- Publisher : Sorry We Are French
- Designer(s) : Marco Canetta, Stefania Niccolini
- Artist(s) : Ulric Maes, David Sitbon
- Players : 1–4
- Playing time : 60–120 Min
- Weight BGG : 3.86
What's this?
The game takes place in 221 BC, when Ying Zheng, King of Qin, unified the Warring States to create the first Chinese empire.
How do you play?
The Zhanguo game is played over 5 rounds, each divided into 3 phases.
Phase 1: Draw Cards
At the beginning of each round, each player draws 2 cards from each deck (Scripture, Currency, and Laws).
Phase 2: Play Cards
Players take turns playing exactly one card from their hand. They can perform one of two main actions:
➡️ Unification Action: Place the card in one of the five regions of their personal board to obtain unification tokens (Scripture, Currency, or Laws) and various bonuses.
➡️ Courtyard Action:
➡ Hire 2 Workers: Recruit 2 workers in a region where a general is located. This increases the unrest in that region.
➡ Build 1 Palace: Spend 3 workers from two regions to build a palace in an architect’s region.
➡ Build 1 Wall: Build a wall on the main board by spending workers.
➡ Search for the Elixir: Move your ship along the track and unlock terracotta soldiers or place alchemist cards.
➡ Official: Recruit an official (Alchemist, Architect, General) in a region on your board.
➡ Install 1 Governor: Spend the 3 different officials to put a governor into play and reduce the region’s unrest to 0.
Phase 3: Unification Rewards
At the end of each round, rewards are awarded to the players who have contributed the most to unification in the three areas. The player with the most tokens in a area receives the corresponding reward, then must discard their tokens.
Placement in the Mausoleum: Soldiers can be placed on the Mausoleum tiles. The player places a soldier on the highest available spot on the tile, which allows him to immediately score VPs. Players can place multiple soldiers as long as they meet the conditions of each Mausoleum tile. At the end of the game, players gain 10 VPs for each row or column completed with their soldiers in the Mausoleum
End of the game: The game ends after the fifth round.
Is it good?
Zhanguo: The First Empire is a strategy and management game of remarkable richness. Its particularly ingenious card management mechanism invites you to find the right balance between building an efficient game engine and achieving specific objectives to get ahead of your opponents. This mechanism offers undeniable strategic depth.
The game will solicit your thinking at every moment, forcing you to make crucial choices and constantly adapt to the actions of other players. Faced with the multitude of possibilities, you will have to prioritize your actions and optimize your resources.
The quality of the components, characteristic of Sorry We Are French, is once again there. The illustrations and materials used are magnificent and contribute to the immersion in the game universe.
In summary, Zhanguo: The First Empire is a demanding eurogame that will delight fans of complex strategic games. Its subtle card management, strategic depth and quality material make it an excellent gaming experience. However, it is not recommended for players looking for lighter games.
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Review Zhanguo: The First Empire
Positives
- Card management
- A rich and deep game
- Quality material
- An elegant game
Negatives
- A demanding gameplay
- A slightly withdrawn theme
Breakdown
- Components and illustrations 10.0
- Mechanics 9.0
- Thematic 8.0
- Replayability 9.0
- Handling 8.5
- Interaction 8.0
- Originality 8.5
