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Eight-Minute Empire, by Ryan Laukat, is a quick game that implements the Civilization/Exploration theme using card-driven area control (by placing armies and cities in a small map) and set collection (by getting resources from the board and the cards). Players spread through the map in order to collect points at the end of the game by having majorities in regions and continents. All actions (such as land or sea movement, army production, or the founding of cities) are driven by cards that are face-up (six at a time) and available by increasing prices. Cards also contain resources, which also give points when the game ends if properly collected.
Its first version was available as print-and-play, and a regular (Kickstarter funded) version was published in 2013. An expansion featuring a European map is available as an expansion (Eight-Minute Empire: Europe Expansion Board), and a stand-alone sequel has also been published (Eight-Minute Empire: Legends).
From the publisher:
Build an empire and conquer the land in around eight minutes!
In Eight-Minute Empire, 2-5 players take turns selecting a card from six displayed. The card gives a good, and also has an action that the player takes immediately. Actions help players take over the map, but sets of goods are worth points at the end of the game, so players have to balance the two aspects.
Eight-Minute Empire is the super-quick area control game with tough decisions. It's easy to learn and perfect for when you only have a few minutes.
This page includes videos and mentions from the whole Eight-Minute Empire family. Drill into a specific game below.
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Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- on the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me an expansion for terraforming Mars its turmoil
- on the second day of Christmas my true love gave to me boobs in a bowl and an expansion for terraforming Mars colonies
- on the fourth day of Christmas my true love gave to me four our construction and an expansion for terraforming Mars Ellison Elysium
- on the sixth day of Christmas my true love gave to me four against three dragon ante and an expansion for terraforming Mars Prelude
- on the seventh day of Christmas my true love gave to me seven Wonders duel
- on the eighth day of Christmas my true love gave to me eight minute Empire seven wonders do
- on the tenth day of Christmas my true love gave to me four against three dragon ante and the original four promo cards with Sarah forming bars
- on the eleventh day of Christmas my true love gave to me eight minute and my seven wonders duel
- on the twelfth day of Christmas my true love gave to me eight minute and seven wonders do
- Merry Christmas
References (from this video)
- fast and accessible
- great for short sessions
- replayable
- not deeply educational by itself
- can feel repetitive
- area control and strategy
- Brief, strategic world conquest with quick rounds
- educational but fast-paced
- Memoir 44
- Imperial
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Area Control — claim regions with troops gained through card play
- Card-driven actions — cards determine actions and troop deployment
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- the objective of the game is to collect animal cards by making an attractive planet for them
- it's cooperative which is why I think this game can play well with younger players
- the Spill says it's for ages 10 and up I do think you could play it with younger players
- this is an excellent game if you want your children to memorize the dates of specific events
- Risk if Risk was designed to be educational basically what's happening
- it's called Memoir 44 and in Memoir 44 it is a two-player game
- I cannot recommend Twilight Struggle because it is just too complex
References (from this video)
- very fast to teach and play
- great intro to euros
- can feel shallow for some players
- light, fast, and accessible
- quick empire-building
- short sessions with quick results
- Herbaceous
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- dept you pick and conquer — rapid, streamline decisions to expand influence
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- probably the greatest party game of all time
- it's a betting racing game
- this is basically one huge massive rondell of a game
- I hate painted miniatures
References (from this video)
- Pure, compact civ-like gameplay
- Fast, half-hour sessions
- High replayability with modules and maps
- Not as deep as larger 4X games
- Can feel random with card draws
- Civilizational development and global conquest in compact play
- Civ-building on a micro-scale with quick turns
- Casual, accessible civilization-building with variety
- El Grande
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Area Control — move troops across regions for control
- area control / region movement — move troops across regions for control
- Card Drafting — draft cards to gain abilities or move troops
- Modular Board — different modules/abilities to vary gameplay
- modularity via modules — different modules/abilities to vary gameplay
- Set Collection — collect resources and use cards for special abilities
- set collection / resource management — collect resources and use cards for special abilities
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- the cards can actually become the terrain, you're creating the battlefield as you play
- it's organic, not like rigid and sterile landscape
- Splendor starts with everyone just silent, then the game escalates into intense negotiation
- you can play cards to become the terrain so you're building the battlefield as you go
- you can kind of bluff and read each other with the command and colors system
- it's a pure and accessible civ-like experience that scales well with人数
- the negotiation and hotel-dynamics in Lords of Vegas create a very social table
- Age of Steam-level purity with Steam's maps adds a refreshing clarity