LP Interest Thread - Twilight Imperium

Azisien · 02-05-2011, 10:33 PM

A good real life friend of mine is an avid collector of amazing board games, so I've had a pretty great time over the past two years playing some sweet ones. Smallworld, Power Grid, and Arkham Horror rank among my favourites for now.

And then I found Twilight Imperium.

Although Arkham Horror is AWESOME in a Lovecraftian, 1930s gangsters fighting unspeakable horrors sort of way, TI immediately became my favourite. Inside a month of playing it I decided to support this fantastic game and purchase my own.

The dilemma is that as a unit, my group of friends have the game already, and my purchase is slightly redundant (unless I play a lot of smaller games I suppose). However, I had the idea that maybe, just maybe, I could try spreading some Twilight Imperium love on NPF.

What Is Twilight Imperium, Really

Twilight Imperium is an epic sci-fi board game of conquest, trade, and political intrigue. The base game supports up to 6 players. There are 10 available races to choose from. The purpose of the main game is to acquire 10 Victory Points, which are achieved mainly through fulfilling Objectives. It is a turn based game, with each turn revealing a new Objective. For example, it may be "I control 6 planets outside of my Home System" with a reward of 1 Victory Point. There are also Secret Objectives each player gets that can only be revealed when they are completed.

So what do you actually DO in Twilight Imperium

You build spaceships. You build armies. You colonize planets. You fight off rebels. You avoid space hazards. You screw with your opponents. You research new technologies. You force sometimes ridiculous galactic laws to vote. You forge alliances. You break promises. You fulfill Objectives. You win! Orrrr more likely, you lose.

The first phase of the game is generating the Galaxy to play in. Every game is a little different because planets, empty space, hazards, and wormholes wind up being in different spots every time.

The second phase of the game is usually colonization to secure resources and political influence for your empire, and empire expansion. From game start you CAN do whatever you like though, including early aggression.

The third phase of the game usually winds up being a fight for Mecatol Rex. Over half of the Secret Objective cards, and some of the Public Objective cards, involve this once great planet. No matter how the Galaxy is configured at game start, Mecatol Rex is always at the center. It is the equivalent of Mass Effect's Citadel, the political center of the Galaxy, and in fact, owning it gives you a hell of a lot of political influence.

The fourth phase of the game is RULING THE GALAXY FOREVER HAHAHAHA!

Of course I am generalizing how these phases go based on my experience as a player. It could go any way as the players choose.

Here's an ENORMOUS, multi-board game in play. But it gives you an idea of what the galaxy looks like.

So how is this going to work? This isn't a well known game, most of the players would be new

We learn! Learning is fun. I would be the pseudo-GM, and I probably won't be a perfect one. We all learn!

If there's genuine interest in this, I have a fair amount of preparation ahead of me. I will take a picture of every single card, unit, and token in the game so that I can easily image tag them both in the public thread and in private messages. I already have a camera. The majority of the game could be played, over much time, in the thread as if we were playing at a table, with players taking their turns and so on. Some of it will have to occur over PMs (including secret political pacts and assassination plots), because some game aspects are inherently secret.

Are you interested enough to consider?

If so, I found the 3rd edition rulebook online in easy PDF format.

Or just like, post I guess. Ask questions if you have any, whatever.

02-05-2011, 10:33 PM	#1
Azisien wat Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 7,177	LP Interest Thread - Twilight Imperium A good real life friend of mine is an avid collector of amazing board games, so I've had a pretty great time over the past two years playing some sweet ones. Smallworld, Power Grid, and Arkham Horror rank among my favourites for now. And then I found Twilight Imperium. Although Arkham Horror is AWESOME in a Lovecraftian, 1930s gangsters fighting unspeakable horrors sort of way, TI immediately became my favourite. Inside a month of playing it I decided to support this fantastic game and purchase my own. The dilemma is that as a unit, my group of friends have the game already, and my purchase is slightly redundant (unless I play a lot of smaller games I suppose). However, I had the idea that maybe, just maybe, I could try spreading some Twilight Imperium love on NPF. What Is Twilight Imperium, Really Twilight Imperium is an epic sci-fi board game of conquest, trade, and political intrigue. The base game supports up to 6 players. There are 10 available races to choose from. The purpose of the main game is to acquire 10 Victory Points, which are achieved mainly through fulfilling Objectives. It is a turn based game, with each turn revealing a new Objective. For example, it may be "I control 6 planets outside of my Home System" with a reward of 1 Victory Point. There are also Secret Objectives each player gets that can only be revealed when they are completed. So what do you actually DO in Twilight Imperium You build spaceships. You build armies. You colonize planets. You fight off rebels. You avoid space hazards. You screw with your opponents. You research new technologies. You force sometimes ridiculous galactic laws to vote. You forge alliances. You break promises. You fulfill Objectives. You win! Orrrr more likely, you lose. The first phase of the game is generating the Galaxy to play in. Every game is a little different because planets, empty space, hazards, and wormholes wind up being in different spots every time. The second phase of the game is usually colonization to secure resources and political influence for your empire, and empire expansion. From game start you CAN do whatever you like though, including early aggression. The third phase of the game usually winds up being a fight for Mecatol Rex. Over half of the Secret Objective cards, and some of the Public Objective cards, involve this once great planet. No matter how the Galaxy is configured at game start, Mecatol Rex is always at the center. It is the equivalent of Mass Effect's Citadel, the political center of the Galaxy, and in fact, owning it gives you a hell of a lot of political influence. The fourth phase of the game is RULING THE GALAXY FOREVER HAHAHAHA! Of course I am generalizing how these phases go based on my experience as a player. It could go any way as the players choose. Here's an ENORMOUS, multi-board game in play. But it gives you an idea of what the galaxy looks like. So how is this going to work? This isn't a well known game, most of the players would be new We learn! Learning is fun. I would be the pseudo-GM, and I probably won't be a perfect one. We all learn! If there's genuine interest in this, I have a fair amount of preparation ahead of me. I will take a picture of every single card, unit, and token in the game so that I can easily image tag them both in the public thread and in private messages. I already have a camera. The majority of the game could be played, over much time, in the thread as if we were playing at a table, with players taking their turns and so on. Some of it will have to occur over PMs (including secret political pacts and assassination plots), because some game aspects are inherently secret. Are you interested enough to consider? If so, I found the 3rd edition rulebook online in easy PDF format. Or just like, post I guess. Ask questions if you have any, whatever.