Formidable adversaries are arrayed against you. Your people stand ready. History beckons.
In your hands lies the destiny of one of the most storied peoples of history. Under constant threat of attack, you must conquer new lands, oversee dramatic scientific and cultural advances, and lead your people into the era of empire. Expand too rapidly and unrest will bring your civilisation to its knees; build up too slowly, however, and you might find yourself a mere footnote of history. As one of fourteen radically asymmetric civilisations, you will compete to become the most dominant empire the world has ever seen.
Imperium: Horizons is a standalone game that contains the Abbasid, Aksumite, Cultist, Gupta, Inuit, Japanese, Magyar, Martian, Mayan, Polynesian, Sassanid, Taino, Tang, and Wagadou civilisations. Each makes for a unique and challenging opponent in both multiplayer and solo games.
Fully compatible with Imperium: Classics and Imperium: Legends for those wanting to expand their pool of civilisations even further, Imperium: Horizons also incorporates a new trade module that allows players to recreate all the intrigue, wealth generation, and dynamic politics of a thriving economy.
—description from the publisher
- very strong at two players; downtime is manageable with tight focus
- thematic depth and elegant card interactions
- highly regarded in the Imperium lineage for two players
- long turns and extended play times, especially with four or more
- limited table-talk due to deep internal planning
- cultural and technological evolution through card-driven actions
- civilization-building, from barbarian roots to civilization
- highly strategic and long-form; can feel solitaire-like
- Imperium (series)
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- deck-building / hand management — construct and optimize a civilization through a central marketplace and development deck
- development deck progression — draw and develop cards that become more powerful and advance civilization
- engine building — play cards to trigger combos and long-term engine growth
- resource engine / card synergy — play cards to trigger combos and long-term engine growth
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- I can't recommend it enough
- great little filler game with some really lovely artwork
- it's arguably the most solitaire game we've played outside of some Roll & Write games
- two players is best; a lot of downtime when you add more players
References (from this video)
- Huge content quantity and faction variety
- Solo mode described as particularly strong
- Very long games possible; not ideal for casual sessions
- Interaction can be relatively light
- engine-building through cyclical deck interactions and faction-specific techs
- Ancient civilizations with sci-fi twists; multiple factions in a deck-building framework.
- asymmetric faction-based world-building
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Deck building — Cycle through a deck, acquiring and playing cards to shape engines.
- deck-building — Cycle through a deck, acquiring and playing cards to shape engines.
- leader-focused gameplay — A central leader or focus drives generation and scoring tracks.
- market/purchase — Acquire technologies and common cards from a market to fuel growth.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- We absolutely adore this game. It's super super fun.
- the big Mayan calendar in the middle
- you can place a worker on the symbol that matches the god card.
- This is a big deck building game where you are going to have a different nation.
- Every game I feel like is a little bit different because the board map will change.
- Civolution is very good.