Six Empires is a 2-6 player game of military and diplomatic strategy set in Europe, North Africa, and the New World in the year 1714. Each player controls of one of six empires, each with its unique flavor and play style. In addition to the playable empires, there are 17 independent nations, and any empire which is not controlled by a player remains in the game as a non-player empire.
This fantastic four-player game — admittedly a little long in the tooth now, but entertaining as ever — pits English and Spanish players against two French players (north and south, or as the counters are colored, blue and green).
It’s a point-to-point map. Markers and unit counters cover the Iberian peninsula showing who owns what space (regular, key, and fortress). Cards drive the system — you can either play a card for its action point value: move a stack for 1 point, recruit a strength point for 2 points, and so on; or, play it for its stratagem: swap strength points, get reinforcements, lose strength points for outside the playing area deployments, change political ownership of a space, gain a battle advantage, cancel a battle advantage, etc., etc., etc. — if you can think of an effect, there’s likely a card in there somewhere. Some cards are events: They take effect immediately and contain a similar variety of strength point effects.
Some military ventures are simply wrong from the start. Everything about them is inauspicious and ill starred, with calamity and disaster simply awaiting their cue to show themselves to full effect.
Colenso, the subject of Legion Wargames Redvers’ Reverse, is about as good an example of this as you can get.
By Paul Comben Publisher Vento Nuovo Games Designer Emanuele Santandrea (Some images courtesy of BoardgameGeek.com) Inevitably, some games on some subjects have us searching
The Boardgaming Life 