Struggle of Empires Deluxe Edition Board Game

The Struggle of Empires Deluxe Edition Board Game consists of three major Wars each lasting for 5 or 6 rounds of play depending on the number of players. Each War begins with the formation of two grand alliances of the major powers and represents a period of approximately two decades.

In each round of play, you will perform two actions, and if available, any number of free actions. At the end of each War, you will score victory points based on the relative number of each major power’s control markers in each of 11 countries in Europe and the colonies. Although military units can be used to capture or defend control markers, they do not represent control of a country themselves. Your challenge will be to balance your military and economic needs.

Players may take advantage of various tiles and tokens – including local alliances, trade, special abilities, improvements, military tactics, and covert operations – that grant economic, military, and political benefits. It is difficult to win without these.

Gold is essential throughout the game. Although gold is always available through taxation, it comes at the cost of increasing unrest among the citizenry of your nation. Extensive unrest due to over taxation can lead to negative consequences, including the total collapse of your nation!

The era depicted in Struggle of Empires was one in which the barbarous transatlantic slave trade was prominent – centered on what became known as the Gold Coast in western Africa. It has been called one of the greatest tragedies in the history of humanity in terms of scale and duration; and, is often regarded as the first known instance of globalisation. In the game, this system is referred to as Gold Coast Commerce.