7 Empires is a strategy board game where players act as influential investors manipulating the policies and military actions of seven major European powers in the 18th century. The game emphasizes dynamic alliances and strategic foresight, as players gain and lose influence over the various empires throughout the game.
Gameplay Overview
In 7 Empires, players do not control a single nation; instead, they acquire influence cards to control or influence the actions of the seven historical empires: Great Britain, Kingdom of France, Kingdom of Prussia, Russian Empire, Habsburg Empire, Ottoman Empire, and Kingdom of Spain.
- Influence and Control: The player with the most influence in an empire at any given time becomes its "monarch" and gets the first opportunity to activate that empire on their turn.
- Actions: The acting player chooses from five possible actions for the empire (Build & Deploy, Move & Fight, Attack, Palace, Empire) using an action selection mechanism that prevents the same action from being used in consecutive rounds for that empire, requiring planning.
- Military Conflict: The game features military units (infantry, cannons, two-masters, three-masters) which are used to conquer and hold territories on the board. Combat is deterministic and crucial for gaining "flags" that contribute to an empire's score.
- Scoring and Winning: At the end of the game (which lasts for a fixed 8 rounds/decades), empires are ranked based on the prestige points (from flags and palaces) they've accumulated. A player's victory points are determined by the amount of influence they hold in each empire multiplied by that empire's final rank, so savvy players will invest in the empires they believe will perform best.
- Interaction: The game highly encourages player interaction, negotiation, and shifting alliances as players try to manipulate empires to their personal advantage.
