Imperial Settlers

About this board game

Imperial Settlers is a card game for 1–4 players, with a playing time of about 90 minutes, in which rival factions expand empires across newly discovered lands.

Choose to lead the Romans, Barbarians, Egyptians, or Japanese. Each faction seeks to strengthen its position by developing buildings, gathering resources, training soldiers, and competing for land that cannot accommodate everyone.

Across five rounds, players take actions to shape their growing empires. Explore new lands, construct buildings, trade resources, conquer enemies, and pursue victory points as the struggle for expansion intensifies.

• Build: Place buildings to develop your empire and gain new resources or abilities.
• Gather: Send workers to buildings, while establishing mines and fields to support your economy.
• Prepare: Build barracks and training grounds to train soldiers.
• Compete: Explore, trade, conquer enemies, and score victory points over five rounds.

The game combines empire building with card-driven decisions, allowing players to expand their boundaries while managing the opportunities and limitations of the new land. As the factions grow closer together, development gives way to conflict and war.

Imperial Settlers draws its core mechanism from concepts in the author’s card game 51st State. With four distinct powers, resource gathering, construction, conquest, and a fixed five-round structure, it presents a focused contest to build the most successful empire.