Empires

Empires

Designer: Anthony Gill
Publisher: White Mask Productions
Type: Card
Status: Free (with web registration)
BGG entry: http://www.boardgamegeek.com/game/11569
Available at: http://www.whitemask.com/empires/main.htm

Oh boy, what can we say about Empires? It was spawned way back in 1989, and has taken several forms since then. It started as a one-on-one fighting game. Then it changed to a turn based battle of wits. And now it's a fast action, card slinging frenzy of grunts, groans, bloody noses, and cigarette burns. (Well, something like that.)

Basically, each player owns four territories. Four territories that belong to other players. So, once someone lays down the first strike, everyone starts attacking everyone in the hopes of regaining their four territories. While laying seige to other lands, you must also defend your own, otherwise the bad people sitting next to you will take them. The bloodshed goes on and on until someone throws down a time stop card, or runs out of cards in their deck. At that point, everyone gets to take a breather and tally up damage. If a rival player pushed one of your territories over the damage threshhold, he gets to take your land. It's the original meaning of hostile take-over.