7 Empires

On one of those rare nights when five of us managed to get together, we gave 7 Empires its chance. What we got was another example of the contemporary Euro school: rather than something genuinely new, an honest simplification and remix of tried-and-tested ingredients. Only here, the result feels like Imperial put through a blender with quinoa: harmless, tasteless, and wholly unable to convince me that I needed this version.

At its core, the game presents itself as simplified Imperial. That means its basic identity does not come from a new idea, but from making an already familiar recipe easier to swallow. For someone wanting a gentle introduction before their first date with the “Swiss banker,” that may sound like a service. To me, though, it simply felt as if things had been removed without anything being added to replace them.

Game length is the only choice that changes the mood at all. The standard game, as we experienced it, had no interest whatsoever, and the interaction did not produce the necessary tension. The long game leaves a little more room for excitement and, finally, for a bit of player-on-player “karate”; yet even there, neither the conflict nor the game’s development reaches the point where the whole process becomes appealing.

I do not recommend it for any reason. If you simply want a softer route into Imperial, I can perhaps understand the thinking behind 7 Empires. But if you are looking for interest, tension, or a convincing reason to devote a long game to it, this game has nothing worthwhile to tell you.