Gameplay
What does Western Empires offer?
Western Empires is a boardgame for 5 to 9 players and covers the development of ancient civilizations over 8000 years of history. This is not just a regular game. Western Empires can take up to 12 hours to complete. And still yet, it has a simple mechanism and is easy to learn through the included 90 minute startup game. The players lead their civilizations, as they expand and collapse, from the stone age, through the bronze age to the end of the iron age. Western Empires provides a full day of fun for larger groups. When combined with the future release Eastern Empires this can be expanded to a full game of 18 players: Mega Empires. Western Empires also includes shorter game scenarios for a night of fun with only 5 friends.
Culture
Western Empires is a not a wargame, as it may seem at first glance. Yes, war may be involved, but rather it is a game about history, culture, trade, development, and… calamities.
Players develop their own unique civilization in arts, crafts, science, civics and religion.
Each player starts his civilization with a single population token, 8000 BC, but grows and grows over time, and eventually cities can be built. Cities of course bring wealth and fortune, but also… major problems like Epidemic, Famine, Earthquakes, Pirate attacks and Civil disorder.
Trading
This wealth is expressed in trade cards. The more cities, the more cards a player gets. These cards provide both trading commodities, and calamities which can be slipped in each trade. Trading is the heart of the game. A real social experience, where all players simultaneously trade with each other during a limited time. As soon as trading has ended, the players that end up with calamities will suffer them.
Develop advances
In the end it’s time to do something about all threats and make a step forward. Build walls, give your citizens art, music and architecture. Develop religion, democracy, improve science… 51 different advances can be developed in five different categories.
Maybe a player can even construct a wonder of the world, or scatter their people all over the map, gain cultural ascendancy. The best player to manage to work together, trade or battle for territory, defend his people against nature or enemies like barbarian hordes, and stand the tests of time, eventually will win the game. After up to 12 hours of playing that is.
Advance through the ages
As you lead your civilization on its path of glory through the ages, you need to keep up with the requirements of new eras ahead. Starting in the stone age and moving into different stages of the bronze age, your civilization requires to grow in size and keep on increasing its level of advancement, or it will fall behind its competitors on the Archeological Succession Table. Requirements for the Late iron age, which at long last prelude the end of the game, are the toughest to achieve. Players who manage to do so are awarded with the highest advancement bonuses, a keystone for claiming an eventual victory.
