Brant takes a look at Eight Minute Empire, a game that plays waaaaaay faster than it takes for him to write the review

Brant Guillory, 18 December 2013

How does a game with 2 types of blocks, a map that could hide in a magazine, and no combat pack a legitimate realm-building adventure into a 10-minute game?

Elegantly.

Eight Minute Empire from Red Raven Games probably takes about ten to twelve minutes to play, but you lose the cute alliteration of the name in doing so.  Still, taking over the map twice in a lunch break at the office, and still having time to talk smack about it, is nothing to sniff at.

First question – “Does it really only take eight minutes to play?”  Yes, if you’ve got a two-player game of guys who know what they’re doing.  But let’s just suppose you double the length of the advertised game.  Are you really going to be unimpressed with a game that let’s you conquer the map in less time than it’ll take you to read this review?

Second question – “Whaddaya mean there’s no combat?  How do I conquer the world?”  The guy with the most armies (cubes) in the space controls it.  Ties go to nobody.  It’s not rocket surgery.

Third question – “Is it just beating each other up?”  Nope.  There are potential cities to found, a treasury to manage, and trade goods to collect.

So here’s how it works. Continue reading →