The Inside Scoop on Gaming

Overview

Twilight Imperium is a board game for 2 to 6 players. Each players controls one of the Great Races as they via for control of the galaxy through military, political, and economic means.

The game was released in 1997 and four supplements for it have been produced. This review will be limited to the original game. If a criticism of the game is corrected by a supplement, it will be noted.

Game Components

Twilight Imperium comes with two booklets containing the rules and background material, various charts that are used during the game, several sheets of perforated cards, several sheets of cardboard chits, and the 41 three inch cardboard hexes that are used to make the game board. The hexes and chits are very durable. The cards are a bit thin and may wear out after several years of constant use. The charts are mostly for the players to keep track their technology during the game.

The only complaints about the physical presentation of the game is the absence of any type of tray or plastic bags to store the chits and cards and the size of the box. The box is of an awkward size and does not store well. Given the size of the components, the box could have been designed to store easily on a bookshelf.

Game Background

A long time ago there was a great galactic empire. The empire fell and the Great Races retreated to their own systems as darkness filled the galaxy. As the game begins, the galactic council has been reformed and the Great Races are starting to expand again in a race to become the new ruler of the galaxy.

Game concepts

Great Races: Each Great Race has a set of special abilities. Some races receive bonuses to combat, others are master traders, some are scientists, etc... Each race also starts off with different levels of technology. Some races are easier to win with than others, but it is possible to win with any race.
Winning conditions: The goal of the game is to become Imperium Rex. To achieve this title, a Great Race must advance their civilization through several stages of development. Each stage requires the race to have various combinations of resources, influence, and technology levels. A race can only advance 1 stage per turn.
Resources: Resources act as money in game. Each planet produces 0 to 4 resource points per turn. Resource points can be trade to other players, spent to buy technology and military units, or saved for future use.
Influence: Each planet that a player controls gives them 0 to 4 influence points. Each influence point counts as a vote in the galactic council. During the action phase, the players move according to their influence totals. The player with the highest amount of influence moves first, the player with the lowest amount of influence moves last.
Technology: There are 18 different pieces of technology that a race can acquire. These are organized into 3 different tracks with 6 levels per track. Each piece of technology adds to a race's abilities. Some technology adds bonuses to combat, allow ships to move faster, planets produce more, etc... Technology has to be purchased in order that it appears on the track and only one piece of technology can be purchased each turn.
Action Cards: Action cards allow a player to modify a situation. An action card might give a player a few extra votes in a council meeting, a bonus to combat, the chance to retreat, steal technology, etc.... Most cards are transient in nature and few have lasting effects.
Political Cards: Political cards are the meat of the galactic council. They are the laws that are voted upon that change the course of the game. Some laws might prohibit space combat, increase the value of trade agreements, give players free technology, limit the length of combat, etc... Once a law is passed, all the players must obey it.
Trade income: One type of action card is a Trade Agreement. A trade agreement between 2 players generates resource points for both players. These agreements allow players who don't get off to a good start an opportunity to survive. A well played trade agreement will often give other players the motivation to leave a player alone as it is more cost effective to collect trade income that to spend the resources to invade. Also, players will often come to the aid of their trade partners.
Military: Each race also controls a military. Each military is made up of 6 different type of units. Dreadnoughts, cruisers, and fighters make up the bulk of the space forces. Ground troops are used to attack and defend planets. PDS's are like the giant Ion Cannon in Empire Strikes Back and are used to defend planets. Carriers transport fighters and ground troops between systems.
Game Board: The most interesting feature of Twilight Imperium is that the game board is rebuilt from game to game. The game board is made up of hexagon pieces (hexes). Each piece represents a single star system with 1-3 planets in it. There are also hexes for empty space, asteroid fields, and supernovas. At the start of each game, the hexes are dealt to the players who then take turns placing the hexes to form the board. This allows each game to be different from pervious games and adds greatly to the replay value.

Game Turn

Each game turn is made up of a number of phase.
The first thing that occurs each turn is to check to see if any player has meet the conditions to advance up the civilization chart. If any player makes it to Imperium Rex, the game ends.

After checking for advancement, the players may trade cash and cards with each other. While wheeling and dealing is encouraged throughout the game, this is the only time that cash and cards may be traded.

Next is the Political phase in which a political card is drawn and the players vote on it. Each player receives a number of votes equal to the sum of the influence rating of the planets that they control.

After the political phase, the players collect their resource points and buy new military units. The number of units that a player can purchase is limited by the capacity of their space docks.

After buying new units, each player takes a turn to move their military units, conduct space combat, and to invade planets.

During the movement phase, each ship can move a number of hexes less than or equal to its movement rating.

In space combat, both sides roll a d10 for each unit. If the roll is higher than the attack value of the unit, a hit is scored. Once both sides have rolled, losses are removed. One of the flaws (corrected in the supplement Borderlands) is that capital ships take the same amount of damage as fighters. The space battle continues until the attacker retreats or one side is eliminated. It is possible for both the attacker and the defender to completely destroyed. Ground combat is handled the same way except that the attacker can not retreat.

After all movement/attacks are completed, the new units purchased earlier in the turn are placed on the board.

Overall Impressions

Pros

The most outstanding feature of this game is its replayability value. With the modularity of the game board, each game is different enough from the previous to keep it fresh.
It is a simple game to learn and teach. Most of the rules can be taught is under 10 minutes and it only takes a turn or two for new players to get into the swing of things.
Adding to the appeal is the fact that players do not need to be eliminated from the game for a person to win. This greatly adds to the longevity of enjoyment as even relatively weak players can participate through out the entire game.
Each of the Great Races has its own feel that effects how they are played.

Cons

The most obvious problem with the game is that it uses chits as playing pieces. Normally this would not be much of a problem but, in Twilight Imperium, each chit represents 1 to 5 units. Just by glancing at the board, one would not be able to correctly determine where the big military builds were or where to launch a surprise attack. Fantasy Flight Games has release a set a plastic pieces (Twilight Armada) that eliminates this problem.
The main set of Twilight also includes two homeworlds from races that are found in the first supplement (Borderlands). This is an obvious marketing ploy. Fortunately, the hexes can still be used as regular systems. Since the game is designed for 2-6 players, the lack of rules for the 7^th and 8^th Great Races do not impact the playability of the basic set.
Another little problem with the game is that tech progression is static. A player must buy tech in the order in which it appears on its track. While it simplifies the game, there are times when a player would want to skip over a piece of tech as it would upset the political balance.
And lastly, the game is set in a rather small galaxy. There are only 37 hexes that make up the galaxy and at times there isn't enough room to maneuver without upsetting ones neighbors. While the supplement Outer Rim adds 24 more hexes to the size of the galaxy, some players might want more space to play with.

In summery

Twilight Imperium is a board game that combines politics, economics, and military might into a simple set of rules. The rebuilding of the game board and the uniqueness of the great races give it tremendous replay value. While its price tag is a bit steep, it is a game that will earn its keep for many years.

Style: 4 (Classy and well done)
Substance: 3 (Average)

Twilight Imperium
Author: Christian T. Petersen Category: Board Game Company/Publisher: Fantasy Flight Games Line: Twilight Imperium Cost: $44.95 Page count: n/a SKU: TW001 Playtest Review by Mike Zebrowski on 03/13/00. Genre tags: Science_fiction Far_Future Space	Overview Twilight Imperium is a board game for 2 to 6 players. Each players controls one of the Great Races as they via for control of the galaxy through military, political, and economic means. The game was released in 1997 and four supplements for it have been produced. This review will be limited to the original game. If a criticism of the game is corrected by a supplement, it will be noted. Game Components Twilight Imperium comes with two booklets containing the rules and background material, various charts that are used during the game, several sheets of perforated cards, several sheets of cardboard chits, and the 41 three inch cardboard hexes that are used to make the game board. The hexes and chits are very durable. The cards are a bit thin and may wear out after several years of constant use. The charts are mostly for the players to keep track their technology during the game. The only complaints about the physical presentation of the game is the absence of any type of tray or plastic bags to store the chits and cards and the size of the box. The box is of an awkward size and does not store well. Given the size of the components, the box could have been designed to store easily on a bookshelf. Game Background A long time ago there was a great galactic empire. The empire fell and the Great Races retreated to their own systems as darkness filled the galaxy. As the game begins, the galactic council has been reformed and the Great Races are starting to expand again in a race to become the new ruler of the galaxy. Game concepts Great Races Each Great Race has a set of special abilities. Some races receive bonuses to combat, others are master traders, some are scientists, etc... Each race also starts off with different levels of technology. Some races are easier to win with than others, but it is possible to win with any race. Winning conditions The goal of the game is to become Imperium Rex. To achieve this title, a Great Race must advance their civilization through several stages of development. Each stage requires the race to have various combinations of resources, influence, and technology levels. A race can only advance 1 stage per turn. Resources Resources act as money in game. Each planet produces 0 to 4 resource points per turn. Resource points can be trade to other players, spent to buy technology and military units, or saved for future use. Influence Each planet that a player controls gives them 0 to 4 influence points. Each influence point counts as a vote in the galactic council. During the action phase, the players move according to their influence totals. The player with the highest amount of influence moves first, the player with the lowest amount of influence moves last. Technology There are 18 different pieces of technology that a race can acquire. These are organized into 3 different tracks with 6 levels per track. Each piece of technology adds to a race's abilities. Some technology adds bonuses to combat, allow ships to move faster, planets produce more, etc... Technology has to be purchased in order that it appears on the track and only one piece of technology can be purchased each turn. Action Cards Action cards allow a player to modify a situation. An action card might give a player a few extra votes in a council meeting, a bonus to combat, the chance to retreat, steal technology, etc.... Most cards are transient in nature and few have lasting effects. Political Cards Political cards are the meat of the galactic council. They are the laws that are voted upon that change the course of the game. Some laws might prohibit space combat, increase the value of trade agreements, give players free technology, limit the length of combat, etc... Once a law is passed, all the players must obey it. Trade income One type of action card is a Trade Agreement. A trade agreement between 2 players generates resource points for both players. These agreements allow players who don't get off to a good start an opportunity to survive. A well played trade agreement will often give other players the motivation to leave a player alone as it is more cost effective to collect trade income that to spend the resources to invade. Also, players will often come to the aid of their trade partners. Military Each race also controls a military. Each military is made up of 6 different type of units. Dreadnoughts, cruisers, and fighters make up the bulk of the space forces. Ground troops are used to attack and defend planets. PDS's are like the giant Ion Cannon in Empire Strikes Back and are used to defend planets. Carriers transport fighters and ground troops between systems. Game Board The most interesting feature of Twilight Imperium is that the game board is rebuilt from game to game. The game board is made up of hexagon pieces (hexes). Each piece represents a single star system with 1-3 planets in it. There are also hexes for empty space, asteroid fields, and supernovas. At the start of each game, the hexes are dealt to the players who then take turns placing the hexes to form the board. This allows each game to be different from pervious games and adds greatly to the replay value. Game Turn Each game turn is made up of a number of phase. The first thing that occurs each turn is to check to see if any player has meet the conditions to advance up the civilization chart. If any player makes it to Imperium Rex, the game ends. After checking for advancement, the players may trade cash and cards with each other. While wheeling and dealing is encouraged throughout the game, this is the only time that cash and cards may be traded. Next is the Political phase in which a political card is drawn and the players vote on it. Each player receives a number of votes equal to the sum of the influence rating of the planets that they control. After the political phase, the players collect their resource points and buy new military units. The number of units that a player can purchase is limited by the capacity of their space docks. After buying new units, each player takes a turn to move their military units, conduct space combat, and to invade planets. During the movement phase, each ship can move a number of hexes less than or equal to its movement rating. In space combat, both sides roll a d10 for each unit. If the roll is higher than the attack value of the unit, a hit is scored. Once both sides have rolled, losses are removed. One of the flaws (corrected in the supplement Borderlands) is that capital ships take the same amount of damage as fighters. The space battle continues until the attacker retreats or one side is eliminated. It is possible for both the attacker and the defender to completely destroyed. Ground combat is handled the same way except that the attacker can not retreat. After all movement/attacks are completed, the new units purchased earlier in the turn are placed on the board. Overall Impressions Pros The most outstanding feature of this game is its replayability value. With the modularity of the game board, each game is different enough from the previous to keep it fresh. It is a simple game to learn and teach. Most of the rules can be taught is under 10 minutes and it only takes a turn or two for new players to get into the swing of things. Adding to the appeal is the fact that players do not need to be eliminated from the game for a person to win. This greatly adds to the longevity of enjoyment as even relatively weak players can participate through out the entire game. Each of the Great Races has its own feel that effects how they are played. Cons The most obvious problem with the game is that it uses chits as playing pieces. Normally this would not be much of a problem but, in Twilight Imperium, each chit represents 1 to 5 units. Just by glancing at the board, one would not be able to correctly determine where the big military builds were or where to launch a surprise attack. Fantasy Flight Games has release a set a plastic pieces (Twilight Armada) that eliminates this problem. The main set of Twilight also includes two homeworlds from races that are found in the first supplement (Borderlands). This is an obvious marketing ploy. Fortunately, the hexes can still be used as regular systems. Since the game is designed for 2-6 players, the lack of rules for the 7^th and 8^th Great Races do not impact the playability of the basic set. Another little problem with the game is that tech progression is static. A player must buy tech in the order in which it appears on its track. While it simplifies the game, there are times when a player would want to skip over a piece of tech as it would upset the political balance. And lastly, the game is set in a rather small galaxy. There are only 37 hexes that make up the galaxy and at times there isn't enough room to maneuver without upsetting ones neighbors. While the supplement Outer Rim adds 24 more hexes to the size of the galaxy, some players might want more space to play with. In summery Twilight Imperium is a board game that combines politics, economics, and military might into a simple set of rules. The rebuilding of the game board and the uniqueness of the great races give it tremendous replay value. While its price tag is a bit steep, it is a game that will earn its keep for many years. Style: 4 (Classy and well done) Substance: 3 (Average)