Twilight Imperium Game Night

So, on a whim, I got some friends together and played a game of Twilight Imperium.  If you don't know what it is, then check it out here: Fantasy Flight's Twilight Imperium.

This game is a friggin blast, if you and your friends are in to long board games.  What I love so much about it (aside from the fact that I have won every game thus far) is that it feels like a roleplay.  Each player takes on a faction in the galaxy, all competing for power.  The game offers a variety of ways to achieve victory, including politics, war, and bargaining.

Each faction has a set of special abilities that really define your strategy for the game.  That's where the roleplaying element sneaks in.  You end up playing the way your faction would, given the circumstances evolving around you.  My friend and I have often, in the past, tried to create a sort of large-scale political roleplay set in the future, but always came up short in one aspect or another.  With Twilight Imperium, we fill that need of our creativity.

Anyway, this afternoon, we sat down for a six player game with two new players.  Its a hard game to get, but once you do, it flows so effortlessly.  We played for four hours before we had to call it (work tomorrow for most).  After four hours, we had seen some interesting twists in turns in the story we were living.  One player is being threatened by two others, and so he built a War Sun, the game's equivalent to a nuclear deterrent.  Despite that, his faction is suffering rebellion as the other players try to crumble him from the inside.

Meanwhile, I've lived peacefully with my neighbors.  However, now I have taken and held Mecatol Rex, the seat of power in the galaxy, and I feel the target being painted on my head as I take the lead in score.  Unfortunately for me, my military strength is rather average in the galaxy, and... Well, the game is going to continue, so I don't want to poke too many holes in my strategy, so publicly.

Here's a picture I snapped of the game board as we were wrapping up for the night.

Stay over there, Green!  Please?

I'm gray.  You can see green player directly across from me with his War Sun.  Orange and Blue have been threatening to come to blows for a while, and Blue has expressed his desire to de-throne me.  I sit at four Victory Points, two ahead of the next player.

Win or lose, I really look forward to how this turns out.  Honestly, for some good science-fiction gaming with a Deep Space Nine / Babylon 5 feel, I'd suggest this game to anyone that can afford it.  Unfortunately, its probably one-hundred dollars at your local gaming store, plus the two expansions (that we have and are pretty sweet) at forty to fifty each.  If you've got a group that is in to long games like this, its well worth the buy!

I'll post following our next game day, where (God willing) this game will see its end and a victor!