One of the first strategic games ever published and overlooked was the game Imperium, which is about the early Interstellar Wars of the 1st Imperium and the Terran Confederation. There was a proposed supplement for the game called Twilight, which was an expansion for the game. The original published rules are found in the Traveller Canon Book 5: The Games.
Imperium
- Thread starter mtgeiger
- Start date
jwcarroll60
SOC-12
I had many hours spent playing, and enjoying, this game in the early 80's. It was the start of my involvement with scifi games
praetorius3
SOC-2
I have the old version and the Avalanche version. Avalanche's graphics are great, I haven't played it yet.
mike wightman
SOC-14 10K
Are there any changes to the rules in the Avalanche version?
Lots. Though I don't own the Avalanche version, I have looked at the rules online. There is now a 3D battle grid for space combat, scouts can no longer block movement, and each world now has its own box of hexes on which to fight ground battles. I'm not sure how all the rules work, but from my brief overview, there are outright changes, additions and corrections, as well as taking existing rule concepts and fleshing them out considerably.
Grognard.com's 'I' section has info on both versions
BoardgameGeek's entry
Avalanche Press's page for the new Imperium
I've not played the new version but AP makes nice counters. The original Imperium does take a while to play.
As always, YMMV.
Kevin
mike wightman
SOC-14 10K
Thanks Casey.
Hmm, a 3D tactical space combat board...
Hmm, a 3D tactical space combat board...
The 3d board is not as neat as it sounds, because the rules don't provide for any benefit or disadvantage for being on a different plane that the target, so after the novelty wears off, you end up having 2/3rds of the battle board going un-used and battles being fought on one plane rather like the original.
Not unless your campaign was set during the Interstellar Wars, and even then, the map and the mechanics of jump are...odd. I'm not sure about the new version, but the old version had turns of 2 years in length and "jump corridors"; all movement off the jump corridors was sublight only
Agreed, yet it is not known what sector both these games take place. Imperium presumable takes place in the 1st Interstellar War between the Vilani and the Terran Confederation in Rimward sectors of the 1st Imperium. Dark Nebula, in the border dispute between the Terran and Aslan races, may take place in the Reavers Deep and Daibai Sectors from -1118 to 380.
Interesting. Perhaps the game Dark Nebula takes place during the 1st Interstellar War in the Dark Nebula Sector of Space. Since the Capital of the Aslan Heirate is in this sector and there are Terran Colonies within that sector in -2204, and the 1st Interstellar War took place in -2208 to -2200, it is assumed that the Terran Confederation is expanding their territory and soon become the 2nd Imperium.
I've got a percentage based combat that combines the attack and defense rolls also.
Imperium, 3rd Millennium
Unofficial fixkit by Henry J Cobb
Everybody seems to have their own set of house rules for Imperium, 3rd
Millennium so here's mine.
I'm trying to stay true to the spirit of this game and not try to turn it
into the old Imperium game.
Each alteration is marked as follows.
[Clarify] Clearing up a point in the rules.
[Typo] An obvious typo in the rules.
[Balance] A game balance fix.
6.0 The Empire
[Balance] Skip the Imperial Intervention step and appeals on the first turn
of every war because it takes a while for news of the war to get back to
the Emperor.
7.3 Connections
[Clarify] Some hexes contain two star systems, like Alpha Centauri A and
Alpha Centauri B and a connection can be traced through either system in a
hex.
8.0 Reinforcements.
[Balance] Players may freely combine and split fleets in each system during the Reinforcements step.
9.0 Construction.
Terran Restrictions
[Balance] The Terran player may not produce Heavy Cruisers(CA) until one
Terran cruiser of some other type has been destroyed in combat.
The Terran player may not produce Battleships(B) until one Terran Heavy
Cruiser(CA) has been destroyed in combat.
The Terran player may not produce Super Dreadnoughts(BB) until one Terran
Battleship(B) has been destroyed in combat.
This keeps the terrans from outclassing (pun intended) the imperials before
the Emperor has had a chance to ramp up permissions and it also represents
the learning process the Terrans went though to produce their capital ships.
10.0 Action Segments.
[Clarify] Each activation only covers one star system in a hex.
[Clarify] During each action segment a fleet may either move or engage in
other activities such as splitting or combining with other fleets or
loading or unloading or attacking a planet.
[Clarify] A player may activate the same system multiple times (with
different activations), but each fleet can only be activated once per
Action Segment.
11.6 Fighters.
[Balance] Carriers and Terran superdreadnoughts but not transports may load fighters and move in a single activation.
12.0 Space Battle.
[Balance] Even a large habitable planet takes up a very small part of a
cube that is 50,000 miles on a side. Therefore fleets can freely enter the
center hex.
Any time a group of ships enters the central area (2-3-3) of a planet that
contains hostile planetary defense systems during space battle the
planetary defense systems may attack the ships. Select a target ship for
each planetary defense system from the ships that just entered the central
area and the attack factors are conducted as per long range missile fire
with each factor scoring a hit on a roll of six that can be countered with
the target ship's counter measures.
Defending forces at a friendly planet setup in the central area (2-3-3),
while non moving forces for hostile or uncontrolled planets setup adjacent
to it.
12.2 Setting up for battle.
[Balance] If the non-moving player has fighters stationed on planets in the system he may start with these stacked with his defending fleet or leave them on the planet and out of the Space Battle.
12.3 Resolution.
[Balance] Reverse the sequence of movement so that all ships move on the
first impulse and then ships of movement 2 or 3 and finally just the ships
of movement 3 so that damaged ships fall behind on the same combat round.
The revised sequence is:
1. Determine initiative.
2. For each movement step from 1 to 3 perform the following.
2a. The player without the initiative may move all of his ships that have battle movement equal to or greater than the current movement step (1-3) and all of his fighters one area.
2b. The player with the initiative may move all of his ships that have battle movement equal to or greater than the current movement step (1-3) and all of his fighters one area.
2c. The player without the initiative may move all of his fighters up to one area then launch or land up to one fighter per carrier.
2d. The player with the initiative may move all of his fighters up to one area then launch or land up to one fighter per carrier.
2e. Both players conduct beam fire.
2f. Both players conduct torpedo fire.
Ending a space battle.
[Balance] The battle ends after three consecutive rounds when no ships were
damaged or destroyed or when the forces of one side have all been
eliminated or escaped.
12.5 Battle Movement.
Exiting the Display.
[Balance] FTL-capable ships in battle near a planet of class A or class N
must exit the map by moving off of one of the entry areas to be far enough
away from the planet to safely jump. Non FTL-capable ships cannot exit the
map unless they are fighters onboard a carrier. Fighters may choose to
leave the map (and space battle) by landing on a friendly world or outpost
as they move into the central area (2-3-3) but they cannot rejoin the same
battle later.
12.6 Bean Fire.
Divided Fire.
[Clarify] A capital ship may split its beam factors in any way it pleases
between the two targets.
12.7 Torpedo Fire.
Divided Fire.
[Clarify] A capital ship may split its torpedo factors in any way it pleases
between the two targets.
Counter Measures.
[Clarify] "A ship may not use its CM to deflect hits [targeted at] another
ship [besides itself]."
13.1 Planetary Bombardment.
[Clarify] The hits inflicted by planetary defensive fire and planetary
bombardment are torpedo hits and subject to Counter Measures on targeted
ships and fighters. Roll the CM for each defending fighter after the
planetary bombardment hits are allocated.
13.4 Surface Battle.
5. End of Battle.
[Balance] It is far too easy for the Terrans to grab a high production
world under the rules as written.
If a world or outpost is occupied by hostile troops and has no friendly
forces it remains loyal to it's original owner but is treated as a disputed
planet that does not block jump route connections for either side, however
it does count as captured for the glory index.
An occupied planet can be converted into a friendly outpost by deploying an
outpost there on any activation after the occupying troops have been
landed.
At the end of every Administrative Segment after construction roll one die
for every occupied outpost (but not world) on a roll of six it switches
allegiance to match the occupying troops.
If at any time an occupied planet has no occupying troops because they have
been withdrawn or destroyed then it reverts back to its owner's control and
the glory index is adjusted as if an enemy world or outpost had been
occupied.
So the result is that outposts just need to be garrisoned for a while but
worlds need to be occupied and then a friendly outpost landed and then it
can then be redeveloped as a friendly world.
In 16.0 Going Home first remove all of the occupying troops of the loosing
side then remove any occupying troops of the winning side that can not
trace a connection to a friendly world that is free of enemy planets that
are not themselves under occupation. Occupying troops of the winning side
that can trace a connection remain in place and do not go home.
Occupation can continue during peacetime and the planets can be converted as
above. An occupied planet counts as friendly towards the occupier for
which units can enter its star system during peacetime.
14.2 Scraping.
[Clarify] Round down the scraping value of each ship to the nearest integer.
16.0 Inter-war turns.
[Balance] The peace lasts until war breaks out again. At the start of each
Administrative Segment the terran player rolls two dice and if the total is
less than the number of turns of peace then the next war starts. So the
peace will always last at least 2 turns and war can only break out on the
third turn on a roll of 2.
Going Home
[Balance] If a player has a connected set of worlds that are cut off from
his capital then the forces there "go home" to one world they can trace a
path to.
For example if the Terrans hold outposts in Nusku and Apishal (by
occupation or with their own outposts) then Imperial forces at a world on
Amarku remain there.
Peace Dividend.
[Clarify] The loss of stockpiled RUs occurs only once at the end of each
war and not during each of the peacetime turns following.
Outpost Upgrades
[Clarify] The four turns to upgrade an Outpost need not all occur during
the same peace.
17.0 Optional Rules.
17.5 Courier service.
During wartime scouts are used as couriers to carry messages and orders between stars at many times the speed of light. When reorganizing a fleet a player may split scouts from the fleet and place them on a friendly planetary box in the system for courier duty or join a scout on courier duty in that system to the fleet.
If a player has scouts on courier duty in five or more connected friendly systems then he gets a plus one to all action segment activation rolls.
For example a roll of six would yield seven activations.
Scouts on courier duty do not move normally and they do not force hostile contact on moving fleets but when enegaged they can retreat normally.
Scenarios.
[Typo] Read MB as TB.
Scenario Six:
[Balance] Ignore the listed planetary defense systems and simply place one
on every friendly world.
[Balance] Each player gets one outpost on the secondary planet in each
system that lists a world. So Earth gets a world marker and Mars gets an
outpost. This means that the Terran total production starts at 33 and the
Imperial total production (including budget) starts at 29.
-HJC
Imperium, 3rd Millennium
Unofficial fixkit by Henry J Cobb
Everybody seems to have their own set of house rules for Imperium, 3rd
Millennium so here's mine.
I'm trying to stay true to the spirit of this game and not try to turn it
into the old Imperium game.
Each alteration is marked as follows.
[Clarify] Clearing up a point in the rules.
[Typo] An obvious typo in the rules.
[Balance] A game balance fix.
6.0 The Empire
[Balance] Skip the Imperial Intervention step and appeals on the first turn
of every war because it takes a while for news of the war to get back to
the Emperor.
7.3 Connections
[Clarify] Some hexes contain two star systems, like Alpha Centauri A and
Alpha Centauri B and a connection can be traced through either system in a
hex.
8.0 Reinforcements.
[Balance] Players may freely combine and split fleets in each system during the Reinforcements step.
9.0 Construction.
Terran Restrictions
[Balance] The Terran player may not produce Heavy Cruisers(CA) until one
Terran cruiser of some other type has been destroyed in combat.
The Terran player may not produce Battleships(B) until one Terran Heavy
Cruiser(CA) has been destroyed in combat.
The Terran player may not produce Super Dreadnoughts(BB) until one Terran
Battleship(B) has been destroyed in combat.
This keeps the terrans from outclassing (pun intended) the imperials before
the Emperor has had a chance to ramp up permissions and it also represents
the learning process the Terrans went though to produce their capital ships.
10.0 Action Segments.
[Clarify] Each activation only covers one star system in a hex.
[Clarify] During each action segment a fleet may either move or engage in
other activities such as splitting or combining with other fleets or
loading or unloading or attacking a planet.
[Clarify] A player may activate the same system multiple times (with
different activations), but each fleet can only be activated once per
Action Segment.
11.6 Fighters.
[Balance] Carriers and Terran superdreadnoughts but not transports may load fighters and move in a single activation.
12.0 Space Battle.
[Balance] Even a large habitable planet takes up a very small part of a
cube that is 50,000 miles on a side. Therefore fleets can freely enter the
center hex.
Any time a group of ships enters the central area (2-3-3) of a planet that
contains hostile planetary defense systems during space battle the
planetary defense systems may attack the ships. Select a target ship for
each planetary defense system from the ships that just entered the central
area and the attack factors are conducted as per long range missile fire
with each factor scoring a hit on a roll of six that can be countered with
the target ship's counter measures.
Defending forces at a friendly planet setup in the central area (2-3-3),
while non moving forces for hostile or uncontrolled planets setup adjacent
to it.
12.2 Setting up for battle.
[Balance] If the non-moving player has fighters stationed on planets in the system he may start with these stacked with his defending fleet or leave them on the planet and out of the Space Battle.
12.3 Resolution.
[Balance] Reverse the sequence of movement so that all ships move on the
first impulse and then ships of movement 2 or 3 and finally just the ships
of movement 3 so that damaged ships fall behind on the same combat round.
The revised sequence is:
1. Determine initiative.
2. For each movement step from 1 to 3 perform the following.
2a. The player without the initiative may move all of his ships that have battle movement equal to or greater than the current movement step (1-3) and all of his fighters one area.
2b. The player with the initiative may move all of his ships that have battle movement equal to or greater than the current movement step (1-3) and all of his fighters one area.
2c. The player without the initiative may move all of his fighters up to one area then launch or land up to one fighter per carrier.
2d. The player with the initiative may move all of his fighters up to one area then launch or land up to one fighter per carrier.
2e. Both players conduct beam fire.
2f. Both players conduct torpedo fire.
Ending a space battle.
[Balance] The battle ends after three consecutive rounds when no ships were
damaged or destroyed or when the forces of one side have all been
eliminated or escaped.
12.5 Battle Movement.
Exiting the Display.
[Balance] FTL-capable ships in battle near a planet of class A or class N
must exit the map by moving off of one of the entry areas to be far enough
away from the planet to safely jump. Non FTL-capable ships cannot exit the
map unless they are fighters onboard a carrier. Fighters may choose to
leave the map (and space battle) by landing on a friendly world or outpost
as they move into the central area (2-3-3) but they cannot rejoin the same
battle later.
12.6 Bean Fire.
Divided Fire.
[Clarify] A capital ship may split its beam factors in any way it pleases
between the two targets.
12.7 Torpedo Fire.
Divided Fire.
[Clarify] A capital ship may split its torpedo factors in any way it pleases
between the two targets.
Counter Measures.
[Clarify] "A ship may not use its CM to deflect hits [targeted at] another
ship [besides itself]."
13.1 Planetary Bombardment.
[Clarify] The hits inflicted by planetary defensive fire and planetary
bombardment are torpedo hits and subject to Counter Measures on targeted
ships and fighters. Roll the CM for each defending fighter after the
planetary bombardment hits are allocated.
13.4 Surface Battle.
5. End of Battle.
[Balance] It is far too easy for the Terrans to grab a high production
world under the rules as written.
If a world or outpost is occupied by hostile troops and has no friendly
forces it remains loyal to it's original owner but is treated as a disputed
planet that does not block jump route connections for either side, however
it does count as captured for the glory index.
An occupied planet can be converted into a friendly outpost by deploying an
outpost there on any activation after the occupying troops have been
landed.
At the end of every Administrative Segment after construction roll one die
for every occupied outpost (but not world) on a roll of six it switches
allegiance to match the occupying troops.
If at any time an occupied planet has no occupying troops because they have
been withdrawn or destroyed then it reverts back to its owner's control and
the glory index is adjusted as if an enemy world or outpost had been
occupied.
So the result is that outposts just need to be garrisoned for a while but
worlds need to be occupied and then a friendly outpost landed and then it
can then be redeveloped as a friendly world.
In 16.0 Going Home first remove all of the occupying troops of the loosing
side then remove any occupying troops of the winning side that can not
trace a connection to a friendly world that is free of enemy planets that
are not themselves under occupation. Occupying troops of the winning side
that can trace a connection remain in place and do not go home.
Occupation can continue during peacetime and the planets can be converted as
above. An occupied planet counts as friendly towards the occupier for
which units can enter its star system during peacetime.
14.2 Scraping.
[Clarify] Round down the scraping value of each ship to the nearest integer.
16.0 Inter-war turns.
[Balance] The peace lasts until war breaks out again. At the start of each
Administrative Segment the terran player rolls two dice and if the total is
less than the number of turns of peace then the next war starts. So the
peace will always last at least 2 turns and war can only break out on the
third turn on a roll of 2.
Going Home
[Balance] If a player has a connected set of worlds that are cut off from
his capital then the forces there "go home" to one world they can trace a
path to.
For example if the Terrans hold outposts in Nusku and Apishal (by
occupation or with their own outposts) then Imperial forces at a world on
Amarku remain there.
Peace Dividend.
[Clarify] The loss of stockpiled RUs occurs only once at the end of each
war and not during each of the peacetime turns following.
Outpost Upgrades
[Clarify] The four turns to upgrade an Outpost need not all occur during
the same peace.
17.0 Optional Rules.
17.5 Courier service.
During wartime scouts are used as couriers to carry messages and orders between stars at many times the speed of light. When reorganizing a fleet a player may split scouts from the fleet and place them on a friendly planetary box in the system for courier duty or join a scout on courier duty in that system to the fleet.
If a player has scouts on courier duty in five or more connected friendly systems then he gets a plus one to all action segment activation rolls.
For example a roll of six would yield seven activations.
Scouts on courier duty do not move normally and they do not force hostile contact on moving fleets but when enegaged they can retreat normally.
Scenarios.
[Typo] Read MB as TB.
Scenario Six:
[Balance] Ignore the listed planetary defense systems and simply place one
on every friendly world.
[Balance] Each player gets one outpost on the secondary planet in each
system that lists a world. So Earth gets a world marker and Mars gets an
outpost. This means that the Terran total production starts at 33 and the
Imperial total production (including budget) starts at 29.
-HJC
