Imperium: Horizons Review

boardgamequest.com:

We review Imperium: Horizons, the 3rd entry in the Imperium series from Osprey Games. Imperium: Horizons adds in not only a pile of new civs, but also a new trade mechanism.

In 2021 we were introduced to the Imperium deck building collection. Designed by Nigel Buckle and David Turczi, and published by Osprey Games, the initial release featured two separate sets with distinct civilizations that could be pitted against each other for glory. Not really a battler, but more like a “who can get their engine going best” sort of affair.

I’ve played a lot of the original two sets, Classics and Legends, as they both feature cross play and a well-considered solo bot system. But with as much as I got them to the table, there was always something missing to truly take the game to the next level. Plus, there were minor issues in the set that needed to be fixed.

Enter 2024 and a brand-new inclusion to the series—Imperium: Horizons. The designers return with fourteen (!!) new civilizations, a new trading mechanism, and balance adjustments for the base collections. All featuring the same distinctive illustration from artist Mihajlo Dimitrievski. Let’s sleeve some cards and see what all the buzz is about.

In the Imperium system, players choose a unique civilization deck that is drawn, discarded, and powered up over the course of the game. Players can acquire cards from a market with a variety of suits, including land regions, uncivilized and civilized abilities, and tributary cards which feature other nations ready to assist in your development. There is also an unrest card type that clogs up your hand and must be dealt with before that deck is emptied, thus causing a collapse, and triggering end game prematurely (for most civs).

There are a lot of rules waiting to be discovered within the deck building of this series. A basic turn sees players draw five cards from their main deck. Their civilization may have a nation deck that provides more powers over time with one card being