Empirical Voiding the Second Time or How To Choose a Name to Chase Gamers Away
Let's get this out of the way up front: The name isn't great. The designer is <PERSON>( Near and Far, Eight-Minute Empire). He previously made Empires of the Voidin 2012 that wasn't related to this one at all, except that both game are supposedly in the same universe (the same race names, I guess?). Despite the implication, no familiarity is required with the "first" game. I think the "sequel" would have benefited from a standalone name that didn't imply an expansion or game for fans of the first one.
Fortunately, that's the end of my complaints about Empires of the Void II. Well, except for the setup time. There's a lot to set up and it takes a while. I made a foam core insertthat improves that significantly, but it's still involved. The upshot from all this is the replayability.
Enough Rambling... how does it play?
Quite simply: You choose an action on your turn and do it. Then all other players can do that same action. The next player chooses any different action to perform. If you don't like the action someone else chose, you can "refresh" instead (recover spent command points, draw cards, get money) or spend command points to do a different action. You can refresh on your own turn, too, but that allows everyone else to choose their own actions for cheap, so it's best avoided. Balancing your remaining command points with the action order really matters and I've been hosed more than once when the guy before me chooses the action I wanted to choose on my turn, hoping to refresh on his turn. It's a simple, clever system.
Right, but how does it play?
It plays as though you were a freelancer in the Star Wars universe. It definitely isn't copying Star Wars, but you do really feel like the individual planets are unique. Each inhabited planet can be conquered for points. Or, conversely, you can win favor with the planet's inhabitants. (Think of it as the Empire controlling a planet, but the citizens' allegiance really lying with the Rebellion.) You can actually have both--control and allegiance--but it's harder to maintain because you lose all favor with a planet when you attack it or take it over. 697
The citizens don't like that, I guess.
This is where the game gets really cool. Each planet has its own unique feel, boosted by art, flavor text, and unique aliens. Befriending them yields a unique bonus and allows you to recruit their alien soldiers. At some point in the game, each planet has a unique event that occurs. The theme on these is a lot of fun, corresponding with the planet. Better still, there are seven events for each planet in the box, but you only see one of those in a game, max. You don't even use all the planets each game, so there's a lot of replayability around these events. Some events don't matter much (e.g., a science conference may allow you to boost research if you participate). Some influence the galaxy (a plague following people who pass through and infecting those who fight them) or individuals on the planet (a doomsday device that destroys the planet if not averted--this had my wife panicked as she didn't want to lose her hold on the planet). They're memorable and add a lot of flavor to the game.
Speaking of flavor, the main deck is built from the included planets (remember, not all planets are included each game). You cycle through cards quickly as you fight, do actions, and refresh. Each card has an opportunity you can participate in with great flavor text around it. You can smuggle arms to help a planetary battle, kidnap a planet's leader and deliver him to a target planet, scavenge items from a junkyard, influence political regimes, or even get points from attacking other players at specific locations. I fired an experimental wormhole bomb at my wife's fleet while she was trying to dismantle the doomsday device. She was irate.. until she realized that it took her to where she needed to be (I had a vested interested in the planet, too).
Fights are pretty simple: You choose up to 3 units to participate, rolls the number of dice shown on said units, keep only the highest die rolled, then add the value of a single card in your hand. The loser gets relocated back to their closest controlled planet, which is a minor setback. My wife usually hates game conflict, but doesn't mind this. It's punitive enough to feel bad, but not so bad that you're falling behind other players.
Exploration is fun, too. Uninhabited planets offer varied boosts as you explore them. There are lots of opportunities for earning points in varied ways. 237