How Twilight Imperium tells stories:
We are living in the golden age of board games. Well, we were before tariffs. If you thinks that board games are Monopoly, Risk, or Sorry, take a look around now because games can do such much.
Twilight Imperium 4th edition is a game I’ve played probably about 40 times. At first look, it seems like Risk. It’s dudes on a map. It’s about using spaceships to fight battles and take territory, right?
No.
If you spend a game of TI attacking people, you will probably lose. The game gives this framework: Three thousand years ago, the galactic empire collapsed from internal rebellion, the galaxy scorched and the various peoples retreated to their corners. Now, the stewards of the old galactic throne sent out a call to try and rebuild galactic civilization. Those stewards give missions, you the player get points for completing those missions. First to ten points wins.
Now, it is possible to win the game by eliminating the competition, but that would take so long that by the time you managed it, your opponents would win because there just isn’t enough time.
So you have to do these missions. Own four of this type of planet. Have certain number of technologies. Be near special systems. This is simple, but it creates an interesting dynamic.
In TI, war is expensive and potentially disastrous. Building a fleet and getting it somewhere useful takes a few turns in a game where you might only have eight turns. Players have to consider military action and weigh that against diplomacy. Sniping a system can be the difference between winning and losing, and better than losing everyone in an unnecessary battle. In Risk, you lose a bunch of men, oh well. There’s always more next turn. In TI, losing ships is devastating.
A standard conversation goes a little something like this:
Player 1, “I’m activating X system and sending this fleet.”
Player 2, “Really? Why are you coming at me? She has more points!”
Player 1: “Yeah but I need that victory point. Besides, you already scored it. I’ll leave it next turn, I promise.”
Most players understand such maneuvers, leading to a diplomatic ecosystem where people understand getting tapped, but that when you start swinging punches at them, they team up against you.
This is an excellent model for diplomacy between nations. And it’s pretty incredible that this is achieved despite everyone playing a psychotic alien conqueror. There are resources you need, but talking more exposes you. Having a friend to watch your back in vital.
TI builds natural stories simply by giving players the power to seize what they need at the time, but not hold it. Players take on rolls and for relationships with the nations around them, be they friendly, adversarial, or hostile. You won’t get a chance to take over the galaxy, but you will have a deep rivalries with your neighbors over small things. Its wars are memorable and the nation states frequently teeter on the knife edge between ruin and glory.
I love this model of diplomacy, where everyone wants the same things, but are willing to lose now for gain later. So often we are taught all or nothing. I need everything I want or I will lose. But this, trading, losing a little to gain more in another location to get the points. Flexible empires survive. Rigidity dies. I have never played a game that so perfectly told the stories of whole peoples so well.
Thanks for reading,
Michael
Michael Frutig 