Fantasy Flight Games Twilight Imperium 3rd Edition

Twilight Imperium is a 3 to 6 player strategy game about controlling a galactic empire with various alien races who also want the throne in this one all-encompassing box that has warfare, diplomacy, trade, politics and much more.The game itself is big! I doubt anyone who stumbled upon it doesn't already know that. But making a review for this game is hard because it's impossible to explain the effectiveness of every last rule and mechanic. Not to mention, the game comes with so much praise it's hard to write anything that hasn't already been said about it. So, for this game I'm going to do a "quick review" if you're just a little bit curious. From there, I'll divide the game by its component types and if you stick around you might find out why this game is so amazing."Quick Review": Twilight Imperium was designed by Christian T. Petersen, who currently resides as the CEO of Fantasy Flight Games. FFG is today's lead producer of theme-heavy games for serious board gamers. The game itself goes really deep into a rich backstory for each alien race. Twilight Imperium, however, takes a detour from standard FFG games because it combines various elements from "abstract games", "Euro games", and "American games". Also, it's not obsessed with selling you expansions and booster packs (even though it has a few). All in all, this game tries to deliver the most complete experience of controlling and expanding an empire that it can. And as many people have pointed out, this game is LONG! But the brilliance behind this game is keeping itself engaging for every player with as little downtime as possible and a unique experience every time with different strategies and play options that guarantee no two games will be the same."The Theme": The story behind Twilight Imperium describes an old empire ruled by a benevolent race known as the Lazax. The capital of their empire was Mecatol Rex (which you will set up on the board every game). While the galactic empire was wonderful, the Lazax did not foresee the rebellion that would wipe them out to near extinction. After an era known as the Twilight Wars each race divided and returned home to go into hiding. But after many years alone, several races begin to stir and an interest to seize the throne sparks a new age of galactic commerce that will make up the majority of the game. So while races could live in peaceful harmony or in brutal conflict, only one emperor can take the throne and the rest of the galaxy will bow to him or her when they do.Deep and engaging, the story behind this game feels very Tolkien-esque. Maybe the biggest comparison is the way power corrupts people, as Tolkien and this game will teach you. But it is fun all the same playing as your race; being the clever and curious Humans or the peaceful diplomatic Xxcha for example. The sense of awe radiating from this game shows, because even though it might fit on a table you get a sense of space in this galaxy when you're either moving ships around or reading the flavor text about a planets backstory. If I could change something I would probably integrate something about common people because the game is about empires but you rarely worry about citizen revolts or whether you're a good emperor or not. But theme wise, this game deserves a ten out of ten."Abstract Game": Going over the components, the board is made of hexagon shaped tiles which represent planetary systems. This makes sense for a game that will be different every time you play. But to manage pieces on the board and take actions you will need the ever-useful Command Counters.For a quick explanation, abstract game components are game mechanics that do not tie into the theme (if a game has a theme at all). But Command Counters are a nice way of simplifying down the number of actions you take, as you'll be limited by how many you have as well as how many have already been used. In the game you receive counters and you can spend them towards making your fleet size bigger, invading enemy systems or being able to pay for special strategy actions. Since you can't redistribute them during a round, it's important you know where to send them when you first collect them.As I mentioned, they will determine the maximum size of your fleet. And also, you must place a Command Counter on a star system before you move in and attack because you won't be allowed to invade that system twice in one round. So despite what you think in the pictures, tactical strategy is vitally important to this game. And when you have Command Counters all over the board that's normally when players end the round because you can't have two of your counters in a space at any one time. While it all seems like complex mojo, it's actually an effective way of managing your empire that's really straight forward when you get the hang of it."Euro Games": When we get into the Euro game and American game part of the review it's helpful to mention that you don't see both mechanics very often in one game (much less ones that work together). But to give a quick summary, Euro games come from the battle-scarred Germans after WWII who didn't want their country associated with war. So in Germany, many games feature player cooperation with diplomatic solutions to problems that make more immersive game mechanics that are a true marvel.Twilight Imperium's third edition was meant to combine the very best elements of Euro games and does it brilliantly. Because, at the start of a round, there are eight special strategy cards each player will choose. During your round you must use the power on that card at least once, and while battles and combat work great it is amazing how the game uses these cards to manage actions of a peaceful, strategic or even sinister nature. It's good to say at this point, you could win this game being a pacifist, but it's never totally a good idea to ignore your own defenses.Once per round, the strategy card you pick gives you the power to either declare a truce, open up trade, restore strength to an exhausted fleet, reveal an objective to collect victory points, research technology or even change the rules of the game! Yes! That can actually happen! Choosing which of these actions you'd like to do before a round is crucial because they can be a real game changer, but it rarely distracts from the combat even though it is important. And to discover this mechanic exists in a game published by Fantasy Flight is quite shocking for a company that does very American-esque games. But the integration of this mechanic gives this game another ten out of ten."American game": Fighting and combat belong at the end of this list because this is stuff people are familiar with, even if they aren't board gamers. Ship stats, die rolling and player elimination are really things that define American games, even in simpler games like Sorry. But if I say combat is familiar in Twilight Imperium, don't misunderstand. It is still lots of fun.Maybe one of the features that's more complicated than necessary are dozens of tiny rules regarding each ship, how they move and how they attack. Most of the technology you research also changes the stats of your ships, and the unique rules of whichever alien you choose can make combat between two players an awful lot to keep track of. It is also during combat that the game suffers a lot of downtime when you get to that one player who is planning his strategy like he is playing a game of Chess.But I think making the combat sophisticated is part of the thing that makes this game exciting. You'll have tiny fighters, big dreadnoughts, troops for invading planets and the infamous War Sun! Taking the time to know your army is part of the secret to enjoying this game. Maybe a turn off for people is that all the combat can come down to getting better die rolls than other players, but there are some things even an emperor can't control during war. It's exciting, it's fun and it deserves at least a nine out of ten."Overall": Twilight Imperium can appeal to a great many people who have different ideas about managing an empire, since this game doesn't limit you to fighting or negotiation. If you're not destroying every player on the board, the real road to victory is being the first person to have ten victory points which you can receive by completing the various objectives and requirements given to you by the game. As some people have pointed out, the number of victory points received doesn't always match the difficulty of the objective you're trying to complete, but I still love Twilight Imperium.I think whether you're in it to win or not doesn't distract from the epic experience this game has to offer. It can take as long as two days to play it but it creates non-stop intrigue and dilemma that keeps you seated to the end. And while it is a hard game to learn you'll find it becomes rather straightforward the more you play it and all those little rules will eventually fade behind a curtain of epic space-opera goodness. So if you're up for it this is an awesome game to play. Maybe one of the best ever created. So after you've played a few other practice games during your board game venture, check this one out and be amazed.

I bought this game six years ago and it's been sitting on my shelf ever since then. Wait...what??? SIX...YEARS???? Yeah, a lot of people are afraid of this game. They think it's like Axis and Allies but worse. They think they'll start playing at noon and still be playing at midnight. And honestly, I thought that too. But the thing is, you don't HAVE to play with 6 players. It plays just fine with 3. I played with two friends two weeks ago and they had two immediate reactions. 1. Darn it! I want to play it again right now but it's getting too late. 2. We need to play again AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. Granted that these same people had said repeatedly that they didn't have time to play this game, this is SIGNIFICANT. If you are considering playing and decide against purchase because you think you need 6 players and 10 hours to play YOU ARE MAKING A MISTAKE. With three players we started at 2pm yesterday and finished around 7. Not bad at all considering how fast this game actually plays compared with what I expected.Axis and Allies But...EasierLook, I won't lie to you and say there isn't downtime. Building units and combat especially can seem to take FOREVER as people are rolling all their dices and running calculations over and over to make sure they have the build points and don't run over their build limit and fleet limit (That's a lot to juggle when you are planning an invasion and racing against the endgame clock). However! There are multiple mechanics in place that I believe greatly shorten the game and add variety to the gameplay, preventing it from becoming a slog. For instance, when I ran my giant invasion at the end of the game, I played a card that had my warsun scour the planet clean, thus eliminating a massive land battle that would have taken at least 20 minutes. You might think that's an isolated event but no, in this game there are MANY cards that allow you to completely negate lengthy exchanges or greatly shorten them (a "game over" card for instance, or a card that renders someone's fleet unable to attack for a whole turn). Not only are these mechanics great for preventing a slog, not only do they add strategic depth, but they are also...really, really, REALLY fun!!!So yes, like Axis and Allies there is a massive amount of research, fleet building, invasion, artillery fire, etc, etc, but despite the epic battles it all somehow feels a bit lighter and less headache inducing due to sheer numbers and math calculations.If Axis and Allies and Cosmic Encounter had a baby...That's how a friend described the game last night. Because subtle as your "race powers" are, they really give the game a lot of flavor. For instance when I played last night I got a war-monger race that had bonuses to fleet building. Combine that with early action cards and my secret objective, and I was handed a game-long agenda for conquering the galaxy. So what? That's the point of all strategy games right? Nope. This is a victory points game. I won a huge battle at the end of the game but LOST because I didn't accomplish enough objectives. And this, is what makes the game fun instead of frustrating.I've played plenty of other games where the "best" strategic player who is really good at building resources and managing them, and calculating odds, wins every time. But TI3 has a political/action element which makes this kind of domination very difficult. Someone is winning by too big a margin? No problem, just pass some laws to handicap them! Want someone to win a decisive battle? Help them by playing action cards on their enemies!Countdown to DestinyThere's a wonderful countdown/strategy card mechanic in this game that I wasn't ready for. It's implemented like Libertalia or Mission Red Planet but reminds me of Risk 2210 as well. Basically before every "over-turn" (master round that all the smaller rounds take place within) you take cards to determine future turn order, who gets "free" victory points, and what you special tactical abilities for the over-round will be. It's awesome because not only does it determine tactics, but it also allows you to beat your opponents to actions, or force them to go first. This is superior to bidding on turn order and REALLY makes this game strategic.Balance is KeyOthers have talked in great depth about everything that this game actually is, and you can always read the rulebook or watch an instruction video to figure it out, but all you really need to know is that this game combines mechanics like the ones I described (strategic actions, action cards, unit building, movement, battle), activation mechanic (strategic, fleet, and command tokens that set space and strategic action limits along with fleet limits), with wonderful political intrigue (voting on laws and such) in a way that makes this game beautifully BALANCED.There's just enough of everything to keep this game fresh and interesting, and all the difference types of mechanics COMPLEMENT each other to make the overall game enjoyable. Even though your actions can be countered (or "zapped" if you will), you've always got some many things going on that it feels like a change of plan rather than an unfair total destruction of your plans (the game is not picking on you like you're playing Seafall, and no one was crying or angry during the game, no yelling and cursing at the evil game).ConclusionIf you like grand strategy and sci-fi this is your game. Don't fear the complexity and playtime. It's not as bad as it sounds (I promise) UNLESS you try to play for the first time with a lot of players (5 or 6) who are all brand new. Start out with three players and do your homework. Learn how to play in advance, punch out the gazillion cardboard pieces and break all the plastic fleets from their frames (I'll admit, that's the thing I hate about this game the most, but you only have to do it once), and play a game with your two best friends.Before you know it this will be one of your favorite games.