Fantasy Flight Games

Incoming Intelligence

Published 16 May 2012 | Rex: Final Days of an Empire

Incoming Intelligence

The FAQ and Errata for Rex is Now Online

Aboveground, even greater dangers lurked. In their region of the city, Sol patrols were to be most feared, but a thousand things could get one killed in the new Mecatol. Gangs of looters that would kill first and steal later. Packs of flying ruvar birds that, driven mad by the poisoned rains and desperate for food, had become feral and savage things. And there was the endless Sol bombings. While the explosions could kill one well enough, they left behind a broken landscape almost as deadly. – Rex: Final Days of an Empire

In the aftermath of a sudden and unexpected attack on Mecatol Rex, the galactic seat of power, questions abound. Who was behind the brutal assault? Can the ruling Lazax truly trust their allies? What does this mean for the fate of the galaxy?

Find answers in the Rex FAQ and Errata (pdf, 2.5 MB), now available on our support page! For more on this helpful document, we turn to senior designer Corey Konieczka:

A Transmission From the Imperial Palace

This FAQ & Errata document is intended to clarify rules issues and answer frequently asked questions about Rex. For the sake of completeness, this document includes all known issues, including those already noted on the insert sheet included in your game.

The majority of this document answers questions that players (like yourself) have asked about a variety game situations. These questions fall into three categories, clarification on racial advantages, combat related questions, and miscellaneous rare or awkward gameplay situations.

I tried to keep this document brief and to the point. Most of these topics have been discussed on our forums, and the answers should not come as a surprise to our forum members. As always, we really appreciate your support and are here to serve your gaming needs. If you have any further questions about any of our games, I encourage you to use our rules submissions form.

I wish you luck in your conquests of Mecatol Rex, and happy gaming! -Corey Konieczka

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The copyrightable portions of Rex: Final Days of an Empire are © 2012 Fantasy Flight Publishing, Inc. Twilight Imperium and Rex: Final Days of an Empire are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Fantasy Flight Publishing, Inc.

Spurred By Ambition

Published 24 February 2012 | Rex: Final Days of an Empire

Spurred By Ambition

A look at the recently released Rex, a board game of diplomacy and betrayal

In the third deep of Arc Prime, Vvlos Samrac XVII, the Baron of Letnev, has awaited the Days of Reckoning with ill-contained wroth. Ever since he slit the throat of his father at age 19, Vvlos has presided over a populace as near to revolt as to starvation. The Baron is keenly aware that the shadows may soon leap for his own throat, should he not manage to improve the lot of the Letnev and feed their ambition for glory and conquest.

With Wednesday’s release of Rex, the board game of negotiation, betrayal, and conquest, players around the world have commenced the bombardment of the galaxy’s capital city. If you haven’t yet picked up your copy, what are you waiting for? Set 3,000 years before the events of Twilight Imperium, Rex tells the story of the last days of the Lazax empire, while presenting players with compelling asymmetrical racial abilities and exciting opportunities for diplomacy, deception, and tactical mastery. Today, we’re pleased to present a closer look at the Barony of Letnev, a society for whom ambition is surpassed only by a capacity for treachery.

Click the image above to view the Rex trailer (Quicktime, 32.7 MB). Also available on YouTube and the FFG Media Player.

His time is at hand

Baron Vvlos’s vast network of spies gave him just enough advance knowledge of the impending Sol attack on Mecatol Rex to prepare. His agents set to work infiltrating the city, working to establish a balance-tipping advantage at the first sign of violence.

The front and back of the Barony of Letnev’s Race Sheet. Click to see an enlarged view of the back.

Reflecting this foreknowledge and preparation, three of the Barony of Letnev’s special abilities involve acquiring additional Strategy cards (see Masters of Science and Technology, our preview of Strategy cards, for more). Not only do they begin with additional Strategy cards, but they receive an extra for each one they acquire in the Bidding Phase, and their hand limit is double that of other races!

Their propensity for intrigue and deceit is reflected by their first race advantage, however. The Barony of Letnev begins the game with four Traitor cards, while everyone else begins with one. Other races would therefore do well to carefully consider each attack against the Letnev; if the Letnev player reveals a Traitor card matching a leader he’s opposing in battle, the opposing army immediately loses all of its unit, and any committed Letnev forces escape the battle totally unharmed.

The assault has started. Will you rise above the chaos to claim dominance? Head to your local retailer and pick up your copy of Rex today!

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A Video Trailer for Rex

Published 17 February 2012 | Rex: Final Days of an Empire

A Video Trailer for Rex

Rex, a board game of betrayal and conquest, bombards retailers next week!

The final days of the Lazax Empire began in the seventy-third year of the Twilight Wars, when without warning, the Federation of Sol led a deadly assault directly on Mecatol Rex, the capital planet the empire itself. A climactic struggle for control of the imperial city followed, fought as much with diplomacy and deception as with troops and starships. This is the story of that struggle.

Rex, the board game of diplomacy, conquest, and betrayal for 3–6 players, will be on store shelves everywhere very soon! If you’ve been following this epic title closely, you’ve probably already seen our previews of the Lazax and Jol-Nar, insights from the designers, and even the full rules (pdf, 12.7 MB).

Witness the treachery

Today, we’re pleased to present a video trailer for Rex. Witness the fateful betrayal that thrust the galaxy into upheaval, and prepare to defend your claim to power.

Click the image above to view the Rex trailer (Quicktime, 32.7 MB).Also available on YouTube and the FFG Media Player.

Keep checking back for more, and look for Rex on store shelves next week!

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Echoes of Empires Past

Published 13 February 2012 | Rex: Final Days of an Empire

Echoes of Empires Past

Christian T. Petersen, Corey Konieczka, and Peter Olotka discuss Rex

With the release of the rules for Rex, the upcoming board game of negotiation and betrayal for 3–6 players, players all over the world are already planning their conquest of the galaxy’s capital city. Coming to stores worldwide later this month, Rex tells the fateful story of once-proud Mecatol City in the months and years following the death of the last Lazax emperor.

Fans following the development of this much-anticipated board game are likely already aware of its design roots. Rex is based on a game system originally designed by Bill Eberle, Jack Kittredge, and Peter Olotka (Cosmic Encounter) and redeveloped for a new audience through the collaborative efforts of Christian T. Petersen (Twilight Imperium, A Game of Thrones: The Board Game), John Goodenough (Tide of Iron), and Corey Konieczka (Battlestar Galactica: The Board Game, Runewars). The original mechanics have been celebrated by the hobby games community for over thirty years, having first appeared in the (unpublished) ancient-Roman themed game Tribute. However, hobby game enthusiasts are more likely to recognize Rex’s core mechanics from Dune, the 1979 Avalon Hill board game based on Frank Herbert’s classic science fiction masterpiece.

Today, we’re pleased to offer a few words from Christian, Corey, and Peter, in which they discuss some of their insights into Rex.

Click the image above to view the back of the Lazax Empire’s faction sheet. You can also view the back of the Jol-Nar sheet.

Christian T. Petersen

We were absolutely, positively, thrilled when Peter Olotka and the team at Eon agreed to license FFG the rights to the game mechanics used in the great Dune board game. After signing the deal with Peter, we set about trying to procure the Dune license to relaunch the classic game which Avalon Hill so famously published in the 1980’s. Unfortunately, no matter how hard we tried (and we do know a thing or two about licensing), the Dune rights were not forthcoming from the Herbert estate.

While not being able to license the Dune IP was a disappointment, Peter and I agreed that the game-system (which Peter dubbed “The Dial-Based Conflict System”), would work perfectly in FFG’s Twilight Imperium setting. As the game mechanics were originally intended to distill the flavor of ancient Roman conquest, they would lend themselves well to the epic universe of strife, diplomacy, and betrayal that are the hallmarks of Twilight Imperium.

Making the organic and non-invasive narrative port of the Dune board game to the Twilight Imperium canon, however, was not an easy task. The last thing I wanted, was to contrive a retelling, or a thinly disguised paste, of the Dune narrative. I didn’t want to invent a substitute for Arrakis, or create some equivalent of Spice. Not only is there no substitute for the amazing Dune, but such a contrivance would be a disservice to the spirit and the stories we’ve told, and plan to tell, of Twilight Imperium.

Practically, there were some difficult key aspects of the Dune board game that would need to be convincingly recreated such as the sandstorm, the unique dynamics of race abilities, and the transportation of forces to the game board.

The narrative idea for Rex came sometime in ’09 after I browsed through a few office copies of older Twilight Imperium releases. Several years earlier, in the rules for the Shattered Empire expansion, I had written a short fiction piece about Sallai Sa Corian and the surprise attack on Mecatol Rex that killed him. The death of the last Lazax emperor had taken place 3,000 years prior to gameplay in the Twilight Imperium board game. It was an event that ultimately led to the Twilight Imperium galaxy spiraling into a prolonged dark age.

It struck me: This fateful incident, and the ensuing struggle for power on the imperial throne world, would work perfectly as the backdrop for the “The Dial-Based Conflict System,” Instead of the sandstorm, we had the Sol bombardment. Instead of Arrakis and the Spice, we had Mecatol City, its dwindling resources and its myriad of influential constituencies. Instead of the Guild, we had the Hacan-enabled Sol blockade. It fit.

With the IP concept decided, the long journey to make Rex began. I was pleased to contribute by writing artwork descriptions and helping with artwork procurement, to write the racial narratives and a short story of the Rex era, to develop the background for the Mecatol City regions, and so on. The heavy lifting, of course, was done by John Goodenough, Corey Konieczka, and Jason Walden who worked diligently on the development, project-management, and testing of Rex. To represent the opulence and ancient texture of the Lazax empire (which was to have existed millennia before the look we had given Twilight Imperium) Dallas Mehlhoff and Andrew Navaro created an elaborate “futuristic art deco” look that blew me away. It was at once sophisticated and elaborate, it was earthy but with a sense of spindly fragility. It was ambitious but fickle; a fantastic basis for the ruins and other faded remnants of Twilight Imperium’s long-dead empire.

The process of creating the next iteration of Eon’s classic game has been a rewarding experience. I hope that players will be as pleased with Rex as we are.

Corey Konieczka

Developing Rex posed some interesting opportunities and challenges. We knew that we wanted to use elements of the classic game Dune in a way that would fit into the Twilight Imperium universe, while appealing to gamers that may or may not have heard of the original game. At the same time, we had said from the outset that Rex should be its own experience. Indeed, our August announcement stated that:

Rex [has not sought] to become a replacement or a “new edition” of its classic predecessor, but a different game, one based in the same core mechanics, one inspired by, but not replicating or replacing, Avalon Hill’s classic Dune.

Some of our design decisions were relatively easy. For example, the plentitude of optional rules and race advantages could present a barrier of entry to new players. We wanted to make sure that ALL of a race’s abilities were printed on their faction sheet, and there was no question about which special version of the game we were playing. This dovetailed into the creation of Ally Advantage cards, which players could use to not only mark who they were in an alliance with, but also reinforce the fact that ALL special abilities available to a player were sitting in front of him.

Meanwhile, part of what made Dune such a fantastic design was the way that all of the various game systems interacted with each other. Conveying this sense of interconnectedness while updating the game to fit our own design vision was a challenge; each change we made would cascade into a larger one. First, we chose which abilities were most exciting and/or fundamental to our desired game experience, and then we began meticulously playtesting, to balance them alongside the changes we’d introduced. As we continued to develop Rex, the process confirmed that we were not just sticking a new IP on a classic game, we were creating a new game based on the classic system. The heart of the old game lived in its unique combat system, game-changing variable player powers, and shifting political allegiances. This is what we wanted to preserve, and this is how we captured the spirit of EON’s beloved classic.

Every design decision, from big to small, was made with the utmost attention to detail. Some were made to modernize the game – for example, not requiring players to write down who their Traitors were. Others were made to add more tactics – such as the new deployment rules. Ultimately though, everything came together to create one cohesive vision that we hope that gamers new and old will enjoy for many, many years to come.

Working with Peter Olotka and the rest of the EON crew was really a treat. I’m a huge fan of both Dune and Cosmic Encounter, and meeting their creators left me star-struck. These guys were pioneers, and without them, the game industry would not be where it is today. In fact, playtesting Rex with Peter Olotka will go down as one of the defining moments of my game design career!

Peter Olotka

Future Pastimes (Jack Kittredge, Bill Eberle and I) created the game system [used in Rex] in the late ‘70s for one of our unpublished games called Tribute. Tribute was a strategic territorial conquest game devoid of any luck, and chief among its attributes was our simultaneous revelation ‘battle wheel.’ The wheel pits players against one another by allowing them to secretly sacrifice their troops in order to gain a territorial win.

Simply put, you dial the number of troops you are willing to sacrifice (limited by the number of troops in the territory in question) and the player with the higher number wins the battle, but loses the number of troops dialed. Meanwhile, the loser of the battle loses all troops in the fray. Players were therefore allowed to dial 0 and “beat a hasty retreat,” fleeing to an adjacent territory. With Dune, and subsequently Rex, additional considerations of leaders, weapons, and defense were added to battle.

When I played Rex at FFG last fall, I was delighted at the elegance of the fit. From story line to graphical details to play mechanics, our game system felt like it belonged. The sense of fit was evident in the face of dramatically different stories, environments and characters. I am certain that Twilight Imperium fans will be drawn into the intrigues of the game without the slightest twinge, and that Dune players will easily pick up the modified mechanics without missing a beat!

I am excited for Twilight Imperium fans, many of whom have not played Dune, and for our loyal Dune fans who have longed for the republishing of the classic. Both groups of players will have the opportunity to experience elements of each other’s cherished game blended into one.

Thanks, Christian, Corey, and Peter! Look for Rex on store shelves everywhere next week, and keep checking back for more.

About the writers

Game Designer and CEO Christian T. Petersen (Twilight Imperium, A Game of Thrones: The Board Game) founded FFG in 1995, and has since guided the company to become one of the world’s foremost hobby games publishers.

Corey Konieczka (Battlestar Galactica: The Board Game, Runewars) works as Vice President of Research and Design for Fantasy Flight Games, where he has contributed his valuable creative input since 2005.

Peter Olotka (Dune, Cosmic Encounter) is co-owner of Future Pastimes, LLC. His contributions to the hobby games industry have been substantial; during his time as owner and designer at Eon Products, Mr. Olotka helped to develop the Dial-Based Conflict System, among many other designs.

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The Rules for Rex are Now Online

Published 2 February 2012 | Rex: Final Days of an Empire

The Rules for Rex are Now Online

Download them today, and prepare to decide the fate of a galaxy

A sudden and unexpected attack has left Mecatol Rex, the galactic seat of power, in disarray. Now, the city’s ambitious factions have begun their diplomatic and military maneuvering, each hoping to seize authority when the dust settles. Through negotiation and guile, one great race will decide the fate of the galaxy... but who will it be?

A Guide to Mecatol City

The rules for Rex (12.7 MB), the board game of negotiation and warfare for 3–6 players, are now available for download from our support page! Set 3,000 years before the events of Twilight Imperium, Rex tells the fateful story of once-proud Mecatol City in the months and years following the death of the last Lazax emperor.

Rex is based on a game system originally designed by Bill Eberle, Jack Kittredge, and Peter Olotka (Cosmic Encounter) and redeveloped for a new audience through the collaborative efforts of Christian T. Petersen (Twilight Imperium, A Game of Thrones: The Board Game), John Goodenough (Tide of Iron), and Corey Konieczka (Battlestar Galactica: The Board Game, Runewars). This engaging game presents players with compelling asymmetrical racial abilities, as well as a myriad of opportunities for diplomacy and deception.

Download the rules today, then head to your local retailer to place your pre-order!

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Masters of Science and Technology

Published 30 January 2012 | Rex: Final Days of an Empire

Masters of Science and Technology

A preview of Rex, a board game of negotiation, betrayal, and warfare

Rex, a board game of negotiation, betrayal, and warfare for three to six players, will begin bombarding tabletops this quarter. Set 3,000 years before the events of Twilight Imperium, Rex tells the tale of the war-ravaged Mecatol City following a surprise attack by ambitious and treacherous Sol forces.

In our last preview article, we looked at some of the core mechanics of Rex, and saw how its warring factions compete to claim influence in the wake of massive devastation. We also examined the unique abilities of the Lazax, the once-great former rulers of the galaxy, now desperately clinging to power while scrambling to mount a viable defense. We learned how the politically and militarily entrenched Lazax have greater access to resources than their rivals, a distinction exemplified by their special faction ability.

But what are Strategy cards, and how exactly does a player claim them? Today, we’ll take a closer look at these vital military and political assets, and we’ll see how the Universities of Jol-Nar, as the galactic gatekeepers of technology and information, gain a distinct advantage in their acquisition and use.

Underhanded tactics and powerful weapons

Purchased using an auction system during an early phase of each round, Strategy cards represent technological and tactical benefits that can be employed at various key moments throughout the game.

At the start of each Bidding phase, a number of Strategy cards equal to the number of players are drawn and placed facedown near the game board. In turn, each card now becomes the prize in an auction for which players spend their hard-earned influence (see our last preview).

Strategy cards like Diplomatic Interference offer valuable one-time effects and are discarded from play.

It’s important to note, however, that throughout this process, the Strategy cards in question remain facedown. This way, while the players know they are competing for some advantage, the exact nature of that advantage remains hidden to them all (except for the Jol-Nar, but we’ll get to that in a moment).

Once won, Strategy cards convey a range of helpful effects to their owners. Most of these cards, like Diplomatic Interference, simply state a triggering condition followed by an effect. Representing anything from savvy political maneuvering to outright sabotage, these cards are generally discarded when played.

Other Strategy cards, however, are differentiated by one of two icons in their upper left corner. The attack or defense combat icon indicates a Strategy card that can only be played during battle (and even then, only during the “Commit Strategy Cards” step of the Battle phase).

We’ll go into more detail on the specifics of battle in a future preview, but suffice it to say that attack and defense Strategy cards are designed to destroy or protect leaders, respectively. Leaders are characters who take part in battle, and are vitally important to a player’s chances of success. Each leader has a strength value that is added to the overall strength of an attacking or defending army. If a Strategy card unexpectedly removes your chosen leader from a fight, you’ll likely find yourself suddenly and uncomfortably outgunned.

Left: An attack Strategy card. Right: A defense Strategy card.

A player, at the start of any battle in which he is involved, can commit one of each type. If he wins, he retains both cards and may commit them again to future battles.

Leave nothing to chance

To win combat in Rex, you will do well to know your enemy, remember which weapons he has at his disposal, and try to predict his decisions. If the attacking Hacan use their X-35 Biological Weapon (attack card), you’d better have chosen your Atmospheric Ionizer (defense card) to counteract the effects, or you’ll lose your leader...and probably the battle as well.

So why leave such vital matters to the mercy of chance, guesswork, or faulty memories? As the galaxy’s undisputed technological authorities, the Jol-Nar possess invaluable inside information about who is wielding what against whom. First, during the Bidding phase, the Jol-Nar player is the only one able to look at the Strategy cards being bid upon. He can use this coveted intelligence to keep track of which weapons and countermeasures are being purchased (and by whom), to help save his own influence for only the best purchases, or (if he’s feeling particularly mischievous) to bluff his opponents into overspending for cards that are useless to them!

The Universities of the Jol-Nar Race Sheet. Click to enlarge.

Additionally, the Jol-Nar are able to gain advance knowledge of an enemy’s battle plans before a fight. Normally when two forces meet in combat, their leaders, attack cards, defense cards, and number of committed troops are revealed simultaneously before a winner is determined. The Jol-Nar, however, are able to demand that their opponent reveal one of these elements in advance, giving them a distinct advantage in the coming fight. Is your enemy powering up his Energy Rifle? Now you’ll be sure to bring your Magen Shield. Will he be protecting himself with the Atmospheric Ionizer? Bring your own Energy Rifle, against which the Ionizer offers no defense!

Finally, the Universities of the Jol-Nar boast the ability to secretly look at the top card of the Influence deck during the Maneuvering phase, potentially predicting an upcoming Sol Offensive and avoiding its destructive wrath. What else happens in the Maneuvering phase, and what exactly does the Sol Offensive card mean for the great city of Mecatol Rex? For that, you’ll have to check back for more previews.

Visit our website often to learn all the exciting details of Rex, and look for it on store shelves later this quarter!

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How The Mighty Have Fallen

Published 11 January 2012 | Rex: Final Days of an Empire

How The Mighty Have Fallen

A preview of Rex, a board game of diplomacy, conquest, and betrayal

Ancient and benevolent founders of the Galactic Council and rulers of the galaxy for over 24,000 years, the mighty Lazax could not, for all their knowledge, foresee the Sol incursion that would herald their final days. Nevertheless, the established power of the galaxy and the masters of Mecatol Rex are not easily forced aside. Leaderless, under siege, their forces in disarray, the Lazax still claim substantial advantage in exploiting the influence and loyalty of their capital city. But will their considerable wealth and remaining influence over their own city prove enough to repel this assault and reaffirm their power?

In August, we announced the upcoming release of Rex, a board game of negotiation, betrayal, and warfare for three to six players. Set 3,000 years before the events of Twilight Imperium, Rex tells the fateful story of once-proud Mecatol City in the months and years following the death of the last Lazax emperor.

Although the ferocity and swiftness of the Sol assault took them by surprise, the well entrenched Lazax were able to muster considerable political and military support for a subsequent resistance. Today’s preview will examine some of the core mechanics of Rex, and how its warring factions struggle to acquire much-needed influence in the midst of a chaotic urban conflict. And while Rex’s six unique races feature special abilities that make each a viable candidate for victory, we will focus on the benefits of the Lazax. Their centuries-old mastery of the city makes them the faction best suited to accumulate and wield influence, even as they desperately cling to power.

The support of a city

Influence is a game currency that represents hidden weapons caches, political support, and other resources (both tangible and intangible) as found in Mecatol City. In the context of the game’s mechanics, influence is essential; it is used to “purchase” a wide range of necessary assets:

Early in each round, players bid influence to acquire Strategy cards. These weapons and tactics provide a variety of bonuses and are often used during battle.
Given the Hacan-enabled blockage in the airspace over Mecatol City, troop deployment demands a considerable commitment of resources. Influence must be spent whenever a player wishes to move units from his reserve onto the board.
Over the course of the game, dozens of destroyed leaders and units will be sent to the casualty pool. Influence can be spent to recruit their replacements.

Future previews will provide details on Strategy cards, combat, and troop deployment. For now, suffice it to say that influence is a vastly important element of Rex. Players will want to acquire it whenever possible, as running out will bring a faction’s military endeavors screeching to a halt. But how does one go about accumulating the most influence?

The spoils of war

The moment the dust from the Sol fleet’s opening salvo settled and the bleak recognition of its implications set in, the savviest leaders in Mecatol City started planning. In the confusion, which of the city’s remaining locations would be safest? Most profitable? Most politically vital? With each faction seeking to further its own agenda, the struggle ensued for dominance of the city.

Gaining influence in Rex is a matter of controlling influential locations. The icon to the right indicates an influence-producing area, which can potentially generate these all-important tokens based on the results of a card draw at the start of each round. By maneuvering into an area in which influence has been placed (then surviving any subsequent battles against contenders for the area), a faction can lay claim to two influence per unit controlled in the area, per round.

But beware! The Sol dreadnought fleet continually sweeps Mecatol Rex from orbit, systematically bombing entire sectors of the city and annihilating unprotected armies and influence alike with impunity (Check back to learn more about this relentless bombardment in a future preview). This creates a unique challenge: how can a faction collect the most influence while simultaneously avoiding the fiery wrath of the orbiting attackers? Leaders must maneuver their forces out from under the protection of shielded districts, engage their enemies in combat, lay claim to whatever resources they can, and escape back to safety, all before grim death rains from above!

Influence cards like the one on the left are drawn at the start of each round, instructing players to place Influence tokens on one or more of the board’s areas, like the one on the right.

Paying them their due

Given these obstacles to wealth, it is helpful to have additional means of income. The Lazax maintain substantial political clout, as exemplified by a special ability that ensures that they seldom lack influence. Whenever another player wins a bid for a Strategy card (a process we will examine more closely in our next preview), he must pay the Lazax player rather than returning the spent influence to the influence pool.

The Lazax Empire’s Race sheet. Click to enlarge.

Not only does this mean a healthy influx of resources, but it gives the Lazax player plenty of leverage when bidding for new technologies or tactics. The wealthy Lazax player can confidently “bid up” the price for a Strategy card, satisfied in the knowledge that his position is win-win. Either he wins the card he was after, or he loses the auction... but collects valuable influence from the winner.

As the Lazax race sheet also indicates, these ancient leaders of the galaxy have access to another unique asset: Mechanized units. With double the combat effectiveness of standard units, Mechanized units provide a indisputable advantage on the battlefield, and with the resources to field them quickly, the Imperial Lazax remain a forced to be reckoned with.

Check back for more on Rex in the coming weeks, and look for it to bombard your local retailer in the first quarter of 2012!

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At the Heart of the Galaxy

Published 23 August 2011 | Rex: Final Days of an Empire

At the Heart of the Galaxy

Announcing Rex: Final Days of an Empire, a board game of negotiation and conquest

It was the seventy-third year of the period that historians call the Twilight Wars. The conflict, which had thus far been a string of territorial disputes and border skirmishes, was about to enter a far more deadly phase.

Complacent by their age-old imperial rule, the Lazax had mortally underestimated the severity of the unrest. Failing to heed the true state of affairs, imperial forces had arrogantly been disbursed across the galaxy, engaged in thousands of peacekeeping and policing missions; their strength stretched increasingly thin.

Then, one fateful evening, the Lazax found themselves betrayed. A great Sol fleet, equipped with secret technology, struck violently at the heart of the empire, at the planetary seat of the emperor himself: Mecatol Rex.

With its planetary-shield network compromised by sabotage and centuries of underfunding, with the bulk of its home fleet dispatched to quell a nearby uprising, Mecatol Rex had little protection against the slaughter and devastation that would follow.

The last Lazax emperor and his family were among the first casualties of the Sol bombardment. The methodical destruction of imperial institutions and the vital infrastructure followed in the months thereafter. Throughout the continent-sized city, the ambassadorial contingents of great races quickly entered the fray to further their own interests. Secret caches of arms were opened, and special forces mustered into action. From outsystem, Hacan trading lords deftly flouted the Sol blockade, bringing reinforcements to any surface faction with sufficient coin or influence. Fierce fighting erupted as the convergence of powerful ambitions sought to control the influential real estate of the vast city.

What was once a splendid jewel of civilization and empire would soon dissolve into a smoking nightmare of armed conflict and destruction. It was a dramatic microcosm of the great fire that would engulf the galaxy in the years that followed.

Fantasy Flight Games is thrilled to announce the upcoming release of Rex: Final Days of an Empire, a board game of negotiation, betrayal, and warfare. Three to six players will embark to take control of ancient interstellar civilizations competing for dominance of the galaxy’s crumbling capital. Set 3,000 years before the events of Twilight Imperium, Rex: Final Days of an Empire tells the fateful story of once-proud Mecatol City in the months and years following the death of the last Lazax emperor.

A Re-imagined Classic

Rex: Final Days of an Empire is based on a game system originally designed by Bill Eberle, Jack Kittredge, and Peter Olotka (Cosmic Encounter) and redeveloped for a new audience through the collaborative efforts of Christian T. Petersen (Twilight Imperium, A Game of Thrones: The Board Game), John Goodenough (Tide of Iron), and Corey Konieczka (Battlestar Galactica: The Board Game, Runewars).

The original mechanics have been celebrated by the hobby games community for over thirty years, having first appeared in the ancient-Roman themed game Tribute. However, hobby game enthusiasts are more likely to recognize Rex’s core mechanics from Dune, the 1979 Avalon Hill board game based on Frank Herbert’s classic science fiction masterpiece.

A few years ago, when FFG first acquired the rights to this amazing game system (tersely called the “Simultaneous Dial Based Order System”), we sought to also acquire the Dune literary license, in order to create a new edition of the classic Avalon Hill implementation.

However, despite significant effort and outreach, it was not possible for FFG to acquire this license, so instead we decided to use the game system in our own popular Twilight Imperium universe.

From the outset, we did not want to invent a sand-planet in the Twilight Imperium IP nor create a thematic substitute for Dune’s all-important “spice.” In other words, we didn’t want to force-fit the Avalon Hill classic game in our setting. Not only is there no substitute for the wonderful background and qualities of Herbert’s Dune novels as portrayed in Avalon Hill’s Dune game, but we were intent not to force contrived or comprised elements into theTwilight Imperium IP.

Instead, it was important to find a context that would work for Twilight Imperium, one in the which the core game mechanics of the “Simultaneous Dial Based Order System” would be thematically evoked within the TI setting in a natural way.

This was not a difficult challenge. In fact, the system seemed ideal to retell one of the major dramatic narratives of Twilight Imperium: The fall of Mecatol Rex after the last Lazax emperor, and the power struggle for the imperial city that followed. This epic phase in Twilight Imperium history brought all the elements needed to honor the pace and intent of the “Simultaneous Dial Based Order System” and its previous implementations: A nexus of politics and intrigue, an environment of warfare and conflict, bombardments, the struggle for limited resources, and so on.

As the theme for our game quickly crystallized, so did the fact that Rex: Final Days of an Empire would not seek to become a replacement or a “new edition” of its classic predecessor, but a different game, one based in the same core mechanics, one inspired by, but not replicating or replacing, Avalon Hill’s classic Dune.

We hope players will agree we’ve succeeded.

Control the city to rule the galaxy

Rex: Final Days of an Empire begins with the devastating Sol bombardment already in full force and the imperial palace in ruins. Players must quickly seek to control the vital areas of Mecatol City for the advancement of their own civilization. To do so, they must marshal their forces quickly and seek the the support of influential citizens, access to hidden weapon caches, and control of local institutions. They need to muster influence and wealth to smuggle additional troops through the orbiting blockade, to acquire the latest weapon technologies, and to seek support from the rival factions across the content-sized metropolis.

While the orbiting Sol fleet bombs the city relentlessly, players must balance their need for shielded locations with their desire to capture resources, wealth, and control of the city. For millennia, the fate of a million worlds were decided in the hallowed halls of Mecatol Rex. The one to capture the heart of the empire will surely emerge as a great power in the new age ahead.

Rex: Final Days of an Empire offers engaging opportunities for diplomacy, dealmaking, and even betrayal! Players can enter alliances with each other, and each unique race has access to a special abilities that can be of help in such partnerships. But beware: Victory from within an alliance is more difficult to achieve than that of a single player, and a timely betrayal by an ambitious former friend could leave you out in the cold. What’s more, your Leaders may secretly be in the employ of an opponent, so whether on the field of battle or in clandestine negotiations, be careful who you trust.

For more on Rex: Final Days of an Empire, including an overview of its six playable races, visit our Rex: Final Days of an Empire website. Keep checking back in the coming weeks as we offer in-depth previews.

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