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Twilight Imperium (Fourth Edition) is a game of galactic conquest in which three to six players take on the role of one of seventeen factions vying for galactic domination through military might, political maneuvering, and economic bargaining. Every faction offers a completely different play experience, but only one may sit upon the throne of Mecatol Rex as the new masters of the galaxy.
alexs34
This would be a 10 if this could be played with two people as the minimum. Also, this takes a while to play but that doesn’t bother me too much.
adamw
There are many qualities to admire in this legendary game. It has a feel and scale that none have equalled. TI is more theatrical, rife with politics and metagaming not found anywhere else in the genre. The layered action system of tactics and strategy roles results in numerous timing and thrilling coordination decisions. And the mechanism of trade, deal making, and promissory notes including numerous faction-specific attributes creates high drama. It is an achievement created by a refinement over many versions, and is truly unmatched in all this. However! Most will find the game length exhausting. This is exacerbated by the odd situation of being able to score objectives (having met the criteria) but not allowed to do so by the rules. Some mitigation is offered in a strategic role scoring an objective during play, but this is hobbled by turn order selection. The reason for this artificial limit appears to be a way to ensure closer scores, yet players can be effectively eliminated and king-making is a very real issue (piling on a wouldbe winner) as the game lumbers and patience wears thin in the final rounds of play. A table of experienced players can eliminate all of this of course, but experience requires multiple plays and a dedicated group. In those hands, this game is rightly the ultimate experience. For all others, it will remain a convention only grail-game where time at a table is irrelevant.
adamscott
Trying to sort out how I feel about this game. Negatives include : -There is way too much luck for such a long game (combat, secret objectives, action cards, etc.). -Many of the objectives are uninteresting or thematically irrelevant. -The battle system is uninteresting, with lots of dice rolling. -DOWN TIME. -Kingmaking and bash the leader. -Lots and lots of cards everywhere. It's impossible to keep track of what everyone can do and has upgraded. -The game isn't too difficult to learn, but lots of small rules to keep track of. With all of those negatives, the game has its fun elements. The allocation system for your tokens is quite interesting. It is fun to build up your empire, advance your techs and look for clever plays to score points. The game has the potential to create lasting gaming moments/memories and I enjoyed some of the diplomatic elements.