Pocket Imperium is a 4X microgame for 2-4 player. I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about this game, mainly due to problems with computer crashes and unsaved work, this is the third time I’ve written this post.

When I first saw Pocket Imperium being demoed I thought it looked like a winner. It could easily find a way into my pocket. It was sci-fi, it was a microgame, it was modular. These are all big positives for me. The only thing that really turned me off was the price. At around the $30 mark it’s a lot for a small box. That said the components are all good quality. The board pieces are good thick cardboard and the ships are wood. I must say, I like that all the ships have a different design, it’s a nice touch. My personal favourite is the Cheese army (navy?). I think at this point we can just make our peace with high prices for small games. We’re saving on the more precious resource that is shelf space.

For those you not familiar with the term 4x, it is a shorthand for the family of games this game belongs to. In these games players must eXpand, eXplore, eXterminate and eXploit, hence 4x. The core of Pocket Imperium is choosing when to do what. Each player has a hand of three cards, expand, explore and exterminate (exploiting comes later). Each round player will secretly and simultaneously choose the order in which they wish to take these actions, laying their cards face down in front of them. So here’s the crux. The more people that choose to do the same action at the same time, the less effective the action is. So for example in a four player game, if each player chooses to expand first, each player will only get to expand once. If however you are the only player to choose an action you get to do it three times.With the limited space available in space, players will always be rammed right up against one another, and so you will often find yourself guessing and second guessing not only your moves, but neighbours too.

At the end of each round come the exploitation (scoring). Players will choose one system to score. Each planet controlled by at least one ship will pay out its points to whoever controls it. All players have to choose a system to score, and this creates a kind puzzle that drives the game. If you condense your ships you’ll be able to keep a strong grasp on one system, but the most you’ll ever score is 5 or 6 points. In order to score big you have to spread yourself out so that other players will be forced to score systems you have a stake in. The game wants you to spread out, it wants you to get in each others faces, it wants you to wear your forces thin, and that is great.

But… that’s as good as it gets. I wanted to like Pocket Imperium, I really did, but it’s just not what I wanted it to be. It doesn’t feel like you’re fighting epic space battles for control of a galaxy, it feels like you’re moving little pieces of wood around a board. There’s no depth. I kept thinking when I was playing, wouldn’t it be cool if I had some kind of faction ability, or some development cards, or some way to resolve conflict other than who has more ships. It doesn’t feel like they made a big game in a small box. It feels like they took a big game and just started cutting bits out. Am I being unfair? Maybe. I’m judging a game for what it’s not. I’ve got a box of instant mashed potatoes and I’m upset that it’s not my mom’s home cooking. Either way, I think it’s just a bit… bland.

So where do we stand. Is Pocket Imperium good? It’s OK, verging on good. Who’s it for? I don’t really know, maybe nobody. It might see some play as a travel game, but it certainly won’t be seeing my game table at home, and there are many other small games I would pack first. Jaipur, similar size, price, but much more enjoyable. As an intro to 4x I would tag the much more exciting Quantum. If you’re looking for a minimalist game, for 2-4 players, that plays pretty quick, and is ok to play while semi distracted by chit-chat or the noise of a pub, and is in space, then maybe Pocket Imperium is for you.