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.

The Legends Have Returned! (A Review of Legends of Andor)

"We demand to be taken se..." okay I"m done

"The King's ambassadors can hardly believe their eyes. Prince Thorald has finally returned and has managed to gather the bravest heroes in all of Andor."

So begins your first legend in the cooperative fantasy adventure epic game that is Legends of Andor. Your quests will take you far across the countryside, into territories unknown and mysterious realms, bringing you face-to-face with monsters, mystics, and treasure, all in the hopes that you will succeed and go down in history as one of the Legends... of Andor.  

Your quest begins here.

One Ring to Rule Them All...

This is where it all starts.

I recently got a chance to play the recently released second edition of War of the Ring. While this is not a review—I'd hate to base my opinions of a game on a single play, especially a game as epic as this—I thought I'd share a little on what went down. If you're a Lord of the Rings fan, if you're interested in the game but not sure if it's worth your money, or if you know you will never be able to fit this into your gaming budget (whether of time or money), read on, friend! Allow me to share the wonder with you.