Space Empires 4X is a
4X science fiction
Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel unive ...
board 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 ...
developed by Jim Krohn and published by
GMT Games
GMT Games is a California-based wargaming publisher founded in 1990. The company has become well known for graphically attractive games that range from "monster games", of many maps and counters, to quite simple games suitable for introducing new ...
in 2011. It has received two expansions: Close Encounters (2012) and Replicators (2018), with a third one, All Good Things, in development.
Gameplay
In Space Empires 4X, up to 4 players engage in space exploration, colonization and combat, while developing technologies to design new ships or improve their existing ones. The game is played on a hexagonal map of space, and ships are represented by cardboard chits. The size of the map, victory conditions, and starting resources depend on the number of players and on the scenario players choose at game start. In addition to seven scenarios for two players and scenarios for bigger groups, there are four single-player scenarios with two distinct opponent factions. Multiplayer scenarios can optionally be played in teams. Outside of these teams, there is no in-game cooperation or trade between players, ships and fleets of players who don't belong to the same team will fight whenever there is an encounter. Combat is resolved with dice rolling. As it is a wargame, almost all technologies are focused on improving the combat abilities of their ships, often in the form of modifiers to the dice rolls. The game includes the
fog-of-war mechanic, as players usually cannot know the precise information about the forces of their opponents.
Reception
Cody Carlson, reviewing the game in 2013 for ''
Deseret News
The ''Deseret News'' () is the oldest continuously operating publication in the American west. Its multi-platform products feature journalism and commentary across the fields of politics, culture, family life, faith, sports, and entertainment. Th ...
,'' concluded that the game deserves a spot in his Top 5 list.
Simon Kriese, reviewing from ''Spieletest'', was also complimentary to the game, praising its strategy, simple rules, engagement, and solo variants, but criticised the component quality. The game has also been consistently ranked in around top 50 board games at ''
BoardGameGeek
BoardGameGeek (BGG) is an online forum for board gaming hobbyists and a game database that holds reviews, images and videos for over 125,600 different tabletop games, including European-style board games, wargames, and card games. In addition ...
''. It was also a nominee for the 2011
Golden Geek
Game of the Year (abbreviated GotY) is a title awarded by various magazines, websites, and shows to a deserving game. Many publications award a single "Game of the Year" to a single title that they feel represents the pinnacle of gaming achievemen ...
Best Wargame award, and the winner of the
Charles S. Roberts Best Science-Fiction or Fantasy Board Wargame award.
See also
* ''
Galac-Tac
''Galac-Tac'' is a closed-end, science fiction, play-by-mail (PBM) wargame. It was first published by Phoenix Publications in 1982. By 1990, the publisher had changed its name to Delta Games, and then later to Talisman Games. In 2010, Talisman G ...
''
* ''
Starweb''
References
External links
* {{Bgg title, id=84419, name=Space Empires 4X
4X games
Board games introduced in 2011
Board wargames with artwork by Rodger B. MacGowan
Science fiction board wargames
Wargames introduced in the 2010s
Space conquest board games
Territorial acquisition and development games