Game Info
Year
2022
Players
2-5
Age
14+
Playtime
45 min
Collection
Your Tier
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Description
"The time of small nations is past, the time of empires begins." — Chamberlain
What if all of world history had unfolded differently?
What if the great empires of our history had never come into being?
What if other forgotten civilizations had passed into posterity in their place?
The defeated could have been the victors, and the colonizers could have been the colonized — after all, empires are won and lost on a roll of the dice!
In First Empires, each player takes control of the fate of an ancient nation through a player board, meeples, and cards. The game lasts a number of rounds depending on the player count, and on a turn you roll dice based on how you've developed your empire board. The six sides of the dice correspond to the five abilities on your board. To expand to new territories or invade opponents, you need to unlock movement ability; to annex a territory, you have to outnumber the current occupant or have a "sword" result on the dice, with the inhabitants then fleeing elsewhere. The dice also allow you develop your player board by using the die face that corresponds to the improvement and controlling an associated territory. You can gain more dice and additional re-rolls, while also unlocking achievement cards.
At game's end, you earn points based on played achievement cards, points unlocked on your personal board, and the sum of cities under your control.
Featured Videos
Rules Teach
First Empires - How to Play
Ask a Rules Question
Images
GID0127908.jpg
GID0127908_thumb.jpg
All mentions
Browse transcript mentions, sentiments, pros/cons, mechanics, topics, quotes, and references.
Total mentions: 8
This page: 8
Sentiment:
pos 6 ·
mix 1 ·
neu 0 ·
neg 0
Showing 1–8 of 8
Video s8DDOE3V8XY
Getting Games Discussion at 17:22
video_pk 89894 · mention_pk 239465
Click to watch at 17:22 · YouTube ↗
Pros
none
Cons
none
Thematic elements
- civilization development
- ancient civilizations
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- dice chucking — dice determine development, expansion, and combat outcomes
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- it looks like this is a 60 to 120 minute game
- the balance between workers (which are warriors) and resources (which are livestock) are two sides of the same coin
- the more of uh one thing that you do the less of the other thing
- this is the next game coming out from delicious games
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video eGiCAWug1cs
Rolling Dice & Taking Names Discussion at 1:44:02 sentiment: positive
video_pk 89698 · mention_pk 238648
Click to watch at 1:44:02 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
Positive
Pros
- Quick setup and playtime (45-60 minutes)
- Excellent box insert and component management
- Enjoyable tech tree progression
- Light area control with strategic depth
- Variable empires enhance replayability
Cons
- Dice luck can be frustrating
- Best with 4 players; feels less engaging with 3
- Requires players to understand tech tree value to avoid frustration
Thematic elements
- Area control with factions and tech trees
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Area Control — Players aim to control areas on the board by having more meeples than opponents.
- card drafting/management — Objective cards can be used for scoring or transformed into special abilities.
- Dice Rolling — Dice are rolled to determine actions and movement, with resolution tied to area colors.
- Tech Trees — Players advance on various tech trees that impact their abilities, such as number of meeples, movement range, or re-rolls.
- Variable player powers — Each faction/empire has a different starting setup and potentially different benefits from tech trees.
- Victory Points — Points are scored through controlling areas, advancing on tech trees, and completing objective cards.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- The questions were so hilarious in the d i mean it was it was just i don't know i don't want to give any spoilers away but some of them were laugh out loud funny because of the of the answers that guy would give
- I absolutely love this game
- My body is made for something different
- It's an amazing game
- The battles i think are absolute genius i love the battle mechanic
- Decorum is a cooperative hidden information game where you and your housemate share the same objective decorate your home in a way that makes you all happy The problem is different things make each of you happy and nobody says exactly what they need Can you find a happy compromise or is it time to move out
- A game of passive aggressive cohabitation
- The insert of this is really really nicely done
- it's a very light game it's a very light area control game but i really love games with tech trees and i enjoyed rolling the dice and re-rolling and trying to take over what's nice
- you're a winner because you purchased this game and you bought it and you played it together
- it's not very heavy by any means sometimes the dice can mess you up
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video -dvPHdQke7g
Meeple University Top 10 List at 5:47 sentiment: positive
video_pk 89073 · mention_pk 236011
Click to watch at 5:47 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Good introduction to civilization games
- Simplified mechanics
- Tactical area control
Cons
none
Thematic elements
- Civilization
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Area Control — Players engage in tactical area control.
- civilization building — A light civilization game with tactical area control.
- Dice Rolling — The game incorporates dice rolls for certain actions.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- there were a number of different ways to engine build and work towards you know you could get lots of large workers so you had lots of choice of actions or you could get lots of incomes but it ended up being a really tight battle on that tile placement the Army Warrior placement board
- it's the type of Cooperative that no Alpha player can take control
- the way you draft them here you've got so many things to think about
- it's a brilliant release
- this is the best real-time game there is because there's very few rules and that means you don't have to stop and ask each other the rules all the time
- it's highly interactive you look at other opponents what they are close to you can also steal one of their
- this is actually going to sound like quite an understated review because there's nothing there's not much new here this is a five action Euro it's got a map it's got a um you know it's got a track it's got all the sorts of things said collection nothing really new
- the dice drafting you mentioned before each die that you take it's going to have a color which tells you how many resources which tells you what resource you get it's going to have a number which tells you how many of that resource you'll get and it dictates what action the dye is connected to and the action points you'll get is equal to 7 minus the number on the die
- the map is really tight once people have built in locations it really blocks others out and that's a lot it's a lot tighter than I'm used to seeing these days on Euro map boards and it was what made it stand out
- what I like about this is that it's combo your egg combo your actions of other players back of cards
- you've always dropped like the risk yeah you've always got the risk if you're just waiting for that one little extra thing to come into someone's hand you've got that risk that they all get
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video PyPuYAK0wSs
BoardGameCo Unboxing at 10:21 sentiment: mixed
video_pk 80334 · mention_pk 195402
Click to watch at 10:21 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
mixed
Pros
- The Board Game Arena version seems fun.
- The host intends to play the physical copy.
Cons
- The host is only three turns into a game on BGA and hasn't locked in their understanding yet.
- Explaining the game is difficult due to limited playtime.
Thematic elements
- Dinosaurs
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Resource Management — Cashing in dinosaurs involves a trade-off, potentially losing ongoing effects.
- Set Collection — Gathering various dinosaurs for one-time or ongoing effects.
- Tableau Building — Players build a tableau by gathering dinosaurs for effects.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- This is uh probably my favorite from the three new All Play games.
- Kabuto Sumo Dice is basically Strike with the Kabuto Sumo theme.
- it was quick, it was snappy, it was a fun game of just chucking dice and then trying to be the one who wins.
- It's not going to win any awards for highest deepest strategy, but if you've played games like that like Strike, then you'll enjoy and appreciate the general chaotic and craziness of it.
- Bunny Kingdom Town is a two-player version of Bunny Kingdom which my kids are currently obsessed with and so I am very happy to have this.
- it doesn't feel like it's a Bunny Kingdom game. So, for better for worse, I don't know if it's going to feel like a Bunny Kingdom game.
- Sometimes a two-player game can be really really good. Other times it's just a way of selling another version of a game you already own. That might be this, and um it worked.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video 2CSx3j8bKeI
Meeple University Rules Teach at 0:20 sentiment: positive
video_pk 64828 · mention_pk 158385
Click to watch at 0:20 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Light dice rolling civilization building game
- Engaging movement and conquest phase
- Multiple paths to scoring points (track advancement, objective cards, city capture)
Cons
none
Thematic elements
- civilization building
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Area Control — Players move explorers to occupy or conquer territories on the board.
- Dice Rolling — Players roll dice and can re-roll them to obtain desired symbols for movement and advancement.
- Hand Management — Players manage a hand of achievement cards which can be used to influence dice rolls or score points.
- Set Collection — Collecting cities and completing achievement cards are ways to score points.
- Track Advancement — Players advance markers on various civilization tracks, unlocking benefits and scoring opportunities.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- first empires is a light dice rolling civilization building type of game for two to five players
- The player who earns the most points over seven or eight rounds of play depending on your play account will have the best empire and win the game
- the first step is rolling dice where you will roll and then optionally re-roll dice trying to get the symbols you want
- second is the movement and conquest phase where you can move your explorers around the board trying to occupy or possibly conquer territories that again show the same symbols that you've been trying to roll
- and third is the advancement phase and here anywhere you've rolled a symbol which matches a region you control you can advance on that step of your civilization
- there are only three ways to score points in first empires firstly by advancing on the tracks scoring the points where your cube ends up
- second by completing the objectives on achievement cards from hand scoring the points as shown
- and thirdly by capturing your opponent's cities while defending your own
- if you can defend this city until the end of the game then you'll score the points underneath it otherwise the conqueror will take the points
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video 1BDSf3Ootm8
OFPG Voices Discussion at 29:40 sentiment: positive
video_pk 11731 · mention_pk 34410
Click to watch at 29:40 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Vivid artwork and colorful components
- Appeals to heavier strategy players
Cons
- Potentially dense for casual players
Thematic elements
- Majority-rule territorial influence
- Empire-building with majority control
- Competitive, strategic
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Area Control — Push for majority through territory influence
- Majority/area control — Push for majority through territory influence
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- wear your best mask it up bring your mask we want to be healthy we want you to be healthy
- Phase 10 is sold in 30 plus countries
- Roll for It it's easy to teach, it's a card game
- Enchanted Plumes give it a try
- we are going to be massed up yes we going to be masked the entire time
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video 74SacIKG1xc
Our Family Plays Games Discussion at 57:48 sentiment: positive
video_pk 11470 · mention_pk 33754
Click to watch at 57:48 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- tight Euro with clear strategy
- compact footprint for the depth
Cons
- theme not strongly expressed
- rules can be dense
Thematic elements
- area majority and corporate expansion
- industrial era / empire-building
- thematic but abstract
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Area Majority — control zones to gain points and influence
- Engine-building / worker placement — build a company and deploy workers
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- it's not cohesive at all
- we're going to rate our games on a scale of one to ten
- OFPG endorsement for the top picks
- don't sleep on Acropolis
- you can carry Cat in the Box easily
- we love you bye now
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video JVbvnVavYmE
Our Family Plays Games Discussion at 33:04 sentiment: positive
video_pk 10023 · mention_pk 29528
Click to watch at 33:04 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- great components
- engaging area control
- varied factions
Cons
none
Thematic elements
- empire-building and conquest
- Fantasy world with factions vying for control
- thematic, competitive
Comparison games
- Quadropolis
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Area Control — control territories on a map
- Conflict resolution — resolve battles through dice and cards
- Dice-driven actions — dice determine actions and battles
- Unique faction powers — each faction has different powers
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- it's a fun game
- we love y'all
- the artwork is gorgeous
- the colors are beautiful
- it's a thinky
- it's more thinking than the others
- don't wake the dragon
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Transcript Navigation
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