Tech Trees / Tech Tracks

Age of Galaxy is a strategic 4X game that places you in control of an interstellar alliance consisting of three factions with unique powers. You can explore systems, colonize planets, research technologies, build galactic cruisers, and much more. You have many potential paths to victory based on how your factions work together and the main ideology of your alliance. The five ideologies:

Supporters of Science commit themselves to lifelong research on new technologies, convinced that knowledge is the only way forward.
Upholders of Militarism are merciless aggressors who conquer by might, regarding wars as a means to an end.
Keen adopters of Diplomacy prioritize relations between factions, acting tactfully while competing to become the head of the Congress.
Factions that value Industrialism undertake ambitious construction schemes to turn planets into highly-developed cities and industrial complexes.
As for factions that advocate Culturalism, they take pride in cultivating spiritual and cultural growth, always curious about the insights the mysterious "relics" might offer.

Faction cards can be played in multiple ways, with players either integrating them into their empire or sacrificing them for one-time benefits through agreements. More than thirty factions are included in the game.

This second edition of Age of Galaxy introduces an enhanced solo mode, new graphic design, and improved components to enrich the gameplay experience.

In The Great Split, you draft cards to collect riches such as gems, gold, artwork, and tomes, adding them to your collection to make it the most prestigious of all!

You start each round by splitting your cards into two groups, then you pass your wallet to the player on your left — but only one group of cards will be given back to you. You split, they choose! Don't despair, though, because while your opponent is looking at your split, you also receive a similar offer from the player on your right, so choose wisely. When your hand is complete, play your cards to add all those riches to your collection.

Each type of riches awards you prestige points in different ways, so maintain a balanced collection of gems, keep an eye on the value of the art market as it evolves, and pile up priceless tomes. Depending on how each player builds their collection, different riches will take on a different value for each of them. Show off your best haggling skills in crafting your split, and create the perfect offer to push your opponent to take what you want them to take...leaving you with the tastiest loot!

Be prepared for when the mid-game scorings are triggered. Manage your gold reserves sensibly to get additional riches, and make your collection just right!

—description from publisher

In the far-off future, the solar system is inhabited by 3 races: Humans, Robots, and Animods.
Civilization runs off of Zenithium, a clean and renewable energy source, but coexistence is a struggle.
Your goal: unite the planets to gain control of the senate!

Players will struggle to gain Influence on the 5 planets: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, and Jupiter. This Influence is represented by discs in different colors.

In Zenith, there are 3 victory conditions:

Absolute victory: Gain 3 Influence discs from the same planet.
Democratic victory: Gain 4 Influence discs from strictly different planets.
Popular victory: Gain 5 Influence discs (from any planets).

The game ends immediately as soon as one player meets 1 of these three conditions.

—description from the publisher

In Potions of Azerland you will, you guessed it, make potions!

Gather resources from the forest, increase your knowledge in various potion types, go to the market to collect and trade goods, then make your potions to drink for unique powers or fulfill the orders of travelers who come to your town!

Potions of Azerland utilizes a unique simultaneous action selection mechanism where understanding the goals of your opponents in each round will give you the upper hand. Decide whether to drink your newly made potions for temporary boosts and prolonged powers or give them to an ever changing group of travelers for points and other bonuses. After 6 rounds the player who has garnered the most prestige will be the winner!

—description from the publisher

Behold, Andromeda's Edge: A dazzling, uncharted region of space on the edge of the Andromeda Galaxy. Littered with the modular debris of the precursor civilization, patrolled by malicious extragalactic raiders, and bordered by dense nebulae, The Edge is a last resort for the brave and foolhardy who seek a new life beyond the oppressive reach of the Lords of Unity.

In this game, you lead a desperate faction seeking to build a new civilization on Andromeda's Edge. You begin with only a space station, a few ships, and a handful of resources. By carefully placing your ships, you will gather resources, claim moons, acquire modules to add to your station, populate planets and build developments on them. You will battle opponents and compete with others to ascend the progress tracks: Science, Industry, Commerce, Civilization and Supremacy.

On your turn, you either launch a starship or return your ships to your station. Launching sends one of your starships to a region of Andromeda, either collecting resources from planetary systems or taking actions at Alliance Bases. If the region is occupied by your opponents or fearsome raiders, face off in a dice battle, with Supremacy on the line but where strategic manipulation can turn a loss into a reward. Returning to your station allows you to activate your engine, using the modules you’ve acquired to generate energy, gain resources and carry out actions.

Throughout the game you will build up your unique faction, building developments (Observatories, Factories, Spaceports, Cities and Obelisks) and gaining station modules which move you up the progress tracks. Advancement on the tracks is rewarded both during mid-game events and at the conclusion, and is the key to victory.