Spiritual Successors

Played XCOM: The Board Game a couple of weeks ago. Fairly entertaining experience, especially when we barely eked out a victory.
This got me thinking about the game, which made me start a list of games I'll need to pay once I feel I've progressed enough in my career choice that I can relax at home... Might take awhile longer :/

It also made me think of the spiritual successors and clones for the original game, and whether this remake will spawn new ones. Maybe it will, or maybe it just isn't as innovative as the original and mobile games are where such things pop up now.

I've played quite a few number of these games, and rate them much higher than most reviews.
While analyzing what made these games appealing I started coming up with my own ideas.

The aerial combat of sending interceptors against UFOs always seemed on the slim side compared with the squad level combat - what if it had more depth to it?
What if there was ground combat element of using armored vehicles against a massive alien invasion, while still having squad based combat for terror missions or clandestine operations?
What if I used elements from the "chariots of the gods" theories and give an ancient Egyptian or Mesoamerican theme to such a game, shrinking down the geoscape but expanding base management into more of civilization building game?

An Alien Defense Board Game

Been inspired to recreate the XCom: UFO Defense base building and financial engine aspects in a board game. If I ever take one of these games out of the idea phase, it would probably be something simpler, this is a good thought exercise and elements from it might pop up in other places.

The basic premise is for each player (2-4) to have start with a basic base, a few personnel - soldiers to fight, workers to build projects and scientists for research project. Each would start with an income as well as immediate finances.

UFO will pop up, players would need to intercept and shoot them down with fighter jets, then send in soldiers to grab artifacts.

Taking these artifacts back to their base, players would research them to gain money and special abilities that would make certain things easier, and give access to new buildings.

Eventually a game end event will occur, such as a mother ship showing up and players would have to work together to defeat it before checking who has made the most points, or something similar.

One of the interesting ideas that came from this exercise is the building / research mechanic: each project would start with a certain number, higher for bigger complexity. Each turn a worker/scientist on the project would place a counter, once the number is reached, the project it done.

Placing more workers would shorten build time, but increase cost, making it an important choice. 

Blast From the Past

One of the first X-Com clones I thought of year ago was one based in a fantasy setting, in which you play as the leader of a guild of thieves.

Been thinking about this concept again, and I think it has more meat than the usual spiritual and recent successors to the classic from the 90's.

Instead of intercepting aliens, you would send your band of thieves underground through sewers and tunnels to sack various locations, whether they be residential, commercial or industrial.
Other missions will provide the opportunity to recruit new people to your cause, stop rivals from taking over your territory or defeat monsters threatening your base.

Unlike X-Com where you hired people for the exclusive position which they filled (soldier, scientist, or worker,) in my game people would fill different roles - if you take your blacksmith out to a mission, your ability to forge new weapons or armor will be limited, especially if he is wounded or killed. If you allow your wizard to research spells, she won't be able to come on a mission with you, and you may miss an opportunity to learn new magic.
Recruits will start with stats that will lend them towards particular roles, and they may become more specialized or diversified as they gain experience.

Finally, I thought of a variation on the color based magic system similar to D&D, Magic The Gathering and Tolkien's novels, changing primary colors to such things as brown or grey magic, enabling control of such elements as mud and mildew.

I think this game is a pipe dream, but wanted to write it down anyways, in case I or someone else finds a use for it.
My High Tech recruitment / Silicone Valley board game is a more attainable goal, and sill on slow burn in the back of my head. I need to try to come up with a flow chart of how things could work.