Fantasy Flight GamesTwilight Imperium 4th Edition Board Game Prophecy of Kings Expansion - Sci-Fi Strategy Game, Adventure Game for Kids & Adults, Ages 14+, 3-8 Players, 4-8 Hour Playtime, Made

This is an expansion for Twilight Imperium 4. This is not a stand alone game. If you don't know what TI4 is, go look that game up to see if you would enjoy this incredibly immersive, entertaining, and long game. But if you already own TI4 base game, just buy Prophecy of Kings already. It is worth it. It fixes so many of the gripes our group had about the base game (tech, resource availablity, agendas). It just opens the game up to be exactly what it needs to be. Just buy POK if you have base game. You will never look back. The rules are very very easy to learn if you already learned the beast that is base game. Almost everything new is intuitive.

I bought the base game in September 2021, and the expansion the following month. I didn't incorporate the expansion into my games at first; then I included parts of it (such as the additional technology cards). Finally, I went all-in and played with all features of the expansion. (And yes, I know the expansion was designed as an all-in package, rather than a modular one.) So, I estimate I played 4-5 games with nothing but base game rules, another 3-4 games with parts of the expansion added, and then at least a dozen games since then with all features of the expansion added (through mid-January 2022).I write the above so that you can gauge to what extent I am familiar with the base game and the expansion.The expansion is a great addition to a fabulous game. I'm very happy with my purchase. The expansion adds a component largely missing from the base game: the eXploration component of 4X gaming (i.e., eXplore, eXpand, eXploit, eXterminate). But that's not all. The addition of relic fragments and relics adds a "treasure hunting" component. The ability to enhance the production or influence (or both) of a planet via the exploration component is a great add-on. The new "Alliance" promissory note adds another welcome feature to diplomacy. (This note allows you to share a designated ability with another player.) Then you have the new "Leaders" component. This component takes each faction, which already is distinct, to another level by giving you three unique leaders (an agent – once-per-turn ability that even can be given to another player; a commander – a passive, always-on ability that must be unlocked by meeting a certain condition; and a hero – a powerful, once-per-game ability that also must be unlocked). And there is a new playing piece, the mech – a new ground force that can sustain damage and usually hits on a 6 or better.I'm sure I missed something above, but all of the above add-ons really improve on and expand what is already a wonderful game. I've played the expansion with 2, 3, and 4 players so far (the 2-player version is a variant) – mostly with 2 players against my wife. Until playing the game of Eclipse (another favorite) and Twilight Imperium, my wife really didn't like games with a combat component. (Scythe was probably the furthest she had gone, and that game's combat element is not particularly bold compared to other games.) But she quickly became a pro after I eased her into it and showed her effective moves to make at various points in the game. I also helped her be OK with losing, which happened at first for her – but not for long! (She's very goal and objective-oriented, which is a good personality trait for an objective-based game like this one.) Now we're playing it every weekend, sometimes even twice if I lose the first one. (And she is actually winning over 75% of the time!) I realize that this game is designed for and best at six or more players, but the fact that my wife and I can have a blast even at 2 players says a lot about the design and enjoyability of this game. (By the way, our last game took 3.5 hours, so a positive element of a 2-player game is that it takes the least amount of time of all player counts available.) If you want a great random map generator for games with 2 or more players, you can find them online.On the negative side, I will say that it can be hard to keep track of all of your abilities and actions available to you, especially with the expansion. We regularly forget to use our agent during a game round, or to take advantage of an action card when a particular timing window opens. There is a lot to keep track of in this game, even before the expansion came out. But we get better about that downside every game, being more "present" and mindful of what's in our hand and what's out on the table.Speaking of tables, we use a 4.5' x 4.5' table, and I would encourage you to find the biggest table you can (even put two tables together), because you'll need the space even more so than with the base game. We also use a 3' x 3' game mat I bought on Amazon, which has hexes printed on the mat and even shows where home systems go for 3, 4, 5, and 6-player games. (There is a larger mat available for 7 and 8-player games, but I doubt we're ever going to have a game with that many players.)If you're already invested in the base game, adding the expansion is not going to add a lot of complexity. The rules for the new components are all of two pages long.There are more things to keep track of, but you're already used to that with the base game. Having more to keep track of is challenging, but you can get better at it over time, as my wife and I are doing. But if you don't like the base game for some reason, I don't think adding the expansion is going to change your opinion much.In conclusion, I strongly recommend the expansion if you particularly like the base game. The additions are a nice touch and take a great game to another level. (And I'm still working on lowering my wife's win percentage!)

I am confused why anyone that loves TI would want to play without this wonderful expansion. It makes the game feel more complete and not a new feature seems superfluous!

Twilight Imperium is perhaps the greatest board game of its scope and style, and one of my favorite games. An amazing variety of player factions are available, each with their own special abilities and unique additions to the "tech tree" of the game. Each race brings something unique to the table, allowing dramatically different strategies without requiring you to re-learn the game every time you pick up a new player race.Play of the game revolves around actions. Players have tokens which they allocate and spend in order to field large fleets, respond to other players' actions, and take actions of their own. They also take turns drafting special Strategy cards which determine turn order and allow them to perform special actions (like researching technology or replenishing their tokens.) There is a lot of complexity to the game, but most of that complexity lies in the interactions between rules, not the rules themselves. In other words, there are a lot of moving pieces, but they don't all move at once, and the ways they move are deceptively simple - mastery of the game lies in working with your goals, and engaging in diplomacy. Reading your fellow players and negotiating with them is key to success.The only significant drawback to the game is that it can take a long time to complete, particularly when your players are still learning. The game is worth it, but if you're not sure that you and your friends want to spend an entire evening playing the game, trying a shorter game like Scythe would probably be a good idea.

Twilight Imperium is my favorite board game and the Prophecy of Kings Expansion makes it even better.Now planets can be explored when first landing on them, granting you one time or permanent effects non-planet syste can also be explored once the corresponding technology has been researched.The leader system introduces new mechanics as well, from an always on effect to a once per game effect of the so called hero unit.The Expansion adds 7 new species, each with their individual strenths and weaknesses to the game increasing the number of species available to 24 in total. So even with 8 players at the table you could play three games without seeing the same species twice.If you have played less complex less timeconsuming games so far but you are generally into board games give Ti4 a try. The Learn to play rules in the base game make it rather easy to get your first round going and once you get the hang of it, I dare say it is rather addictive.