Imperium is a series of deck-building civilization card games for 1-4 players. In these games, players strive to develop their civilizations into powerful empires while managing competition and external threats.
Classics and Legends, the initial releases in the series, laid the foundation for the system. Horizons, the newest addition, builds upon this foundation and offers improvements and additional content. In this review, we’ll take a closer look at the Imperium series as a whole with special attention to Classics and Horizons.
Gameplay
Deck-building is an incredibly fun mechanic, and Imperium implements it very well. You start with a weak hand of cards and constantly improve your deck throughout the game. This is done by adding stronger cards, either from the market or from your civilization’s unique nation and development decks, and by thinning your deck. Thinning the deck is possible by tucking cards under played region cards, returning unrest cards, and occasionally placing cards into your history, permanently removing them from your deck.
Each player has three actions per turn, but there are ways to gain more. The game also includes an additional mechanism: exhaust abilities on cards, which help players do more during their turn. These abilities grant various benefits but come at the cost of using one of your five available exhaust tokens.
Imperium truly shines with its deck-building mechanics. Most civilizations start with a core deck, a nation deck, and a development deck. Each time you cycle through your cards, a nation card is shuffled into the deck. As you acquire these nation cards, your civilization gradually evolves from a Barbarian state to an Empire. Upon reaching Empire status, you gain access to powerful civilized cards while previously available Barbarian cards become unplayable. As an Empire, you can also acquire powerful development cards through card effects or with each deck cycle.
The freedom to discard any number of cards at the end of your turn creates a struggle every round: hold onto valuable cards or discard them to accelerate your deck cycle. Balancing these choices and strategically thinning your deck through playing region cards and tucking weaker cards under them are key to mastering Imperium’s deck-building mechanic.
As the game progresses, your deck and history grow with many cards. This can make scoring at the end a bit cumbersome, especially because some cards score points based on the location of other cards, such as your tableau or history. To streamline this process, using a scoring app is highly recommended.
Asymmetric Civilizations
Imperium’s strength lies in its diverse civilizations. Horizons offers the most, with 14, while Classics and Legends each have 8. Each civilization is unique, with its own playstyle. Some even have special abilities that impact the core gameplay mechanics. This asymmetry means every game feels different and the game offers a high replay value. If you have played Spirit Island, the idea of vastly different experiences based on game settings will be familiar.
To help ease new players into the game, each civilization in Imperium comes with a complexity rating. This allows beginners to choose a civilization with an easier learning curve and gradually progress to more complex ones.
Trade Routes Expansion
Introduced in Horizons, the Trade Routes module brings new cards and mechanics to Imperium, making exhaust tokens more valuable and adding more player interaction. However, it also slightly increases playtime and complexity. The new cards and mechanics introduce a wider range of possible actions and exhaust abilities during your turns, creating a bigger decision space compared to the base game.
Trade Routes introduces a more enjoyable way of player interaction by removing attack cards from the common deck and letting players use each other’s trade cards, which provides a benefit to both parties. The positive effect of this new system is especially noticeable in multiplayer games.
Personally, I find Trade Routes to be an excellent addition to the game, and I will never play without it again. However, it’s important to acknowledge the potential impact on playtime and complexity for new players.
Art and Components
Imperium is a card game, but the card quality is average. Frequent shuffling can wear the cards down, so sleeving them is a good idea. Horizons introduces two cardboard pieces for each player to organize their area. However, I find myself accidentally moving them around during play. Although not crucial, player mats similar to those found in other card games like Wingspan could have been a more convenient solution.
Mihajlo Dimitrievsk’s artwork truly elevates Imperium. Thematic illustrations for each civilization and a vibrant color palette make this game a visual delight. As a fan of Dimitrievsk’s work, I believe Imperium is one of his finest creations.
One area for improvement in graphic design is the distinction between exhaust and solstice effects on cards. When a card has both effects, the solstice effect can be easily overlooked because it’s listed under the exhaust effects. A clearer visual separation between the two could be beneficial.
Solo vs. Multiplayer
Imperium is a complex game, and this complexity can be further amplified depending on the civilizations in play. Also, beyond the three core actions, players manage tableaus often filled with cards that offer various passive effects and exhaust abilities, demanding planning and attention to detail. While this depth is rewarding, it can also lead to longer turns. Because of this, I wouldn’t play Imperium with more than two players.
On the other hand, this game excels in solo play. Each civilization has its own unique bot that cleverly mimics a human opponent. The bots are incredibly easy to manage, requiring just a reference table and taking 3-6 actions per turn, depending on the difficulty level. Despite their simplicity, these bots offer surprising strategic depth, keeping you on your toes throughout the game. This ease of use, combined with the five difficulty levels and the varied challenges presented by different civilizations, makes Imperium one of the best solo experiences I’ve ever had.
Beyond its fantastic solo mode, Imperium delivers an excellent two-player experience. The playtime remains manageable, even with the potential for longer turns and there is no need for the AI. That being said, if you enjoy taking your time and perfectly optimizing your moves, the solo game is the better option.
Which edition should you buy?
If you’re a fan of deck-building games and the Imperium system sounds interesting to you, Horizons is the better choice. It includes more civilizations (14 compared to 8 in Classics and Legends), some quality-of-life upgrades like tableau organizers and bot cards, and a bigger insert that fits sleeved cards better. However, Horizons comes at a higher price point. Classics is a good option if you want to try the game out first or prefer a more straightforward experience since Classics civilizations are simpler in comparison.
The Horizon rulebook has undergone a revision, offering clearer descriptions and helpful visual examples – a welcome and necessary improvement. However, the dimensions have changed for the worse. The convenient and small, rectangular rulebook from Classics has been replaced by a large, square one, making it more cumbersome to handle. You can find the digital version of the improved Horizons rulebook here for reference, regardless of which version you choose to purchase first.
It’s worth noting that Classics lacks the bot cards included in Horizons. These cards streamline the solo experience. If you go with Classics, consider printing them out using this file on BGG. Without them, referencing the rulebook for each bot action can become tedious.
Ultimately, the choice comes down to preference. If you enjoy Imperium, there’s a good chance you’ll want to explore all it has to offer, as all the editions are fully compatible. So, don’t overthink that initial choice.
Final Thoughts
Imperium easily ranks among the best deck-building experiences I’ve ever had, offering excellent solo and two-player experiences. The core mechanics are brilliant and the series offers a whopping 30 civilizations to explore, leading to hundreds of civilization combinations and unique experiences. This fantastic replayability makes every game in the series a worthwhile investment. Stunning artwork further elevates the experience, and the engaging gameplay keeps you hooked. If you’re a fan of heavier strategy games, Imperium is a must-have.
Disclosure: We received a review copy of this game. Also, there may be an affiliate link in the links included at the end of this article.
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