Image taken from https://boardgamegeek.com/image/5623566/imperium-classics

Designers: Nigel Buckle, Dávid Turczi
Publisher: Osprey Games
Artist: Mihajlo Dimitrievski

A few things you need to know about me:

1) I am typically not a huge fan of deck builders, especially games that are exclusively deck builders.

2) I play quite a lot solo, and I’m don’t usually prefer complex solo bots. My favorite is a campaign type progression system or scenario-based games. Bots can be complicated and beat your own score can be dull.

3) I like a wide range of complexity, difficulty, and time lengths for solo games, but my max is usually 1.5-2 hours.

All of these are important because they indicate that I probably will not like Imperium, its system, its solo design, etc. But, against all odds, I actually really enjoy this game! It’s so weird; why do I like it so much? And not only that, but why do I like this game so much that I’ve played it for hours and hours and hours? The world may never know, but I’ll at least try to explain a little of what might be influencing my opinions.

First and most importantly, each civilization plays uniquely but the core mechanisms are the same from game to game. This means you don’t have to relearn rules each time you switch factions, but each has different thematic touches and changes that keep the game fresh and provide interesting and unique opportunities for strategic and tactical decisions. Also, the more you play one civilization, the more you learn its quirks and the more you realize if it’s an empire you enjoy playing or not. For example, I didn’t care for the Vikings on my first play, but I ended up playing with them three times; they’re actually quite fascinating and unique. As with any game, there are certainly ones I enjoy more than others, but there aren’t any that I seriously dislike. A few exist that I’d be fine not playing again, but there aren’t any I would refuse to play.

Secondly, getting the Horizons box with the bot help cards was a game changer. It’s so much easier to keep up with their turns using these cards! They take up less space, only pertain to that specific civilization, and provide all information in an organized fashion. I still liked the game before I had these, but these cards make life so much better. There is also a nice round summary on the back of the rulebook which I used each and every game to help me stay on track and organized.

Continually, the artwork in this game is absolutely phenomenal. Each card, character, civilization, etc. is unique and has their own historical and thematic artwork to make the game even better than it already is.

After playing at two but mostly solo, I definitely prefer this game solo. The husband didn’t love it, so it was easy to not play at two again, but I think this game shines solo. Also, don’t ever play a game with more than two people unless you’re ready to commit a lot of time and want to experience a slow game.

For me, this game truly defies all odds. It’s not something I should like but I adore it. I already have Legends and Horizons, and I look forward to exploring those as much as I have Classics.

I will say, I think Classics is the perfect place to start. It’s a smaller commitment than Horizons and it has good introductory civilizations to play.