Johann Karlsen entered the bridge of Nogara’s flagship, NIRVANA. “We cannot defeat them. We need another year, at least, to have a functional squad. We must withdraw.”
“Do you think that lifeless killing machine will allow us to retreat? Hit them with what we’ve got. It’ll have to be enough!” The first lesson one learns in berserker raids is that documentation can be misleading.” However, in more than one match, the berserker made it to Esteel (the homeworld in Saberhagen’s stories, not specified in-game). at 4030, the arrival asap.
It goes without saying that the conservative strategy described in the documentation is not enough when this occurs. However, in most cases, one would do well to follow the documentation carefully if one intends to do well in-game. Berserker Raids is based on Fred Saberhagen’s 1960s short stories about automated killing machines that functioned like gigantic space fortresses with psychopathic programming.
The game itself plays similar to Avalon Hill’s Andromeda Conquest or SSI’s Emporium Galactic in that much of the gameplay consists of allocating resources to conquer, control, and/or defend a galaxy that is displayed on the screen as a map of Grid. Like games in this genre, the graphics are limited to a graphics page title sequence and the rest of the game is mostly a text/grid strategy game.
Like the games mentioned above, Berserker Raids mostly plays as a strategic level game where resource allocations and ship design play a big part in whether he/she will defeat the berserker. Tactical battle depends on some skill with naval tactics, in general, but there are very few tactical options open to the squadron commander or planetary defender if the strategic part of the game is not played smoothly. However, one should not get the idea that Berserker Raids is a clone of those games. Instead, BR offers 10 different scenarios, each with a different strategic problem to solve.
Trial Game is a typical space empire game, except that artificial intelligence attacks the player’s force (which is not the case in most space empire games). In Talevian Outpost, the next step of the Trial Game, the human player is faced with a logistical problem.
You must defend a planet with an outdated fleet by renewing the fleet, even though most of your combat resources are more than 10 light-years away. Asoka Pass is a scenario in which the human player must use his wits to try to consolidate the forces of five allied worlds into the strongest base for defense and shipbuilding before the berserkers attack.
The name of the scenario seems ironic because the human player must watch the berserker conquer planet after planet before the climactic battle takes place on the chosen world. In Saberhagen’s story, Stone Place, the commander-in-chief of the human forces is heavily criticized for allowing the planet ATSOG to be conquered, while he waited for the resistance battle to take place. My personal favorite is the scenario titled The Royalty Returns. In this scenario, each of the human players wants to keep the galactic throne, but the problem is that they both need each other’s fleets intact to survive the berserker threat. Human players must balance threat and throne on a precarious scale of strategy in order to win. Berserker Raids is a satisfying game on several different levels. The solitaire version is challenging, but the addition of another human player adds a dimension of intrigue, negotiation, and strategy that makes it even better. I have seen few game systems that work equally well in both modes and I really appreciate it.
BR is a great buy because it encompasses so many different types of space games in one. The documentation is extremely easy to use, as it contains step-by-step procedures, strategies, statistics, maps, and tips. It also includes the equations and probabilities on which the system is based.
It would be nice if more games followed this procedure. Berserker Works Ltd. However, it does not plan to stop at this system. The sequel game to BR is Wings Out Of Shadow, which uses a game map as well as an adventure and arcade format to simulate exploring the Taynarus Nebula and a possible boarding party of berserker robots attacking their flagship, Judith.
It seems that the publisher plans to develop a whole line of games that can effectively simulate all of the strategic, tactical, and individual heroics of the Berserker series. I would not hesitate to recommend Berserker Raids to any fan of Saberhagen or space conquest.
