Question
of Empire
Archaeologists
have discovered evidence of board
games from as long ago
as the Early Bronze Age. There is evidence suggesting
that board games actually predate literacy in some cultures.
Even in today’s
modern world of video games and Blu-ray movies, board games
are still going strong. Part of the reason for their continued
success is that there really is something for everyone. Toddlers
and tacticians can all find a game to suit their needs.
There is a great deal of competition in the board game industry and a new game
developer has a difficult task. They must come up with an original idea,
painstakingly develop rules, and in most cases, find a publisher willing to bring
it to market. In the case of Question of Empire, we were given the opportunity
to stretch our creative talents to the extreme in order to develop a full-featured
prototype for our client to present to potential publishers.
The premise of this game, and the
knowledge and passion of the developer to make Question
of Empire historically accurate, really gave us a lot
to work with creatively, and added to our motivation to make
this a great looking game. This blurb from the game's Introduction
explains it all...
"Question of Empire is based
on the historical time of 1850 to 1880, which was a period
of unprecedented growth in the economic and industrial
strength of Europe. However, it was also a time when
conflict threatened at every turn. The fall of Napoleon
had left many questions unresolved about who would control
the various minor states of Europe. Questions such as
who would dominate the German principalities, could Italy
be unified, and would the great powers eat up the possessions
of a fading Turkish Empire? These critical decisions
are all set against a diplomatic panorama where alliances,
and friendships between the great powers changed with
the tides and minor events were used as excuses to loose
the dogs of war.”
“Question of Empire is a game
for 2-5 players who command the economic, industrial,
military and political strengths of the great powers:
Austria, England, France, Prussia and Russia. The players
are challenged with resolving each of six major questions
in a way that benefits their nation the most. When the
dust of battle settles the questions of empire will be
answered.“
Below are images showing some of
the game pieces and playtesting sessions... |