Imperial Struggle Board Game

Absolutely excellent game which I now rate as my joint favourite alongside Twilight Struggle. It really feels like a great struggle between the French and British with an innovative game play system. My other favourite games just below this are War of the Ring, Sekigahara, Triumph and Tragedy, Chess, 7 wonders duel, 1775, RAF Battle of Britain and Hammer of the Scots. So if you like any of these style of games you may like this as well. A little complex to master the rules and I’m not sure if I have fully mastered the strategy yet. Early plays took 5-6 hours although with experience this should drop below 2-3 hours. It’s not a classic Wargame in style, almost as much a Euro as a Wargame but you definitely feel like you’re in a struggle so the title is apt.

This is a superb game from the creators of Twlight Struggle. While there are no dice, the changing victory points for each theatre and the constant shift in global demand of resources like tobacco and spices mean that no two turns are ever the same. Combine this with tense war preparations and a set of event and ministry cards based on historical flash points and figures, and you have a real feast of thematic decision making. If you are a fan of the period or of strategy gaming in general then I highly advise you to treat yourself to this triumph.