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Imperial

Game ID: GID0166494
Collection Status
Description

From the rulebook:

Europe in the age of imperialism. International investors try to achieve the greatest influence in Europe. With their bonds, they control the politics of the six imperial nations: Austria-Hungary, Italy, France, Great Britain, the German Empire, and Russia. The nations erect factories, build fleets, and deploy armies. The investors watch as their nations expand, wage wars, levy taxes, and collect the proceeds. Since the European nations are under the shifting influence of different investors, new strategic alliances and conflicts arise between them again and again!

Each player represents an international investor. Only he who succeeds in increasing his capital and gaining influence in the most powerful European nations will win the imperial competition.

Imperial is a varied strategy game without the luck of dice or cards. Two to six players, from about twelve years and up, take on the role of imperial investors. The duration of the game is about two to three hours.

Year Published
2006
Transcript Analysis
Browse transcript mentions, sentiments, pros/cons, mechanics, topics, quotes, and references.
Total mentions: 3
This page: 3
Sentiment: pos 2 · mix 1 · neu 0 · neg 0
Mentions per page
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Showing 1–3 of 3
Video K7GhXiN9sis OFPG Voices general_discussion at 33:52 sentiment: positive
video_pk 9125 · mention_pk 26903
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Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
  • strong tension and cat-and-mouse play
  • dynamic player interaction
Cons
  • can be confrontational and lengthy
Thematic elements
  • blunting opponent strategies via direct interaction
  • Strategic empire-building and conflict
  • grand strategic
Comparison games
  • Downforce
  • Katan
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
  • take that — Directly affect opponents by disrupting their resources or plans.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
  • "top 23 board game terms that we mentioned quite a bit"
  • "we want to ramp up quicker"
  • "we're going to pick out the top 20 is where we started but then we said well it's 2023 so we're going to give you the top 23 board game terms"
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video DoORzQlrc70 Unknown Channel playthrough at 0:00 sentiment: mixed
video_pk 4888 · mention_pk 14538
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Click to watch at 0:00
Overall sentiment (raw)
mixed
Pros
  • Deep, multi-layered economic strategy with bonds, taxation, and investment
  • Dynamic alliances and shifting control add drama and negotiation opportunities
  • Solid teachable moment for players new to euro-style economic warfare
Cons
  • Rule-heavy and text-dense; learning curve may deter casual players
  • Tracking multiple tracks (power points, tax, bonds, treasury) is challenging in a live game
  • Long playtime can tax player attention over the course of a session
Thematic elements
  • Economic leverage, imperial influence, and resource control through bonds and taxation
  • Late 19th to early 20th century European imperial power balance among six nations
  • explanation-driven playthrough with live teaching notes
Comparison games
  • Settlers of Catan
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
  • Battles and region control — Land and naval battles resolve by majority control and unit elimination, with neutral regions and flags influencing control.
  • Bond market and treasury management — Purchasing bonds, paying interest, tracking coupon payments, and calculating final scores based on bond-derived income.
  • Destruction of factories — Three units can destroy a factory, removing it and restricting that province's entry until recovered.
  • Factories and production — Factories produce ships, fleets, artillery, and armies; production requires money; hostile units restrict production.
  • Imports and mobility — Units can be imported for a fee, placed in home provinces, and moved via ships/convoys with sea routes.
  • Investment and investor card — The investor card triggers bond purchases, interest payouts, and Swiss bank accounting, and can be transferred.
  • Neutral territories and flags — Neutral regions can be claimed using flags; ownership influences taxation and production options.
  • Rondelle movement — A clockwise rondelle action track controls order and movement, with extra moves purchasable via cash.
  • Taxation and power points — Tax actions move markers on the tax track and generate power points, with dividends paid from treasury.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
  • you can't build a factory if there's a hostile unit in that space
  • it's six treasuries for each Nation, these are the bonds you could buy
  • the rondelle moves clockwise around each Country
  • you'll calculate your victory points by your credit which is the value of bonds that you hold
  • the investors action is three stages; the second and third phase activate when you go through it
  • the alliances will shift; you might relinquish control of a country when it tanks
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video -64Q9lXpAB0 Unknown top_100_list at 7:42 sentiment: positive
video_pk 1162 · mention_pk 3358
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Click to watch at 7:42
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
  • Original concept and deep strategic depth
Cons
  • Complexity can be a barrier for some players
Thematic elements
  • International investments and geopolitical maneuvering
  • Global economic and political influence with a war/industrial expansion theme
  • Strategic empire-building and influence
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
  • economic_engine — Engine-building style mechanics to maximize profits.
  • investment_and_influence — Investing in countries to influence political and military outcomes.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
  • beast of a game on the table
  • epic game
  • massive box
  • one of those awesome massive games that we really do enjoy
  • it's tense it's a fantastic experience
  • one of the best times for larger groups
  • it's one of the most famous cooperative games there is
  • we urge you to play Pandemic
  • one of the best rondell games that you can play today
  • we love Dixit everybody that sticks it you should love it too
  • it's a fantastic game we've had so many laughs with Cosmic Encounter
  • one of mcgirt's best games and one of his most original games and that is Imperial
  • it's a wonderful game
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Transcript Navigation
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