Rise of Empires

About this board game

Rise of Empires is an empire-building game for 2–5 players that traces civilization from the Ancient Age to the Modern Age in about 150 minutes.

Every player begins small and relatively powerless, then develops a civilization through careful decisions about war, economics, science, and diplomacy. Expand across the map, claim territory, and build an empire while pursuing the resources and developments that support your rise.

The game unfolds across three eras, with two turns in each era. The first turn is the A turn and the second is the B turn, which acts as a mirror image of the A turn. Because choices made early in an era return later, each action must offer both immediate value and worthwhile long-term consequences.

The central feature of each turn is the Action Display, where players select and conduct different actions. This creates demanding decisions and an atmosphere of suspense as civilizations compete for territory, progress, and prosperity.

Victory points determine the winner at the end of the game. Points are earned through several routes:

• Building cities
• Controlling an empire and its area
• Developing technology and progressing in science
• Trading goods

Rise of Empires is more abstract than some civilization games: cities, towns, and technologies are represented by tiles that players keep, even when their civilization has disappeared from the map. A civilization can even be wiped out in one turn and return in another area on the next, keeping the contest open until the end. With its blend of expansion, trade, technology, and difficult timing decisions, it offers a substantial civilization experience in less than three hours.