Game Preview: ETI

By W. Eric Martin
October 22, 2007

Publisher: Eye-Level Entertainment
Designer: Mark and Matt Anticole
Players: 3-6
Ages: 12+
Playing Time: 60-120 minutes
Release Date: January 2008 at the latest

Eye-Level Entertainment has made a name for itself through Nature of the Beast, a non-collectible card game that is still somewhat collectible since different sets are available. Eye-Level had planned to release a new Nature of the Beast set in 2007, but the Prairie vs. Polar battle box will instead appear in the summer of 2008, just in time for the North American convention circuit.

Instead, Eye-Level will release ETI, which stands for Estimated Time to Invasion. As the name might clue you in, ETI is going to sic a bunch of aliens on us hapless humans. Naturally, players get to do something to defend the planet. According to Matt Anticole, ETI “revolves around the idea of researching advanced new technologies in preparation for an alien invasion.”

Unbeknownst to all loyal humans, one player is secretly fulfilling his dream of being an Alien Patsy and will do what he can to aid the aliens once they start invading our precious planet. “There are plenty of strategic options available to the Alien player, but he has to be careful not to be too conspicuous about his dastardly plans or else the other players might grow suspicious,” says Matt. If all the Human Facilities (non-alien players) are destroyed, then the slimy aliens win; if one Human Facility remains, then that player wins.; if more than one Human Facility survives the attack, then the player with the most Fame wins. Fame is acquired during the game by completing projects and through other decisions, such as making your research public rather than keeping it secret.

Says Matt, “The game is cooperative in that all Humans are working toward the same goal even though only one will be declared victor. Once the Alien is revealed, the cooperation becomes enhanced as the Human Facilities try and cobble together their last-minute defenses.”

Game play is divided into two stages: Research and Invasion. “During the research stage, players are competing to collect the projects that will best prepare them for the oncoming invasion,” says Matt. “The length of this stage is determined by the number of players times the game length (a number 2-4). This product is the number of projects that can be completed before the Alien Invasion is imminent, a state we call Threshold.”

More from Matt on research: “The research stage is a blend of strategy, bluff, and luck as each facilty tries to accumulate enough Research to claim Projects before other players do. Tossed in with that are random events, which often set players negotiating with each other for votes to win valuable perks. Plus the whole time, each player is watching the actions of the others, trying to decide who is actually the Alien Patsy.”

“Each completed Project can add to the Defense of the Facility, its Fame, or perhaps upgrade one of four traits associated with the Facility (Staffing, Creativity, Analysis, and Security). Upgrading Facility traits gives you enhanced abilities during the game, like drawing additional cards or gaining more control over how they come into play.”

Once the Threshold is reached, the Alien Patsy reveals himself, swaps his Human Facility card for an Alien one, and prepares for the invasion while the humans scramble to finish their projects. “The invasion stage is quick compared to the research stage,” says Matt. “The Alien lines up attacks on each facility. Certain components of the attacks are in the command of the Aliens depending on which facility traits they focused on developing during the Research stage. Once the Alien lines up the attacks, the Humans each reveal their secret abilities (which were randomly distributed when the Alien role was assigned at the start of the game).” Being a Politician grants you extra Fame, while the Judas can shift attacks from his own facility to someone else’s. Once the attacks are finished, the fate of humanity is discovered.

Playing time varies according to the number of players and the game length selected. In sum, says Matt, “ETI is a fun game that is quick to learn, offering players some strategic options and a dash of paranoia.”

Pictures - Click the picture for a larger version
	The exact time is up to you to figure out

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