Imperios Milenarios (2012)

Overview

From the publisher:

Imperios Milenarios (Millenarian Empires) is a game where each player leads an ancient civilization of the World, expanding its territories, improving its sciences and boosting its industries throughout the Ages. The game will last until a number of civilizations reach the Bronze or Iron Ages, when points will be awarded for the territories and cities occupied, technologies discovered, trade goods obtained, Wonders built and treasure.

One distinctive element of the game is the use of a deck/pool-building mechanic mixed with role selection (similar to Eminent Domain) by which players draw a generic action of their choice to boost their hand every turn. This is done with little chips instead of cards, where chips in four different colors are each associated with a couple of possible actions. For instance, players can use blue chips in their hand (fleets/caravans) to expand to an adjacent maritime region, or, to trade goods and discoveries with other players.

As the game progresses and civilizations advance, the map will become gradually more and more crowded, players in turn will increase their hand sizes, and their chips will become more and more efficient by means of technological advancements, thus gradually increasing in complexity of negotiations and military tension. So the core of the interaction between players comes not much from direct conflict, but from the constant negotiation everyone is subject to, for the purpose of establishing accessible trading cities and beneficial exchanges, all the while procuring secured “buffer zones” between their Capitals.