As a starter for ten, it wouldn't be entirely wrong to describe the deluxe version of Fractured Sky as excessive, and if you were wanting to twist the knife further you might even choose the word decadent. It's a showboat of a game, a carnivalé of bright colours and plastic and everything that pushes me to be very sarcastic indeed. I've probably used the term before, but in Scotland we have the phrase 'Fur Coat, nae knickers' which alludes to something flashy and opulent that lacks any sense of real class. Fractured Sky is potentially the most deluxified version of a game I've got to the table and so thank goodness it's actually wearing a decent pair of boxers underneath this plastic exterior.
Fractured Sky looks like something that would feel at home in a Willy Wonka factory or in an episode of 'Is It Cake?'. The cubes look like candy that you would expect to turn into fruity flavours of bubble-gum after a few chews, the various ships look like they are made from icing. Everything gives the appearance that this is going to be a game where the rules will take up the space on the back of the box, or a single page pamphlet stuck somewhere between the baggies, trays and marketing flyers. In truth, Fractured Sky has a slice of viciousness that wouldn't be too far off from the esteemed chocolate maker. It is mis-selling you from the moment you open the box, because this about area control, supply lines and simple numbered combat, tied together with a bit of resource management.
As a controller of a skyboat faction, you are aiming to collect the most pieces of Starfall scattered about the various board areas and therefore have your greatest wish granted. In practice this is carried out by placing three airships that you control on three distinct areas in the game and attaching a hidden battalion strength to it, hoping that no other players do. Win the area for that round and you can claim the Starfall or resources that you can then utilise to add structures to the map and give you advantage in future rounds.
On top of all of that, every round there is a publicly placed Starfall and an increasing number of private Starfalls that can be peeked at providing you can pay the necessary gold to do so. You also have an objective to meet for that round, which can be anything from controlling an area, to who has the most number of connected building types. By the beginning of the third round, the mood and actions around the table move quickly from passive acceptance of immediate rivals, to being forced to stand toe to toe as you battle for the shiny on the board.
You'll need to move fast as well, as there are only five rounds in which to make your claims, so Fractured Sky doesn't favour those that sit back and plan, but prefer those that dive in and do. There are no real free actions in the game, everything comes with some kind of price. Whether it be peeking at hidden information, or purchasing skimmers and towers to help you with combat. It is all too easy as the game progresses to be caught in the trap of trying to figure how best to proceed with what you've got to spend. Time not being one of them. It's a game that is likely to be done and packed away easily within ninety minutes, which is actually welcoming.
In later rounds, when you've got established buildings in play, you can bluff other players by using the hidden battalion powers to keep them away from your established areas, hoping they don't charge in with a seven or nine on their hidden bases. In a mechanic I appreciate, the total power you field without penalty can only ever be up to a value of ten, and this takes the game to places which moves it above the board, and introduces bragging and a bit of thought play and even smack talk, which came into it's own as the game played out.
There is an unexpected density here, and very little fat in the game. Every action seems to offer some kind of payoff, whether it be in the round you are playing or the next one down the line. There are always choices but these always seem to matter and all seem to be equally important. Even the market buildings that are there to give you additional all important resources are as important as the muscle might of the alternative towers you can build. Peeking at where Starfalls will be doesn't seem much until you realise that you gain resources and that your opponents are winning because of it. Placing skimmers to bluff other players into committing their armies. Nothing seems to be throwaway. Everything is there to make you think and plan. Which on its own could be considered a success.
While I really like the look of a fully bells and whistles Deluxe Fractured Sky on the table, I can't help but feel it slightly cheapens the offering. It is a showboat of an experience, with excess and loudness and a huge amount of plastic that is difficult to not slightly wince at as you place it out on the table. Which in itself is interesting because it offers key mechanics that might be more at home in a lighter combat game, with duller cardboard tokens and a board as flat as Holland. I honestly don't feel you'll lose anything in having a more sanitised version of the game, which in a way is a real testament to what IV Games have created here. It doesn't really need the extra to help make it special.
I walked away from Fractured Sky thinking what I would have done differently, and what I'll do next time. Which I would consider as a win. In the board game space where so much that glisters isn't really gold, there's part of me that likes what is on offer here. Once you look past all of the excess, and sweep away the clouds and glitter, Fractured Sky has me intrigued to what it will offer on repeated plays. A pleasant surprise.
Game Design - Austin Harrison, Max Anderson, Zac Dixon
The newest campaign and expansion can be found on
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This review is based on a version of the game provided to us by the designer and publisher. We were not paid monetary compensation for this review. We give a general overview of the gameplay and so not all of the mechanical aspects of the game may be mentioned.
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