11SEP2024 - Illyriad Empires Board Game Launch

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Illyriad Games, Ltd. is pleased to announce the launch of Illyriad Empires, a new table-top board game that is based directly on the award-winning strategy MMO. Developed by Speedrobo Games in partnership with Illyriad Games, Ltd., Illyriad Empires allows players to build armies,
expand their magical knowledge, and conquer enemy empires in a gameplay style that will be engaging and familiar to the game's MMO players.
A Combination of Gaming Conventions
If you are a fan of strategic board and table-top games, competitive trading card games, and maybe even a bit of role playing, Illyriad Empires features elements of all these gaming styles, featuring dice rolling, deck building, military combat, and deep strategy.

You can try it yourself for free right now on Tabletop Simulator!
The game is playable with 2 to 4 players with a customizable board layout, making every playthrough unique. The games are long enough to emphasize technique and strategy, but short enough that multipple rounds and "best of" tournaments can be easily played, as well as quick games when time is limited.

						Game Contents
Illyriad Empires gives you a lot of exclusive gaming materials to play with, all of which is directly inspired by the art and content from the MMO that you know and love. Contents include:

26 plastic game tiles

12 dice

4 Jumbo sized player cards

32-card lunar phase deck
64-card magic and research deck

4 starting resource decks of 10 cards each
80 plastic resource tokens
200 plastic troop tokens 
1 rule book

						The game will launch with an MSRP of 60 USD and allow early backers of the Kickstarter campaign to pre-order the game for only 50 USD.
						Gameplay Overview

During game setup, players will be able to choose one of 4 playable races. Human, Orc, Elf,
and Dwarf will have similar bonuses that veterans of the MMO would come to expect.

Next, players will randomize the tiles that make up the game board. The recommended size for
the board will change depending on how many players are participating. This will help make
sure that the game is well paced.

During a player's turn, they will get started by collecting resources. The resources collected are
based on the lunar phase, the tiles they have sovereignty over, the cards in their hand, as well
as their racial bonus.

Players can then spend these resources to add new cards to their deck, or more troops to the
board.

Moving and combat is easy! If your troops move into a hex where enemy troops are, both
players roll dice based on how many troops they control.

Next, add your bonuses. Players will
gain or lose points on their dice based on the terrain and the troops in combat. For example,
spearmen perform well in the hills, but struggle if facing off against archers.
If you capture an enemy city, that player is eliminated!

Who is Speedrobo Games?
Illyriad Empires is being developed, manufactured, and fulfilled by Speedrobo Games. They are
an independent tabletop gaming company with a decade of experience in the industry. They
have worked on such titles like Legacy’s Allure, Warriors of Legend, Mafia Works, System Gate,
and Necromansters. 
How do I pre-order?
The pre-order is set to launch in the short term. In the meantime, you can visit the Kickstarter project page and click on "Notify me on launch" button. There is no purchase required, and you will be immediately notified via email when the pre-order launches.
We hope you'll check out Illyriad Empires -- it's a fun, engaging game that will channel the excitement and intrigue of the MMO!

Edited by GM Jejune - 11 Sep 2024 at 15:50

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GM Jejune Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Moderator Group GM Joined: 24 Feb 2022 Location: Illyriad Status: Offline Points: 567	Post Options Post Reply Quote GM Jejune Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Topic: 11SEP2024 - Illyriad Empires Board Game Launch Posted: 11 Sep 2024 at 15:46
	Illyriad Games, Ltd. is pleased to announce the launch of Illyriad Empires, a new table-top board game that is based directly on the award-winning strategy MMO. Developed by Speedrobo Games in partnership with Illyriad Games, Ltd., Illyriad Empires allows players to build armies, expand their magical knowledge, and conquer enemy empires in a gameplay style that will be engaging and familiar to the game's MMO players. A Combination of Gaming Conventions If you are a fan of strategic board and table-top games, competitive trading card games, and maybe even a bit of role playing, Illyriad Empires features elements of all these gaming styles, featuring dice rolling, deck building, military combat, and deep strategy. You can try it yourself for free right now on Tabletop Simulator! The game is playable with 2 to 4 players with a customizable board layout, making every playthrough unique. The games are long enough to emphasize technique and strategy, but short enough that multipple rounds and "best of" tournaments can be easily played, as well as quick games when time is limited. Game Contents Illyriad Empires gives you a lot of exclusive gaming materials to play with, all of which is directly inspired by the art and content from the MMO that you know and love. Contents include: 26 plastic game tiles 12 dice 4 Jumbo sized player cards 32-card lunar phase deck 64-card magic and research deck 4 starting resource decks of 10 cards each 80 plastic resource tokens 200 plastic troop tokens 1 rule book The game will launch with an MSRP of 60 USD and allow early backers of the Kickstarter campaign to pre-order the game for only 50 USD. Gameplay Overview During game setup, players will be able to choose one of 4 playable races. Human, Orc, Elf, and Dwarf will have similar bonuses that veterans of the MMO would come to expect. Next, players will randomize the tiles that make up the game board. The recommended size for the board will change depending on how many players are participating. This will help make sure that the game is well paced. During a player's turn, they will get started by collecting resources. The resources collected are based on the lunar phase, the tiles they have sovereignty over, the cards in their hand, as well as their racial bonus. Players can then spend these resources to add new cards to their deck, or more troops to the board. Moving and combat is easy! If your troops move into a hex where enemy troops are, both players roll dice based on how many troops they control. Next, add your bonuses. Players will gain or lose points on their dice based on the terrain and the troops in combat. For example, spearmen perform well in the hills, but struggle if facing off against archers. If you capture an enemy city, that player is eliminated! Who is Speedrobo Games? Illyriad Empires is being developed, manufactured, and fulfilled by Speedrobo Games. They are an independent tabletop gaming company with a decade of experience in the industry. They have worked on such titles like Legacy’s Allure, Warriors of Legend, Mafia Works, System Gate, and Necromansters. How do I pre-order? The pre-order is set to launch in the short term. In the meantime, you can visit the Kickstarter project page and click on "Notify me on launch" button. There is no purchase required, and you will be immediately notified via email when the pre-order launches. We hope you'll check out Illyriad Empires -- it's a fun, engaging game that will channel the excitement and intrigue of the MMO! Edited by GM Jejune - 11 Sep 2024 at 15:50


stylesie Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List New Poster Joined: 23 Apr 2021 Location: Australia Status: Offline Points: 5	Post Options Post Reply Quote stylesie Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 18 Sep 2024 at 21:54
	Color me interested.

Smopecakes Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Forum Warrior Joined: 14 Apr 2017 Status: Offline Points: 335	Post Options Post Reply Quote Smopecakes Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 22 Sep 2024 at 06:55
	Born just in time

flapjack Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List New Poster Joined: 21 May 2020 Status: Offline Points: 1	Post Options Post Reply Quote flapjack Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 23 Oct 2024 at 16:24
	Interesting. I can see a bit of a problem: how many players is the game for? If there are four of you and someone gets eliminated, what do they do, just sit around? This can be a bit of a bummer for players when you get eliminated in this way.

Shax Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List New Poster Joined: 23 Mar 2022 Location: The Netherlands Status: Offline Points: 15	Post Options Post Reply Quote Shax Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 23 Oct 2024 at 23:17
	That is a good point. I personally dislike boardgames because they usually take a long time. When they claim a game will take 1 hour, it usually takes 2 hours or more. If it is clear from the beginning you have little chance of winning, having to play a game after that is tedious at best. This game immediately brings to mind Colonists of Catan, in which there are really only three good starting positions, meaning that a fourth player will immediatly start at a disadvantage and will have almost no chance of winning and they are better off not even trying to compete at all. With this game, this seems even worse, as most games dont have an option where a player is completely eliminated. What will that player do after he is defeated and the game continues for another hour? Make coffee? Seems like a game that a group will only enjoy playing a single time before someone in the group rejects the game. As the game still seems in development, I would advise not to have an elimination aspect to the game. Instead you might install a mechanic where the defeated player continues to function as a vasal under the victorious player so they can become a secondary victor in the game (or something like that)

speedrobo Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List New Poster Joined: 14 Nov 2024 Status: Offline Points: 11	Post Options Post Reply Quote speedrobo Report Post Thanks(2) Quote Reply Posted: 14 Nov 2024 at 18:59
	Hey everyone! This is Rhydon, the lead developer on Empires. That's great feedback on the elimination mechanic and I will have my playtest team look into building a solution into the game rules. I am big on encouraging our players to play the way they want. Board games are toys and you should have fun. If you and your friend group wants to use a "vassal" mechanic to keep K.O.ed players in the game, that sounds like a good time to me! I encourage it. In our testing, in 3 player matches, generally there was an back-and-forth incentive when going to knock out a player. Generally, if you focus on a single player, another will wind up getting stronger and will become a threat while you sap your strength going for the kill. At that point, you'll be setting yourself up to lose very quickly. This usually meant that most players would be locked in a two front war the majority of the game, with a snow ball of elimination happening in winter OR the season deck running out and sovereignty needing to be counted. In our testing in 4 player matches, we found that alliances tended to form amongst our play test group. Making the game less of a free for all, and more of a 2V2 team fight. Sometimes backstabbing would occur, to spice things up. Regardless, fun was had by all. I hope that answers your questions and concerns. We will be working on adding a "vassal" rules mechanic ASAP. I like that idea quite a bit. Thanks, Rhydon Vassay Speedrobo Games