Zeitalter der Vernunft (2011)

Set in the latter half of the 18th century, Zeitalter der Vernunft ("Age of Reason") makes players take on the role of regents for Great Britain, the Netherlands, France, Spain, Prussia, Austria and Russia who want to increase their home country's power in Europe while simultaneously establishing colonial empires in Africa, India and the Western Hemisphere.

One country working on its own will not be able to achieve its goals, so players must take part in shifting alliances, with whose help they hope to achieve their plans - or at least stave off direct competition from a potential enemy.

While Zeitalter der Vernunft can be played with only two players with the existing rules, the publisher recommends against this.

Reimplements:

• Struggle of Empires

This German-only edition is limited to 500 copies. Spielworxx has promised that English rules will be available on its website.

Despite having a similar alliance system and game boards that resemble one another almost exactly, Spielworxx' Uli Blennemann has clarified some differences between Zeitalter der Vernunft and Struggle of Empires:

• Instead of armies, fleets, forts, and control pieces, players now have only control pieces that represent a "presence". Armies and fleets are represented by cards – with each player having a set of cards – that can be played during a battle by paying the monetary cost.

• All of the tiles in SoE have been replaced with a display in the lower-right section of the game board that includes spaces for advancements, support and trade. A player places a piece in a certain location to show that he has a particular advantage, which makes a player's abilities easier to notice and plan for during the game, especially with a large group.

• The player turn sequence is simpler and more straightforward, with a player first placing one of his pieces in an empty spot on the display, then conducting one attack. No purchsing of units, no movement, no colonization, etc.

Says Blennemann, "Is Zeitalter der Vernunft a better game? I can't answer this. To my mind it is the faster, more elegant and more modern game – plus it has much better graphics. It retains Martin's brilliant alliance system."