About this project

World Conquerors will ship for Christmas 2011

World Conquerors
“World Conquerors” is a fast playing board game for 1 to 4 players who use warlords from throughout history to help them take over the world. It's built around a simple but robust dice mechanic modified by the deck of conquerors' abilities. The game comes with wooden pieces, rulebook, dice, 50 cards, and a mounted map board.

Tom Vasel explains World Conquerors in a 12 minute video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hX2BeigvhPY

Gameplay Details
On your turn, you campaign by throwing one die for each territory you control adjacent to a target territory. The defender throws one die for their defending army plus another for each adjacent territory they control. The highest die wins. Losses and Naval attacks have an escalating Supply Cost. When you are unwilling or unable to pay the Supply cost, your turn ends. Make it count, though because you only get four turns.

Strategic depth is layered onto this simple system by the deck of conqueror cards. Each historical figure has special powers based on their history, such as Erik the Red making unsupplied naval attacks, or Stalin using assassination to eliminate enemies. The cards may be played as your empire's ruler (which makes their power last your whole turn), a local agent (which gives you the power just once) or a general (which ignores their power but gives you combat rerolls). Ruler cards also have a strategic goal, such as Elizabeth's “No one else controls a continent” or Caesar's “Win 5 attacks”. Fulfilling these goals gets you a power bonus at the end of your turn.

In the grand tradition of global conquest games World Conquerors is epic in scope but it addresses the genre's traditional shortcomings.

* Short Play Time - just four turns per player each game. It plays in about an hour.

* No Player Elimination - each turn you get a new ruler, regardless of the last one's fate.

* Quick combat resolution - one army per territory makes battles quick and easy, focusing strategy on card play instead of mass dicefests.

* Reduced Kingmaking and Spoiling - ruler goals drive the action leaving little room for spite.

* No Hopeless Positions - supply is based on both time and territory, so it's possible to rebuild a shattered empire from no territories at all. Everybody is in it until their last turn unless somebody conquers the whole world and wins instantly.

See the latest versions of the rules, the map, the cards and more at:

www.siadek.com/wcrulesJEFF.pdf

www.siadek.com/worldconqsmap.jpg

www.siadek.com/WCcardsJEFF.pdf

And see updates here at:

www.gorillaboardgames.com/index.php/category/worldconq

Components
The cover by Alan Pollack depicts a massive battle piece where each soldier is drawn from the ranks of legendary world conquerors. The cards feature bust-style artwork reminiscent of classic renderings. The historical personages are color-coded to match their territories on the map and reflect the conquests of the individual. The mounted map board gives a stylized view of a world that is ripe for conquest. Wooden pieces and rich illustration gives the game a luxurious look and feel worthy of an emperor.

Actual unsolicited quotes from convention playtesters

“Is it always this exciting?”
Gamex 2011

“This is your best game yet.”
N-Con 2011

“When will you publish this so I can get a copy?”
GenCon 2011