t forget the story and the people along the way.
Truly Memorable
Many games have made a reputation for being rogue like; survival is secondary to the experience. I would categorise Nemesis with those games despite its 3 hours play time.
You must be comfortable going into this game knowing that winning is a pipe dream, but through some slim chance, a miracle, it could be yours.
Nemesis is a strong game with great vision and atmosphere. It is unforgettable, and each time you play you will learn more about your friends, and more about yourself.
Zatu Score
You might like
- Exceptional game that sees narrative develop as you play.
- Fantastic components, including a great rulebook.
- Tense game play, with alliances forged and broken.
- High level player interaction.
- Clever intruder spawning system.
Might not like
- Game play can be long.
- Player elimination and/or other removal.
- Significant upkeep to be performed.