Galactic Empires (game)

Play-by-mail space combat game

Galactic EmpiresDesigners| Original design by Daniel Pierce (1979), David Pierce (1996) and Mark Wardell (2018)

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Publishers| Pierce Enterprises (1979-1996), Wy'East Games (1996-present)
Publication| September 1979
Years active| 1979-2002, restarting late 2024.
Genres| wargame, science fiction, play-by-mail
Languages| English
Players| Unlimited
Setup time| 5 minutes
Playing time| 20-60 minutes per turn. Potential of hours corresponding with other players planning and negotiating.
Chance| Medium
Skills| Negotiation, Strategy game
Materials required| Instructions, order sheets, turn results, paper, pencil
Media type| Play-by-mail or email

Galactic Empires is a space-based open-end, play-by-mail (PBM) wargame.

## History and development

[edit]

Galactic Empires was a computer moderated.[1] open-ended, space-based, science fiction play-by-mail wargame of medium complexity published by Pierce Enterprises and later by Wy'East Games. The game launched in 1979 and was "well established" by 1984.[2] By 1986, some of the empires were "massive".[3] Turns had no time limit, enabling overseas players as well.[3] The game designer was Dan Pierce, who attempted to improve on Starweb.[3] By 1985, the publisher had moved the game system from a "TRS 80-1 to a Tandy 1200 HD" for speed and expansion purposes.[4] Dan eventually lost interest in the game, so his brother David took over for many year. In the Mid-90's Mark Wardell, Wy'East Games, took over first under a licensing agreement and later purchasing the game outright.

## Gameplay

[edit]

Gameplay shared similarities with Starweb.[2] Four empires types were available: "Empire Builder, Star Merchant, Xenophobe, [and] Pirate".[3] Players choose between four character types.[2] Available elements include "ships, ground based military equipment, economic components, etc.", providing gameplay options for players.[2]

## Reception

[edit]

Dave Weidner reviewed the game in a 1986 issue of Flagship. He gave it a generally positive review, stating that "In all, Galactic Empires is a game that is simple enough for a novice, while still challenging enough for the most advanced player, at a reasonable cost".[5]

## See also

[edit]

* List of play-by-mail games

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Balicki 1983. p. 20.
2. ^ a b c d McLain 1984. p. 43.
3. ^ a b c d Weidner 1986. p. 18.
4. ^ Editors 1985. p. 29.
5. ^ Weidner 1986. pp. 18–20.

## Bibliography

[edit]

* Balicki, Rick (1983). "Game Reviewers Notebook: Galactic Empires". The Nuts & Bolts of PBM. No. 15\. p. 20.
* Editors (Summer 1985). "The Spokesmen Speak: Galactic Empires". Flagship. No. 7\. p. 29.
* McLain, Bob (January–February 1984). "Gamealog: Galactic Empires". Gaming Universal. No. 2\. p. 43.
* Weidner, Dave (Spring 1986). "Galactic Empires: Free-Wheeling Mayhem". Flagship. No. 10\. pp. 18, 20.

* v
* t
* e

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Other|

* List of play-by-mail games

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