Glenn Drover's Empires: Galactic Rebellion

Having played Deluxe Age of Empires quite a lot, I had every reason to get excited when Empires: Galactic Rebellion was announced with promises of “improved and streamlined gameplay,” fixed problems, and Star Wars inspiration. In the end, though, the improvements seem to have targeted the very parts that made Age of Empires good. And the artwork? Honestly, among the worst I have seen in a game—let alone one marketed as deluxe. At least my copy was number 1000 of 1000. I suppose that unlocks some kind of collector achievement.

At the table, this is a light area-control game, which does have some value because options like that for six players are not exactly abundant. Its basic feel is about contesting space, but the game I played did not bring out especially tight or exciting conflict.

The flow stays fairly light until the ending arrives, when the tension finally rises and rebel mothers start weeping. In the second session especially, the interaction was more social than the honest brawling I want from an area-control game; there was company and conversation, but not enough bite.

I did not have a bad time, and I will not deny that the explosive ending can give a game one final spark. But as a whole it remains unbearable nonsense and a cash grab, clearly worse than Age of Empires, which at least has something to say. I could play it again only to make sure I am not being unfair to it, but for now it is very close to “nothing to write home about.”

Updated session

The second game did not materially change my opinion; if anything, it confirmed it. With a respectable group of five rather than the full six, the experience remained social rather than particularly confrontational. The game still has some use as a light area-control option for a large group, but it did not suddenly reveal depth or a reason to choose it over Age of Empires.