Editing Imperium (board game) (section)

==Reception==
In the January–February 1978 edition of ''[[The Space Gamer]]'' (No. 15), Tony Watson gave the game a strong recommendation, saying, ""''Imperium'' brings together many common themes of science fiction, and ties them to an excellent and intriguing game system which places both players in a unique situation with unique abilities to respond to that situation. Its ease of play makes it an enjoyable game. I predict it will be a classic."<ref name="SG">{{Cite magazine |last=Watson |first=Tony |date=January–February 1978 |title=Imperium: A Review |magazine=The Space Gamer |publisher=Steve Jackson Games |issue=15 |pages=28–29}}</ref>

In Issue 29 of the British wargaming magazine ''[[Perfidious Albion (magazine)|Perfidious Albion]]'', Charles Vasey and Geoffrey Barnard discussed this game. Vasey commented, "I was agreeably surprised by this game, it really hangs together as a story. It present both sides with different targets. The constant effect of the action off the board keeps things hopping." Barnard replied, "In a way this game manages to cover well the whole range of combat, from tactical through strategic to galactic, including economics and certain political considerations." Vasey concluded, "A fine game ... man the laser beams and summon my flagship." Barnard concluded, " The game could go on for a very long time ... The game is therefore probably best played as a continuing saga, where you record the positions at the end of each war/peace cycle and start your next war from that point."<ref name=pa>{{cite magazine|last1=Vasey|first1=Charles| last2=Barnard|first2 = Geoffrey |date= July 1978|title= Imperium|magazine=[[Perfidious Albion (magazine)|Perfidious Albion]]| issue=29|pages=5–6}}</ref>

In Issue 84 of ''Campaign'', [[Don Lowry]] noted the open-ended structure of the length of games, writing, "At the end of each game, a die is rolled to determine the length of the peace before the next war begins, repatriation of forces, territorial exchanges, interwar income, postwar production, interwar attrition, interwar production, interwar colonization and redistribution of forces."<ref name="campaign84">{{cite magazine |last=Lowry|first=Don| author-link=Don Lowry | date=March–April 1979 |title=Imperium |magazine=Campaign |issue=98 }}</ref>

In Issue 11 of ''[[The Wargamer (magazine)|The Wargamer]]'', Hugh Baldwin liked the wide variety of options available to each player, writing, "A nice feature of the counter mix is the very wide variety of unit types for both the Terran and the Imperial player, ranging from Scouts, Destroyers, Missile Boats and four types of Cruisers ... to Dreadnoughts and Battleships, and including auxiliaries such as Transports and Tankers." Baldwin concluded, "The overall result is a clean, fast moving, but very convincing game."<ref name="wg11">{{cite magazine |last=Baldwin|first=Hugh | date=Fall 1979 |title=Imperium |magazine=[[The Wargamer (magazine)|The Wargamer]]|issue=11 }}</ref>

In the September 1978 edition of ''Dragon'' (Issue 18), Dave Minch was ambivalent about the game. He liked the straightforward rules, saying, "It is a medium sized game of no great complexity which demands strategic attention and can be in doubt to the end. It is simple in many respects and has some excellent solutions to design problems which work well." However, Minch found the production values of the game components to be poor — the counters were too thin and not cut well, and the map contained errors. He also wanted more historical background to explain the setting of the game. Minch concluded, "''Imperium'' has good points and bad, the good ahead by a slim margin. I think it’s worth your time since it shows a real regard for science fiction among the designers."<ref name="dragon18">{{Cite magazine |last=Minch |first=Dave |date=September 1978 |title=Reviews |magazine=Dragon |publisher=TSR, Inc. |issue=18 |page=8}}</ref>

In the December 1979 -January 1980 edition of ''[[White Dwarf (magazine)|White Dwarf]]'' (Issue #16), Colin Reynolds gave the game a rating of 9 out of 10, saying, "The whole is extremely well produced, boxed, with a colourful map and large, clear counters and simple, clear-cut rules. ''Imperium'' is, without exception, the best game of its kind I have seen to date, and is a valuable addition to any gamer's library."<ref name="wd16">{{Cite magazine |last=Reynolds |first=Colin |date=December 1979 – January 1980 |title=Open Box |magazine=White Dwarf |publisher=Games Workshop |issue=16 |pages=14–15}}</ref>

In the inaugural edition of ''[[Ares (magazine)|Ares Magazine]]'' (March 1980), [[David J. Ritchie|David Ritchie]] gave ''Imperium'' a better than average rating of 8 out of 9, saying, "This is either a serendipitous design or a cold-blooded development of a classic. Nicely conceived and beautifully executed. A moderately complex game, playable in a few hours.".<ref name="Ares">{{Cite magazine |last=Ritchie |first=David |author-link=David J. Ritchie |date=March 1980 |title=A Galaxy of Games |magazine=Ares |publisher=Simulations Publications, Inc. |issue=1 |page=29}}</ref>

In the 1980 book ''[[The Complete Book of Wargames]]'', game designer [[Jon Freeman (game designer)|Jon Freeman]] called the game's presentation "flawless", and said of the game, "While not wildly original, the rationale is suitable and appealing." He noted that "At both the strategic and tactical levels, players have almost a surfeit of options."  Freeman concluded by giving an Overall Evaluation of "Very Good", saying, "It's marvelous fun and challenging, too. Hard to beat."<ref name=cbw>{{cite book| last = Freeman| first = Jon| author-link = Jon Freeman (game designer)| title = The Complete Book of Wargames| publisher = Simon & Schuster| date = 1980| location = New York| pages = 218–219}}</ref>

In a retrospective review that appeared in ''Warning Order'' 33 years after the game's original publication, Matt Irsik called ''Imperium'' "still regarded as one of the best sci-fi games of all time." Irsik noted, "There are a dozen strategies about what to buy for your fleet and how they will be used, which gives this game good replay value." Irsik concluded, "Although this can be a long game and you can go through several wars, it is in my opinion, one of the best sci-fi based games out there and fun to play."<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Irsik|first=Matt|date=Fall 2010 |title=Dusting Off Some Old Sci-Fi Games |magazine=Warning Order |issue=28|pages=17}}</ref>