4x board games

[Bou]

Does anyone know good 4x-like board games. I'm particular interested in space/sci-fi ones. Are there any board games out there that are similar to videogames like GC3, stellaris, ES2, EL etc?

[pavig]

Here's a pc port of an iOS adaption of a 4x board game...
http://store.steampowered.com/app/522030/Eclipse_New_Dawn_for_the_Galaxy/

[Bou]

After some googling I found this:
https://boardgamegeek.com/geeklist/100057/top-10-space-empire-games

Anyone familiar with any of these?

[Tragic]

Twilight Imperium
Eclipse
Exodus: Proxima Centauri
Empires of the Void II
Hegemonic
Sypernova
Star Trek Fleet Captians


Not really 4x more like Elite.

Merchant of Venus
Xia: Legends of the Drift System
Firefly

[cadfan17]

Board game 4xes are tough because the basic 4x concept is kinda broke. And making one into a board game shortens the experience, getting you to the broke part faster, with fewer interesting distractions along the way. Plus as multiplayer games with minimal consideration of gameplay design they’re usually just really elaborate kingmakers and you can play a kingmaker in a few minutes with loads of other choices.

I’d vote Terra Mystica.

It abandons both the exploration and extermination aspect in favor of just doing a really good job on a 4x-ish expand and exploit.

[bbmike]

Space Empires from GMT games is an excellent 4x board game.

[Martok]

I absolutely love Twilight Imperium, even though it takes forever to set up and play. Possibly my favorite board game ever.

[athelasloraiel]

TI 4th ed.
Space empires 4x with xpansions
Runewars strategy with xpansion.

[Bou]

TI is the most interesting I have seen so far but that playtime though...8 hours?! Eclipse and Space Empires are also catching my eye. Space Empires 4x looks like MOO the board game, which is quite cool.

[spartackus7]

For does who like a more casual experience, there is a very cool card game called Alian Artifacts that is also a 4x. It plays like in 1 hour but has a lot of depth.

[Bou]

Publicado originalmente por spartackus7:

For does who like a more casual experience, there is a very cool card game called Alian Artifacts that is also a 4x. It plays like in 1 hour but has a lot of depth.

Interesting I haven't thought about card games yet. Thanks for bringing this up.

[Tragic]

There are a lot of great card games at the moment due to kickstarter.. Anyone can design a card game as it takes nearly no resources. You can build and play test with a cheap pack of cvards, some card sleeves and some note paper.

Some good ones might be

Core Worlds
Eniment Domain
Race for the Galaxy
Alien Artifacts


The thing is though that the tabletop scene is rich in ideas and innovation over the last decade. You shouldn't limit yourself to "4x".. with that being such a weak definition anyway... if you are interested in space "themed" games... there are so many that may not fit the traditional 4x idea, but are super mega awesome.

[Tragic]

Publicado originalmente por Martok:

Twilight Imperium

TI is the most overrated game around.. it is actually not very good imo. The game is a relic form the 90s and plays like it. The rules are overly complex, the game is long.. we are talking like 8 hour sessions and there is huge downtime between player turns. Like in a 8 player game you will be sitting doing nothing for ages every turn.

This game gets a lot of love as it was a great game for its time, and it dose have a niche cult apeal. Kind of like, I dunno.. Super Meat Boy might be an example. Its clumsiness and terrible game design is a mark of a "real gamer".. so to speak.. as learning and p[laying it becomes its own badge of honour.


I've played this game a lot. I used to be in a byweekly group of 6-8 that played it all the time.. so I have a good 50+ games under my belt.. and with tabletop games the games are kinda second fiddle to spending time with your mates.. it is a social thing.. so it took a long time for me to realise how bad this game is.

Thew real problem.. the killer problem with this game is that it is one of the worst "King Makers" around. A "King Maker" game is a game were the winner is "chosen" by the loosers.. rather than the winner winning on his own merits.

TW is a long game.. so say you are playing with 3 mates for a short 4 player game of about 5-6 hours... what it comes down to is 2 players in a positon to win and the rest with no chance at all to win. This gets worse... in a 8 player game there might be 5 with no chance and 3 with a chance.

The point is that in the late stages of the game, the loosers can only "disrupt" the winners.. they effectively choose who wins the game. I can not count the amount of times the game has ended with a player going.. well I can attack you and this guys wins, attack that guy and you win.. or move my fleets here to block and the other guys wins.

Many games have king maker problems.. but what sets TI apart is the game length. If a game is short, then it dosn't matter as much.. but if you are spending 8 -12 hours playing a game and 1/2 the tale is out of it for 4 hours of that and then no matter how well your win is only attributed to who chooses you to win.. then that is just lame as fuck.

[athelasloraiel]

Tragic, you should try 4th ed. Much better and easier to play, less detailed rules etc. Really great.

[Bou]

I have tried Star Realms on steam and really enjoyed it. I will probably buy the real decks. It's nice to have a card only game without boards or chips when you are on the move.
http://store.steampowered.com/app/438140/Star_Realms/

[Mezmorki]

Might want to check out the games mentioned in the second half of this article:

https://explorminate.net/2016/09/02/a-brief-4x-gamers-guide-to-modern-board-games-an-exposition/

If you're getting into boardgames, as Tragic said, it would be good to consider whether or not you want a game built around 4X "mechanics" versus a game with a 4X-style empire buildign theme (space, fantasy, historical, take your pick). There is a fair amount of diversity to be had in both groups.

Games that are more like 4X video games (uses a board/map, engine building, producing and moving units, developing cities, researching tech, etc.):

- Eclipse = space 4X that's about as close to MoO2 as you can get in a board game
- Space Empire 4X = more of a wargame-style space 4X
- Sid Meiers Civilization: A New Dawn = historical civ inspired game based on the video game
- Clash of Cultures = another take on historical civ
- Runewars = close to a Age of Wonders the boardgame

Other empire-building themed games:

- Race for the Galaxy = kick ass space themed card game
- Through the Ages = kick ass historical themed mostly-card based game