For two decades, Twilight Imperium has defined the essence of epic in board games. Now, Fantasy Flight Games is proud to announce the next step in the game’s tremendous legacy: Twilight Imperium Fourth Edition, a game of galactic conquest in which three to six players take on the role of one of seventeen factions vying for galactic domination through military might, political maneuvering, and economic bargaining.

~ A Galaxy Divided ~

Players will attempt to score victory points by completing both public and secret objectives that will see each of their factions maneuvering ships around an expansive and diverse galaxy, trading goods and commodities for favors and promises, claiming planets for their resources and influence, and politically maneuvering their way to glory. The first faction to ten victory points wins the game, but this is easier said than done.

At the start of each game of Twilight Imperium, players begin by creating their own custom galaxy. Each player is dealt a “hand” of galaxy tiles and takes turns placing them one at a time around Mecatol Rex, the center of the galaxy, until three rings are created, with their respective home planets occupying the outermost ring. This creates a strategic element to the setup of Twilight Imperium and ensures that no two games will ever be the same.

At the start of every round, players will select one of eight strategy cards that both determine player order and give their owner a unique strategic action for that round. These may do anything from providing additional command tokens to allowing a player to control trade throughout the galaxy. After these roles are selected, players will take turns moving their fleets from system to system, claiming new planets for their empire, and engaging in warfare and trade with other factions. At the end of a turn, players gather in a grand council to pass new laws and agendas, changing the nature of the game in unpredictable ways.

Players then take turns performing actions, which can come in a number of ways. Primarily, they will be moving fleets throughout the galaxy using a limited supply of command tokens. Moving ships into an unoccupied system allows your transported infantry units to claim planets, which provide valuable resources and influence. If the system is occupied by another player, a battle will occur that will end in either utter destruction or retreat for one side. Instead of moving fleets, players may also use the actions provided by their strategy cards.

Every strategy card not only provides a primary ability for its owner, but a secondary ability for every other player, keeping them engaged even when it’s not their turn. For example, the Leadership strategy card allows its owner to gain three command tokens, and then spend any amount of influence to gain an additional token for every three influence spent. Other players will also get the opportunity to spend influence to gain command tokens as well, improving their ability to move ships throughout the galaxy, build larger fleets, or activate other powerful secondary actions of their opponents’ yet unused strategy cards. While they miss out on the three “free” tokens provided with the primary ability of the Leadership strategy card, your opponents can still reap a benefit while holding on to their own powerful strategy cards. The careful timing of these cards is integral to the strategic and measured play of Twilight Imperium.

After every player has passed their turn, players move up the victory track by checking to see if they have completed any objectives throughout the turn and scoring them. Objectives are determined by setting up ten public objective cards at the start of each game, then gradually revealing them with every round. Every player also chooses between two random secret objectives at the start of the game, providing victory points only achievable by the holder of that objective. These objectives can be anything from researching new technologies to taking your neighbor’s home system. At the end of every turn, a player can claim one public objective and one secret objective. As play continues, more of these objectives will be revealed and more secret objectives will be dealt out, giving players dynamically changing goals throughout the game. Play continues until a player reaches ten victory points.

Finally, if a player has taken control of the Mecatol Rex system at the center of the galaxy, the agenda phase begins. This phase sees players revealing the top card of the agenda deck and voting on it. These agendas can be anything from electing a player to receive a victory point to restricting the use of powerful War Suns. Players use the influence values on their planets to vote, but must weigh how much they wish to use very carefully. After the first agenda card is voted on, the process begins again with a second card and a second vote, and players who used all their influence on the first vote may not have a say in an important galactic decision.

~ Choose Your Path ~

For twenty years, the custom space operas created by Twilight Imperium have thrilled gamers like nothing else. Now, Twilight Imperium Fourth Edition builds on the grand space opera found in previous editions while streamlining rules and putting player interaction center stage. Twilight Imperium Fourth Edition aims to be the most complete version of the game ever printed. Seventeen playable races are included in the game, offering a wide variety of starting faction options. Twilight Imperium Fourth Edition brings a galactic space opera to players’ tables, and no two games will ever be the same.