Space Empires 4X 3rd Printing

This game is wonderful! If you enjoy "war games", this one is done very well. Here's when you know you've found a gem. For the first game I had to talk my 3 teenage boys into playing. About 4 hours later, after a great game which the oldest won, all 3 insisted in setting up another game for the next day before going to bed. The next game was also fantastic, the second oldest won. My youngest then went and rode his bike for awhile. When he returned, he announced he had thought of a strategy to win the next game. The 3rd game is progressing along when the youngest starts a surprise invasion against my oldest. What makes this game so great is the fog of war, you don't know what forces your opponents have. So my youngest surprises all of us with a fleet of "Titans". He immediately destroys several planets and is about to win by destroying my oldest's home-world. This was the plan he thought of, his "Titan Plan"; it almost worked. Because of the turn sequence, my oldest was able to build mines on his home-world and my youngest walked into the trap and lost his Titans. This gave me the breathing space to focus on the other side of the board and get the win. When a game gets your kids to abandon their video games for an entire weekend and causes them to "think' about strategy and planning, then you've found a gem. After several more plays, we all agree this is a great game. It is not for "sensitive" people. You will lose a lot of ships and planets. You will be punished for making mistakes. So, you are either ruthlessly moving against your opponents or they are moving against you. This game rewards aggressiveness and deception. Great stuff for a game. It is a war game that uses counters, not plastic pieces, which some people have a hard time working with, but for gamers used to counters, get this one.

This is a superb game. I had been playing a lot of Twilight Imperium, but my group wasn't able to devote the time needed to complete the game, Space empires offers a similar, faster, and more intuitive game-play. The game entails a repeat of three move phases and one economic phase. Economic phases are done simultaneously among all the players, allowing for a more engaging flow to the game.

Game was exactly what I was expecting. If you love 4x games, crave complexity, and are okay with the lack of bling; this game is probably for you. I definitely got my money's worth out of this game.

• Component Quality: good, journeyman quality for a hex and counter wargame, mounted board • Art & Graphics: plain but serviceable, retro in style • Theme & Interest: interesting and engaging sci-fi wargame; the 4X in the title refers to Explore, Expand, Exploit, and Exterminate. • Design: engaging strategic decisions, but burdened by the need for a spreadsheet to track technology development and fleet composition. The spreadsheet will ruin this game for some people but others will appreciate the increased complexity and detail; whether or not you like this aspect of the game is very subjective. • Rulebook: clear, easily referenced, excellent player aid sheets are included • Value for money: The publisher, GMT Games, is noted for the quality of their games. Space Empires 4X is well regarded and has a loyal fan-base but it's not for everyone. If you're comfortable with every turn of the game beginning with a few minutes of quietly considering your empire's economic status and allocating resources to technology development and ship building, all being tracked in a spreadsheet you're filling out by hand, then you will really enjoy this game. This aspect of the game will be drudgery for some but fascinating for a detail oriented person.

This is an epic space opera game. Remarkably streamlined rules give a deep sense of genre without adding in special cases. The only downside is that much of the game is hidden information, and sloppy or dishonest players can destroy a game.

If Starcraft were a board game, this is what it would look like. Wargamers aside, I would recommend this game for families who want to get away from electronics for awhile or during power outages. If you normally play Risk or Monopoly, give Space Empires a try. One game takes about the same amount of time and you'll have a lot more room for creativity with Space Empires.

Amazing game!

Basic game rulebook is only 8 pages long--game can be played in one sitting! I already am planning on buying the expansion-strongly recommended!