Boldly Going... (A Guide to the 4X Genre)

I see many bright stars in your future...

When we dig into the details of board games beneath ground level, we often talk about mechanisms and theme.  Mechanisms to a board game are kind of like the rules of grammar to a book; they are tools to help a designer (or author) connect with the end user to create an experience.  Authors attempt to create emotional connections or communicate ideas, game designers try to create enjoyable game play, but the tools do not inherently create great end products.

Theme in a board game equivocates to the setting of a book; time, place, context for the activity that is going on.  In a book, setting is usually pretty important to the story, although we've all seen remakes, fan-fictions, and retellings that change the setting of a story.  Theme in a game gives context to a players actions; in some cases, theme is central to a game experience.  In others, it simply facilitates the connection between the mechanisms that make up the game.

But there certainly more levels that we can dig into.  Something we haven't really talked about before is genre.  In books, genres are very closely related with settings; science fiction, drama, romance, historical - these all imply a sense of location, at least on the surface.  However, the genre simply defines certain characteristics of a book and sets up expectations for the reader.  What kind of book is this going to be? In the same way, board game genres define certain characteristics of the game, characteristics that are not necessarily tied to the theme directly, nor are they tied directly to mechanisms.  Yet the three can be somewhat intertwined.

So the genre I"m going to talk about today is the "4X" genre, one of my favorites.  This genre is not a set of mechanisms, and it is not directly related to a specific theme (although many 4X games are set in space).  It is simple a set of expectations and characteristics of a certain type of game.  What type of game is that? Well, read on to find out.

The Sum of Glory (A Review of Twilight Imperium 3rd Edition)

"I feel as if the galaxy is waking. As if an ancient beast stirs from slumber in a dark cave.  The day will soon come when a new empire will rise. For the sake of all, may the new emperor not only have the power to seize the throne, but the strength to conquer the peace. If not, I fear that a sea of desolation will drown us all."

These dramatic words conclude the ancient tale behind the universe of Twilight Imperium and prepare players to launch into their own epic tale. Thousands of years of darkness and chaos followed the fall of the once great Lazax, the ruling race of an ancient galactic empire that has been all but completely lost. Now, alien races who have stayed hidden and patient as they licked their wounds and repaired their own worlds are starting to expand. Some of these races were once part of the great empire, others have only recently made themselves known, but it doesn't matter where they come from. It only matters where they're going; to Mecatol Rex, the center of the ancient empire, the home to the galactic council, and the seat of power in the galaxy.  

Will anyone be strong enough to take charge, rebuild the empire, and rule the galaxy?

[Ed. Note: Some photos contained in this review show elements of expansions to the core game of Twilight Imperium. Everything mentioned in the review, however, is only from the core game.]

The Suns Are On Fire (An Interview with Emil Larsen)

This boxcover, as well as all other art and components pictured
are not final and subject to change

If you're like me, few things sound better than setting aside a good chunk of time to explore the galaxy, expand your galactic empire, exploit the resources of dozens of planets, and exterminate your enemies in epic space combat between massive fleets of ships. With some fantastic entires in the genre of 4x space exploration - Twilight Imperium being one of my favorite games of all time, and the popular Eclipse attempting to bridge the divide between thematic gamers and eurogamers alike.

So the prospect of a new 4x sci-fi game is an intriguing one.  But is Burning Suns, a new game on Kickstarter, going to fill a gap in styles of 4x games, or is it just noise beneath the games we already have?  The task of creating a great 4x game, given the scale and complexity in the very nature of such games, is a daunting one.

I had a chance to "sit down" at least virtually with game designer Emil Larsen and talk about his new game.  Hit the interview after the break and visit the kickstarter page here and judge for yourself whether Burning Suns is worth backing.