Twilight Imperium

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Twilight Imperium
Twilight-imperium-layout 12.jpg
Box art for Twilight Imperium third edition
Designers Christian T. Petersen
IllustratorsScott Schomburg
Brian Schomburg
Tyler Walpole
Publishers Fantasy Flight Games
Publication1997
2000
2004
2017
Genres Strategy
LanguagesEnglish
Players3–8*
Playing time5–14 hours
ChanceLow (D10 dice and cards)
Website www.fantasyflightgames.com/en/products/twilight-imperium-fourth-edition
* 7–8 players available with the Prophecy of Kings expansion for 4th Edition and Shards of the Throne for 3rd Edition. [1]

Twilight Imperium is a strategy board game produced by Fantasy Flight Games and Asmodee in the genre of science fiction and space opera. It was designed by Christian T. Petersen and was first released in 1997. It is now in its fourth edition (2017), which has large changes over previous editions. It is known for the length of its games (often greater than six hours) and its in-depth strategy (including military, politics, technology and trade). [2] [3] As of 2024, its compelling gameplay and enduring popularity have been hailed by Nerdist and Polygon as one of the "greatest board games ever made." [4] [5]

Contents

Since its release, the Twilight Imperium franchise has also expanded into six novels published by Aconyte Books, tabletop role-playing games such as Embers of the Imperium produced by Edge Studios in the Genesys RPG system, and spinoff games including Twilight Inscription and Rex: Final Days of the Empire. [6] [7]

Game background

The game's premise is a large-scale space opera. It is set in the unstable power vacuum left after the centuries-long decline and collapse of the previously dominant Lazax race. [8] The old galactic central capital, Mecatol Rex, located in the center of the map, is maintained by custodians who maintain the imperial libraries and oversee the meetings of the galactic council. [9] Players assume the roles of rising empires on the fringes of the galaxy, vying for military and political control, until one finally becomes sufficiently dominant to take over as a new galactic emperor. [8]

Development history

First edition

The first edition of Twilight Imperium was conceived by Christian T. Petersen while working as an importer of European comics. Drawing from a background of working at a Danish game importer, Petersen designed, published, and assembled the first edition of the game single-handedly. [10] The final version of the first edition debuted at the Origins Game Fair in 1997. Fantasy Flight set up demos of the game in a high-traffic corridor to garner more attention, and ended up selling out of all of their available copies in under two days. [10]

Second edition

The second edition of Twilight Imperium was published in 2000. [10] It was the first edition of the game to feature art by Scott Schomburg and Brian Schomburg. It also introduced plastic spaceship pieces, replacing cardboard tokens that were used in the first edition. [10]

Third edition

The third edition of Twilight Imperium, published in 2004, was designed at roughly the same time that Petersen was also working on A Game of Thrones, and his desire was to emphasize similar narrative development in this new edition's gameplay. [10] He also looked to the mechanics of Eurogames like Puerto Rico for inspiration of how to represent complex mechanisms simply. [10] The game box proved to be so large that wholesale distributors had to purchase custom-sized shipping cartons in order to make them fit. [10]

Fourth edition

Development of Twilight Imperium Fourth Edition began in 2015. The original plan for the game was to seek funding on the crowdsourcing website Kickstarter, releasing a product with an MSRP of approximately US$250. Ideas pitched for this version included featuring only the six original races but each with unique ship designs, as well as presenting Mecatol Rex as centrepiece figure instead of a tile. [10] However, this plan was scrapped in the summer of 2016 as the features were proving too costly to create within their budget. The revised version included all previous species introduced into Twilight Imperium, and was released at Gen Con in August 2017. [11] Fourth edition was initially intended as a stand-alone game without any variant rules and expansions, but the expansion Prophecy of Kings was introduced in November 2020. [10]

Components

An early-to-mid game board state of Twilight Imperium, third edition. Games frequently have a large number of card decks, plastic pieces and cardboard tokens. Twilight Imperium, third edition, whole table view, early to mid game.jpg
An early-to-mid game board state of Twilight Imperium, third edition. Games frequently have a large number of card decks, plastic pieces and cardboard tokens.

The game consists of cardboard map tiles, cards, plastic units, cardboard counters, and player sheets. The map is built from hexagonal tiles, each showing up to three planets, empty space, or a red-bordered system containing an obstacle (with additional types added in the expansions). The centre tile is always Mecatol Rex, with the remainder of the galaxy built out in concentric rings. [12] [13]

Plastic playing pieces represent various starship classes and ground forces. Players are limited to the number of playing pieces provided with the game, except for fighters and ground forces. Counters are included for record-keeping, including command tokens, control markers, trade goods, and extra fighter and ground force counters. Cards are used to track planet ownership, trade agreements, technologies, public objectives, secret objectives, special actions, and policy voting agendas. [13]

Gameplay

Game-play largely centres around units and their interactions on a hex-based map. Twilight Imperium, third edition, late game big battles.jpg
Game-play largely centres around units and their interactions on a hex-based map.

Three to six (eight, with 'Prophecy of Kings') players can play, with games typically taking more than six hours to complete (approx. 1.5 hours per player), although players new to the game can take longer. The game works on a 'victory points' system such that players earn points by completing a combination of public and secret objectives.

Setup

Each player randomly selects a race to control. Either a pre-designed map can be used, or players can generate a map via a pre-game mechanic whereby each takes turns in placing map tiles to construct a galaxy map with Mecatol Rex at the centre and home systems around the periphery.

Factions

A Hacan diplomat, with a Federation of Sol soldier in the foreground Hacan.png
A Hacan diplomat, with a Federation of Sol soldier in the foreground

Players can choose from several alien factions (up to 25 in the 4th edition) to play as. Anywhere from three to six (or eight, with the 'Prophecy of Kings' expansion) of these factions will appear in a game, depending on the number of players. Each faction has unique abilities, home planets, starter units and technologies. [14] Additionally, each faction has distinct characters and themes, and they each specialize in particular areas of the game, such as trade, combat, technology, or politics. [13]

Faction list below:

Game factions1st Edition2nd Edition3rd Edition4th EditionComplexity
The Emirates of HacanGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgLow
The Federation of SolGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgLow
The Xxcha KingdomGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgLow
The Barony of LetnevGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgLow
The Universities of Jol-NarGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgLow
Sardakk N'orrGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgMedium
The Mentak CoalitionExpansionExpansionGreen check.svgGreen check.svgHigh
The Yssaril TribesExpansionExpansionGreen check.svgGreen check.svgLow
The L1Z1X MindnetExpansionRed x.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgLow
The Naalu CollectiveExpansionRed x.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgMedium
The Clan of SaarRed x.svgRed x.svgExpansionGreen check.svgMedium
The Embers of MuaatRed x.svgRed x.svgExpansionGreen check.svgHigh
The WinnuRed x.svgRed x.svgExpansionGreen check.svgMedium
The Yin BrotherhoodRed x.svgRed x.svgExpansionGreen check.svgLow
The ArborecRed x.svgRed x.svgExpansionGreen check.svgHigh
The Ghosts of CreussRed x.svgRed x.svgExpansionGreen check.svgMedium
The Nekro VirusRed x.svgRed x.svgExpansionGreen check.svgHigh
The LazaxRed x.svgRed x.svgExpansionRed x.svg-
The Mahact Gene-SorcerersRed x.svgRed x.svgRed x.svgExpansionHigh
The Argent FlightRed x.svgRed x.svgRed x.svgExpansionLow
The EmpyreanRed x.svgRed x.svgRed x.svgExpansionLow
The Naaz-Rokha AllianceRed x.svgRed x.svgRed x.svgExpansionLow
The Titans of ULRed x.svgRed x.svgRed x.svgExpansionMedium
The NomadRed x.svgRed x.svgRed x.svgExpansionLow
The Vuil'Raith CabalRed x.svgRed x.svgRed x.svgExpansionHigh
The Council KeleresRed x.svgRed x.svgRed x.svgCodexMedium
Total1081825

Rounds

Play consists of up to 9 rounds (though usually less, depending on how quickly players gain victory points) -- each of which contain several turns. In each round, players choose a strategy card, which provides large bonuses to a particular gameplay mechanic and determines the order in which the players take turns during the round.

Players take turns to perform actions (building units, moving units, using strategy cards, using special action cards). Players are limited in the number of actions they can take during a round by their supply of command tokens, which are divided between strategy (used to access the secondary action of other players' strategy cards), fleet supply (limiting the number of ships that can occupy a system), and command pools (used for tactical actions). Players continue taking actions in turn order until each player has passed.

Units and combat

Units are purchased throughout the game using the resources from occupied planets. Combat is fought in rounds with each unit rolling one or more 10-sided dice to attempt to score "hits" on the enemy player, who is allowed a counter-attack with all their units before choosing which units are destroyed.

Politics

Politics and discussion play an important role in Twilight Imperium. Agendas are voted on at multiple points throughout the game, with each player's voting power being proportional to the quality and quantity of planets they control. Laws that are successfully passed can greatly modify certain game mechanics and thus change the flow of the game.[ citation needed ]

Scoring

At the end of each round, players have the opportunity to score victory points for a public goal that has been revealed and/or for a secret objective assigned to each player at the start of the game. The first player to achieve 10 victory points is declared the new Emperor and wins the game. After the 6th round, the game also has a mechanism where the game has a chance of ending on any subsequent round and the highest scoring player at that point declared the winner.

Online implementation

Twilight Imperium Fourth edition (using Prophecy of Kings expansion) as implemented in Tabletop Simulator. In addition to physics simulation of the cardboard and plastic components such that interacting is similar to using the board game parts, some game mechanisms are also automated. Twilight Imperium fourth edition, tabletop simulator.png
Twilight Imperium Fourth edition (using Prophecy of Kings expansion) as implemented in Tabletop Simulator. In addition to physics simulation of the cardboard and plastic components such that interacting is similar to using the board game parts, some game mechanisms are also automated.

A community-made implementation of the game was created in Tabletop Simulator. [15] [16] [17] It stems from a fan-version of the third edition game called "Shattered Ascension" that was built in Tabletop Simulator in 2011 using the same components but a variant ruleset and gained a significant online community. [16] After the publication of game's fourth edition in 2017, a similar Tabletop Simulator implementation was created in 2018 [18] and is now used for online tournaments. [17] There is also the website Twilight Wars that lets you play Twilight imperium 4 online with strangers, as well as a Discord bot called AsyncTI4. [19]

Expansions, variants and optional rules

Twilight Imperium 1st Edition: The Borderlands

Fantasy Flight Games released an expansion called The Borderlands in late 1997. It was the first expansion for Twilight Imperium First Edition. It adds two new factions, several new action cards, and several counters for a variety of new game mechanics. [20]

Twilight Imperium 1st Edition: Twilight Armada

Fantasy Flight Games released an expansion called Twilight Armada early 1998 (in tandem with Distant Suns), making it the second expansion for Twilight Imperium First Edition. Intended to replace previous ships for the 6 colors of the base game, it includes 300 miniatures. [21] [22]

Twilight Imperium 1st Edition: Distant Suns

Fantasy Flight Games released an expansion called Distant Suns in early 1998 (in tandem with Twilight Armada), making it technically the third expansion for Twilight Imperium First Edition. A controversial expansion for the game, it added uncertainty and strategy to the game, some counters, and other game aids.. [23] [24]

Twilight Imperium 1st Edition: The Outer Rim

Fantasy Flight Games released an expansion called The Outer Rim in late 1998, making it the last expansion for Twilight Imperium First Edition. It adds 2 new factions, 13 new hexes which formed another exterior ring (hence the expansion name), and a few new game mechanics, with the intention of correcting some problems in the original base game. [25]

Twilight Imperium 2nd Edition: Hope's End

Fantasy Flight Games released an expansion called Hope's End in September 2001. It includes newer components, a reimagined technology system that includes an improved tree, new action and politics cards, and new factions to play as. [26]

Twilight Imperium 3rd Edition: Shattered Empire

Fantasy Flight Games released an expansion called Shattered Empire in December 2006. It includes two new sets of playing pieces and additional system tiles, expanding maximum player number to eight. It also introduced several rules-fixes to address common criticisms of the base game. [2]

Twilight Imperium 3rd Edition: Shards of the Throne

Fantasy Flight Games released a second expansion called Shards of the Throne in May 2011, with additions including new factions, technologies, scenarios and units.

Variant rulesets

The base game and its expansions come with several optional rules and the counters necessary to play them out. The simplest variant is the long game, where the winner must score 14 victory points, rather than 10. However, most variants are intended to allow players to customise the game-play in favour of their preferred mechanics. [13] For example, there are alternative variants of all the strategy cards, which can drastically alter how players organise their turns. Some rule variants introduce new units, whilst others can introduce completely new mechanics, such as race-specific leaders and diplomats, or random encounters for the first player to land on each neutral planet. [2]

Twilight Imperium 4th Edition: Prophecy of Kings

Fantasy Flight Games released an expansion for 4th Edition Twilight Imperium in November 2020. The expansion contains seven new factions, some of which are based in the lore of Twilight Imperium's previous editions. It also brings in many of the systems and units that were first contained in 3rd edition. A new layer of technologies has been introduced giving more flexibility on how players choose their technology paths. The expansion also includes the Omega updates that were published in April 2020. It does not include any variant rules and is intended to be fully incorporated into the base game. It also adds new flavor to ground combat by adding a new infantry type called the mech.

Twilight Imperium 4th Edition: Twilight Codex

The Codex is the official web based publication, published by Fantasy Flight Games that highlights rule updates and showcases new content for Twilight Imperium Fourth Edition and eventually the Prophecy of Kings expansion. The predominant figure behind the codex is Dane Beltrami, the head developer of Twilight Imperium Fourth Edition.

Differences between editions

Third edition vs previous versions

The third edition significantly changed many of the game mechanics. While some of the core elements remained the same, the game as a whole was completely revamped. Here are some of the more significant differences:

Fourth edition vs previous versions

List of games

Main

First edition

  • Twilight Imperium
    • Twilight Imperium: Borderlands
    • Twilight Imperium: Twilight Armada
    • Twilight Imperium: Distant Suns
    • Twilight Imperium: The Outer Rim

Second edition

  • Twilight Imperium 2nd Edition
    • Twilight Imperium: Hope's End

Third edition

  • Twilight Imperium 3rd Edition
    • Twilight Imperium 3rd Edition – Shattered Empire
    • Twilight Imperium 3rd Edition – Shards of the Throne

Fourth edition

  • Twilight Imperium 4th Edition
    • Twilight Imperium 4th Edition – Prophecy of Kings

Spin-off boardgames

Role-playing game

References

  1. https://www.fantasyflightgames.com/en/ffg_blog/19679/original_content
  2. 1 2 3 "Twilight Imperium, a board game with meal breaks". Ars Technica. 2016-08-21.
  3. Machinima (2012-03-30). "Twilight Imperium Review". Shut Up & Sit Down. Archived from the original on 2017-10-26. Retrieved 2019-06-24.
  4. Gaviola, Ruel (October 8, 2018). "Why Twilight Imperium Might Be the Greatest Board Game Ever Made". Nerdist. Retrieved September 10, 2024.
  5. Theel, Charlie (2023-01-03). "The 5 best sci-fi board games". Polygon. Retrieved 2024-09-10.
  6. "Twilight Imperium – Aconyte Books" . Retrieved 2024-09-27.
  7. "Twilight Imperium Spin-Off Game Revealed". Gaming. Retrieved 2024-09-27.
  8. 1 2 "Twilight Imperium Third Edition". www.fantasyflightgames.com. Retrieved 2016-09-16.
  9. "The Sum of Glory (A Review of Twilight Imperium 3rd Edition)". islaythedragon.com. iSlaytheDragon. 2013-10-22. Retrieved 2016-09-16.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Lees, Matt. "Space Lions: The Story of Twilight Imperium". Shut Up & Sit Down. Retrieved 2017-10-19.
  11. "Allitabletop Record of Twilight Imperium 4th Edition".
  12. Drake, Matt (2013-02-03). "Massive Game Review - Twilight Imperium". Drake's Flames. Retrieved 2016-09-16.
  13. 1 2 3 4 Machinima (2012-03-30), Twilight Imperium Review, Shut Up & Sit Down, retrieved 2016-09-16
  14. "Races of Twilight Imperium". dicehateme.com. Dice Hate Me. Retrieved 2016-09-16.
  15. "Holy crap, fans have created their own PC version of Twilight Imperium 3". Tabletop Gaming. 2018-02-02. Retrieved 2021-08-07.
  16. 1 2 Winkie, Luke (2018-01-30). "Modders are making their own version of massive space opera board game Twilight Imperium". PC Gamer. Retrieved 2021-08-07.
  17. 1 2 Hall, Charlie (2021-07-31). "The world's biggest tournament for the world's longest board game". Polygon. Retrieved 2021-08-07.
  18. "Tabletop Simulator: Twilight Imperium IV (Change Notes)". steamcommunity.com. Steam. Retrieved 2021-08-07.
  19. "AsyncTI4". GitHub. Retrieved 2024-11-26.
  20. "Twilight Imperium: Borderlands". BoardGameGeek. Retrieved 2025-02-01.
  21. Cafe, The Side Deck-Gaming. "Twilight Imperium: Twilight Armada". The Side Deck - Gaming Cafe. Retrieved 2025-02-01.
  22. "Twilight Imperium: Twilight Armada". BoardGameGeek. Retrieved 2025-02-01.
  23. Cafe, The Side Deck-Gaming. "Twilight Imperium: Distant Suns". The Side Deck - Gaming Cafe. Retrieved 2025-02-01.
  24. "Twilight Imperium: Distant Suns". BoardGameGeek. Retrieved 2025-02-01.
  25. "Twilight Imperium: The Outer Rim". BoardGameGeek. Retrieved 2025-02-01.
  26. "Twilight Imperium: Second Edition". BoardGameGeek. Retrieved 2025-01-31.
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  30. "TI4 Agendas, Alphabetical List" (PDF). Boardgame Geek. Retrieved 15 July 2018.
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