''Empires in Arms'' is an out-of-print
board game
Board games are tabletop games that typically use . These pieces are moved or placed on a pre-marked board (playing surface) and often include elements of table, card, role-playing, and miniatures games as well.
Many board games feature a co ...
by
Harry Rowland, published by the
Australian Design Group in
1983
The year 1983 saw both the official beginning of the Internet and the first mobile cellular telephone call.
Events January
* January 1 – The migration of the ARPANET to TCP/IP is officially completed (this is considered to be the beginning ...
. It was licensed to the
Avalon Hill
Avalon Hill Games Inc. is a game company that publishes wargames and strategic board games. It has also published miniature wargaming rules, role-playing games and sports simulations. It is a subsidiary of Hasbro, and operates under the company ...
Game Company (now a subsidiary of
Hasbro Inc.) in
1985
The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations.
Events January
* January 1
** The Internet's Domain Name System is created.
** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a ...
.
A computer version of the game was released by Matrix Games in late 2007.
Gameplay
''Empires in Arms'' is a "
grand strategy
Grand strategy or high strategy is a state's strategy of how means can be used to advance and achieve national interests. Issues of grand strategy typically include the choice of primary versus secondary theaters in war, distribution of resource ...
"
wargame
A wargame is a strategy game in which two or more players command opposing armed forces in a realistic simulation of an armed conflict. Wargaming may be played for recreation, to train military officers in the art of strategic thinking, or to s ...
, focusing on warfare in the
Napoleonic era
The Napoleonic era is a period in the history of France and Europe. It is generally classified as including the fourth and final stage of the French Revolution, the first being the National Assembly, the second being the Legislativ ...
of 1805–1815. Up to seven players can participate, each assuming control of a
Great Power
A great power is a sovereign state that is recognized as having the ability and expertise to exert its influence on a global scale. Great powers characteristically possess military and economic strength, as well as diplomatic and soft power in ...
(France, Great Britain, Russia, Austria, Prussia, Spain and Turkey). Variants have been developed that cover other time periods and allow for additional players by elevating a neutral country to a playable power.
Although classified as a war game, the object of the game is to achieve international prestige (measured by "victory points," as described below). Although successful military campaigns contribute to a player's prestige, there are other ways of gaining prestige, such as creating diplomatic alliances and improving the country's internal economy. A shrewd player can win the game without ever declaring war.
Victory is achieved by a given player when that player accrues a particular number of victory points. The number of victory points required is determined at the start of the game, when each player bids a certain number of victory points for each country. The player that bids the most for a given country plays that country. As a result, although not all seven countries are of equal strength, the weaker countries have a competitive advantage if the players bid a sufficiently low number of victory points for them.
Each power has a unique mix of economic and military power. Additionally the properties of the available forces and generals vary widely. Although Great Britain's regular infantry have high morale, France in general possesses the largest and highest-quality military.
The full game lasts 132 turns, one turn for each month, playing time can be 200–250 hours or more. Each month is split into four (sometimes five) phases:
* The Diplomatic phase where players negotiate deals, forge alliances etc.
* The Reinforcement phase where each player in sequence adds previously purchased reinforcements.
* The Naval phase where each player conducts naval moves in sequence.
* The Land phase where each player moves and fights with his armies in sequence.
* An Economic phase every three months, where players collect resources, purchase reinforcements, and earn victory points.
Winning the game is done through earning victory points. These are scored in the economic phase and are based on each nation's political status. The political status of a nation is influenced by a number of factors, but mainly by winning or losing wars and battles. Battles are won by a combination of generals available, the quality of the troops in the armies and a battlefield strategy selected prior to the battle. Troops are divided into elite
guards, cavalry, infantry, artillery, militia and
feudal troops.
The troops have different abilities but differ mainly in their morale. Most battles are won by reducing the opponents morale to zero rather than by destroying all factors in the army. With few exceptions, wars can only be won through a surrender and the appropriate time and conditions of a surrender is one of the key elements of the game.
Reception
''Empires in Arms'' was chosen for inclusion in the 2007 book ''
Hobby Games: The 100 Best''.
Alessio Cavatore commented "Anyone who knows the game ''Empires in Arms'' (''EiA'') would agree that it is a monster. It is one of the longest, most complicated, and most demanding board games that has ever been produced. It's certainly the longest I've ever played, and I've played quite a few. However, ''EiA'' has also been the most exciting, engrossing, and rewarding board-gaming experience of my life."
''
Games'' included ''Empires in Arms'' in its top 100 games of 1986, calling it a "vivid game of the Napoleonic Wars. While land and sea conflicts are important, diplomacy and economic decisions play crucial roles too."
It was nominated for the
Charles S. Roberts Award ''Best Professional Game of the Year'' at
Origins
Origin(s) or The Origin may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
Comics and manga
* ''Origin'' (comics), a Wolverine comic book mini-series published by Marvel Comics in 2002
* ''The Origin'' (Buffy comic), a 1999 ''Buffy the Vampire Sl ...
'84.
Video game
A video game adaptation for
Windows
Windows is a group of several proprietary graphical operating system families developed and marketed by Microsoft. Each family caters to a certain sector of the computing industry. For example, Windows NT for consumers, Windows Server for ser ...
titled, ''Empires in Arms: The Napoleonic Wars of 1805–1815'', was released in 2007 by
Matrix Games
Matrix Games is a publisher of PC games, specifically strategy games and wargames. It is based in Ohio, US, and Surrey, UK.
Their focus is primarily but not exclusively on wargames and turn-based strategy. The product line-up also includes spa ...
. ''
Armchair General'' reviewed the game and called the game "an easy recommendation for veterans of the boardgame and those who want to learn".
References
External links
''Empires in Arms'' can be played via email, some websites supporting email play are :
* http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/empires-in-arms/
This Yahoo! Group is about changing the original boardgame and playing different scenarios:
* http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/eih/
Matrix Games website*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Empires In Arms
Australian Design Group games
Avalon Hill games
Board games introduced in 1986
Grand strategy board games
Napoleonic Wars board wargames
World conquest board games