First Empires Board Game | Civilization Game | Territory Building Game for Adults and Teens | Ages 14+ | 2-5 Players | Average Playtime 30-60 Minutes | Sand Castle Games (SANLE0101)

One would have never thought Risk and Yahtzee would work together. But it does.The tech trees are level up based on the dice rolled and the territories controlled. Choosing which track to level up is key in gaining an advantage that leads to victory. Politics may play a big roll depending on the game which is a big plus.

This is a good simple game, which is easy to learn and quick to play. This is like Risk and you can't sit back and try to only defend. You have to constantly be moving or attacking the other players and it is point based on control, defend and stages. The production value is low. There isn't much to the game in that sense.I only wish I would have searched more rather than take the first option on Amazon. I later found this game for $22 less at a local game store. I've even found it $25 less but out of stock at other locations. So if you are paying more than $40 you are paying too much.

"What if the great empires of our history had never come into being? What if other early civilizations had risen to greatness instead?"First Empires is a game about growing your empire in a world where you can rewrite history. There are many civilization or area control games, but what drew me in to investigate this game was the artwork and bright colors. I also saw that the game was designed by Eric Vogel, who designed a small game called Cambria, which is about ancient Romans and also area control, which we also own. That game was O.K. not amazing, but my husband wanted to keep it, because it is small, has some strategy and luck, but not too much to be overwhelming. It wasn't a looker, that's for sure!However, First Empires is something different. I really appreciated that that people are from different regions in the world that may not normally be highlighted in board games. The different empires are Etruria (ancient Italians, central Italy), Karthadst (Qart Hadasht, Phoenicians, Carthage, Tunisia), Wallmapu (Mapuche people, Chile and Argentina), Huaxia (ancient civilization representing the Chinese civilization), and the Mutapa empire (Mwenemutapa kingdom, Mozambique). I was confused by the color choices of the regions on the map. The regions do not completely reflect modern geopolitical boundaries and that's O.K.I love that the player colors are different, unlike the normal primary colors. I really like it when games use different colors like orange, lime green, sky blue, and purple! The colors are inviting and makes the game more light-hearted.My first game I played, I had my 13-year-old cousin read the rules and teach me. We mostly played it correctly with just one rule overlooked. Our impression was that it was enjoyable, quick, and something we would look forward to playing. It feels good to roll dice and be able to re-roll what you don't want. Afterwards, you move your people to different regions and take control or conquer - and sometimes you can "win" another player's cities. I think both of us did not really want to conquer the other player's cities or regions, but it's part of the game - some bonus cards require it and sometimes you need to control the regions to upgrade your empire. Conquering is just by having more people or using the sword die face. For example, if the yellow player wants to conquer an orange-controlled city with 2 people, then the yellow player would need 3 people to move in, or 2 people and one sword.The regions you control determine which aspect you can upgrade. For example, if you rolled two orange die faces and one yellow, you would need to control two orange regions and one yellow region. If you rolled blue and don't control blue, then you cannot use that die (unless you discard a bonus card to change the die to whatever you want).There is minimal theme which disappointed me. I really wanted the game to be rich in theme. There is artwork on the back of the player boards, but that doesn't affect gameplay. However, each bonus card has a title and at least the ones I googled, refer to actual events or places. I would have appreciated if there was an index with some historical tid bits. Clearly, someone did research on the game and it would have been great if they went the extra mile and shared that information. It may be just as well, since the game is about the what if's. The player tracks have differences and may reflect the "theme" of the empire. The yellow empire, or Etruria has more bonus cards concerned with conquering or controlling regions. Coincidentally, most points are gained by maximizing movement which helps achieve the bonus cards. The orange empire, or Karthadst was more of a mixed bag, like a jack-of-all-trades. If there is a theme, I haven't figured it out yet.The box does seem a little large, but it makes sense because there are boxes for each player. The boxes are really nice that fits the cards and pieces. There is some extra space on the side where the tokens were all kept in a bag but it's now empty so I hope that maybe there will be something in the future and maybe I'll find some use for the space? The dice are nice and the round tracker piece is nice.The map is double-sided for 2 or 3+ players. The board doesn't completely lie flat but it is adequate and maybe will lay flat later on. I have not been able to play the game with more than 2 people, but the game can go quickly depending on how long each person takes. When playing against the 13-year-old, we finished in 30-40 minutes. I played the game several times afterwards with my husband who does not like complicated games since he does not have the energy or desire to play after work.Against my husband, we spent about 1-1.5 hours playing. If we played the game more, we could probably play faster. Although there are many different characters, only Karthadst (orange) and Etruria (yellow) are recommended for 2 players. So I have not been able to play the other empires.This is not normally a game I would seek out and play, but I could not help myself to try and see what it had to offer. The game looks nice, has a bright and pleasant appearance. If you want to go more into the history behind the empires you have that option, but as is, it is more about the fluidity of civilizations, upgrading your empire through dice rolls and area control. The game box says that it is suitable for players aged 10 and up. I think that this game could be played by a 10-year-old and they would have to learn to be O.K. with losing cities or regions that they control. There is forward planning - setting up yourself to be prepared for the next dice rolls or block your opponent from controlling the region they need most. I think this game would be better suited for middle-school aged players who have learned a little bit about world history and might be better able to handle managing their player board, the area control, and bonus cards.I definitely recommend this game if you have some interest in seeing different civilizations in a board game. It works well for a week night game, it looks nice, has detailed little touches, is easy to learn, and overall is satisfying to play.

Beautifully designed, amazing artwork and color. Great for those who are advanced or just getting started in complex board games. Good quality and great replay value!