Introduction to playing Twilight Imperium 4th edition online

 

I got invited to play the legendary space civilization conflict boardgame Twilight Imperium 4^th edition.  Six players gathered to play and we all connected online using the Twilight Imperium app, Twilight Wars.

If you have never played before, like myself, Twilight Imperium can be quite intimidating.  There are 17 factions in the base game alone and that can increase to 24 factions in the expansion, Prophecy of Kings.

Getting up to speed from zero on the rules will take you some investment of time, but this blog post should help smooth that process by pointing out some excellent guides found around the internet.

First of all you want the Learn to Play basic rules, provided by Fantasy Flight Games themselves here.

A very well put together and entertaining youtube video that should be considered a companion piece to the Learn to Play pdf is “Twilight Imperium (4th Edition) in 32 minutes” by RTFM.  The RTFM video goes over the steps of setup, activating a system, and detailed section on space combat.  The Strategy cards and their uses are explained in the latter half of the video. 

Once you have those down, you may want to plug the holes in your knowledge gap about the rules by checking the wiki.  I went there to read up on promissory notes which is lightly covered in the Learn to Play pdf. 

That’s great and all, but what about beginning advice about starting the game by picking one of the 17 factions?  That is found in the wiki as well, under the List of Factions by Play Complexity page.

Next you may wish to know how the interface for Twilight Wars, the online app, works. These tutorial videos by youtube user Twilight Wars are brief, to the point and extremely helpful. I found Tutorial video 3: Setup phase and core tactical steps to be very useful in consolidating and implementing what I learned by reading the pdf and watching the RTFM video.  To look into how the Twilight Wars app differs from the main game because of coding limitations, go here.   

The above teaches you how to play but not necessarily the best choices you should make for your faction in order to win.  Here is a youtube library with strategy guides for the factions by Rulebreaker Boardgames.  I chose the Emirates of Hacan faction as my first faction to play, because the wiki stated they were of limited complexity, they had a strong dominance in trade, and who doesn’t like Space Cats? Hacan’s strategy guide is here. 

Beyond this, you may want some advice on what Strategy cards to choose at different phases during the game.  Beyond the Board has you covered with this analysis. 

So was all this homework worth it? I’m currently enjoying myself and I’m waiting on turn 2 to start.  I’ll let you know whom of the six of us wins! The complexity for Twilight Imperium is significant, but I hope some of the pitfalls and your questions were answered by this guide compellation. 

Are we in a Golden Age of roleplaying games and how could we tell?

 I saw a kickstarter today that got the old wheels turning. It was an advertisement for, of all things, a Monty Python roleplaying game. As I was thinking about this (no one expects a Monty Python rpg!) the latest Dune roleplaying game published by Modiphius also passed through my mind...then the official licensed Alien rpg also published by Modiphius...and the Spectre 007 boardgame ALSO published by Modiphius.  You see there is a pattern here and it's not just one publishing company. To me, anecdotally, it seems that more and more large properties want to get into gaming as entertainment. 

Maybe I'm behind on keying into this trend but specifically the Monty Python game made me wonder, are we in a Golden Age of roleplaying games or games in general?  If so how would we know? Could we quantify it? 

There is another thread to this. I was watching Adam Loper's Tabletop Minion's youtube titled "Why Isn't Wargaming DEAD?" (July 29, 2022) last night.  And Adam proposed that wargaming was flourishing more than it ever had been because of 1) lower barrier for entry for creatives to get their wargame out there to customers, 2) proliferation of STLs for unique and awesome miniatures, and 3) crossover of people coming in from video games and other media to wargames.  So this again begs the question, are we in a Golden Age for gaming or at least for specifically wargames?

Also another thread. As I was writing the first sentences of  this blog I was on a wargaming aficionado discord and having a typed discussion with a wargaming writer and other members.  One of the other members literally stated we were in a 'golden age' of gaming as there was discussion on another topic.  Kismet? Serendipity? Or just people reading the writing on the wall. 

Now the question is, what is a Golden Age and how can it be measured.  I'm just digging into this, but I think good models could be the Golden/Silver/etc. Age of Comics, the Golden Age of science fiction writing, or even the advent of certain technologies/fields like genome sequencing giving rise to the Human Genome project in the decade of the 90s.  

That's all for now, but it is a question that is churning in my mind.      

5 Parsecs from Home Interlude

 The room was silent, save for the rhythmic wheezing of the breathing machine and the man’s inhalation and expulsion of his lit cigar.  Two men, sitting still as marble, were at repose in chairs facing the man, across from his authentic teak desk.  Eyes shut, the two were like twins in suits, giving off no sign of discomfort, metabolism or life. Dulled chrome feeder lines had been grafted into the men’s spinal columns, snaking from each man to input ports hidden in the shadows somewhere in the teakwood desk.

A holographic red triangle flared to life above the desk, pulsing and bobbing like a maniac faerie. Reams of data began to unfurl as from a majestic tapestry in translucent form in front of the man.  Planetary climate, Jump data, ship manifests, economic flow with the Exchange, psychohistory projections of police overreach, wanted posters, spacecraft transponder catalogues, closeup views of surveillance videos at space docks and bars.  The man exhaled and the scent of prima tobacco filled the room.  The red triangle pulsed and danced in expectation.  A door slid open with a whisper and a figure strode in.  Metal jangled from the figure’s belt and bandolier as he approached the desk, forming an uncouth counterpoint to the laboring of the respiratory device and the occasional puff of the cigar.   

“His location, you have it.” rumbled the figure. It was a statement, not a question.  The machines behind the man at the desk wheezed and shuddered.  The man flicked an accusatory finger at the figure. The holographic red triangle obeyed and skittered across the desk, disappearing at the edge.  The figure’s arm implants flared to life, a holographic cerulean triangle now hovering and pulsing with mischief above his forearm. The artificial glow illuminated the figure’s scarred face, reflected against the state-of-the-art optics in his left eye and was swallowed up by his broad brimmed black hat.  Data coursed past his artificial eye and across the holo display in his forearm.  The figure smiled, an uncomfortable and transient expression.

“Be seeing you” the figure stated, turning on his heel and rounding on the door.  The door remained sealed.  “What is—," the figure began, turning around.  One of the seated men’s eyes flew open, unleashing an emerald green glow, as his mouth worked, giving form to the syllables from dry lips. “Please, dear Tracker, take a squad of certified Guild Troopers with you. You will find them most capable in your endeavors.”

“I work alone,” growled the Bounty Tracker as his frame bristled. Totems and trophies jingled and jangled on his belt. “Renegotiation requires a commensurate increase in price.”

“Your terms are more than acceptable, good Tracker,” the green-eyed man said, spittle forming at the corner of his mouth. “The Syndicate insists.”

“Have them ready to board the Maculata in two standard hours,” the Bounty Tracker grunted, his cyber eye focusing on the image of a bearded face on his holo display. The whisper of the door disappearing into the celling was his only answer and he took the hint quickly.

Moments passed as the Bounty Tracker stalked off down the halls.  There was a faint hum in the room. Data was exchanged, plans were made, communications were correlated and finances were moved. In seconds a virtual snake had been assembled and was coiled to strike. “I shall oversee this personally,” the man with the glowing emerald eyes spoke as he reached up behind him and swiftly jerked the metal cord out of his hind brain.  There was a sickening squelching sound as neurons, silicon, flesh and blood vessels rearranged themselves. The man behind the desk smiled and the expression was mirrored on his cohort, now free of the umbilical. “We shall have Bjorn Ivannox in our hands within days.” None could say which man spoke this line or which man’s smile was wider.    

*****

This interlude was preparation and introduction for the villains of the upcoming 5 Parsecs from Home After Action Report 2.  The Integrated Syndicate (name randomly chosen) is the criminal element Rival of both Captain Bjorn Ivannox and Anriel.  During squad creation I randomly rolled up a Rival that was a criminal element for both characters, so I decided that they were hunted by the same organization.  When I rolled for Rivals checks for the second campaign turn, I included two chances that the Integrated Syndicate would show up; one for Bjorn Ivannox and one for Anriel.  In preparation for the Battle Phase of the second campaign turn, I rolled up a Unique Individual, a Bounty Tracker, that was going to aid the Integrated Syndicate’s forces.