How to Play Twilight Imperium: Fourth Edition
Twilight Imperium: Fourth Edition is a galactic strategy game built around public objectives, faction asymmetry and negotiation. Territory matters because it supports scoring, not because conquest alone wins the game.
Scope: Fantasy Flight Games Fourth Edition base game; Prophecy of Kings and Codex material excluded.
Strategy Phase
At the start of each round, players choose Strategy cards in initiative order. Each card gives a powerful primary ability and a secondary ability other players may later access.
Action Phase
Players alternate actions until everyone passes. Common choices are Tactical actions, Strategic actions and Component actions.
Tactical actions
Spend a command token to activate one system, move ships into it, resolve space combat if necessary, invade planets and produce units where legal.
Command tokens control tempo
Tokens are divided among tactical, fleet and strategy pools. Reallocation and spending determine how much you can move, how large your fleets can be and how often you can follow Strategy cards.
Technology, trade and factions
Research upgrades your economy or fleets, trade goods provide flexible resources, and faction abilities shape the routes each civilization takes toward objectives.
Status Phase
Players can score eligible public or secret objectives, refresh cards, redistribute command tokens and prepare the next round.
Agenda Phase
Once Mecatol Rex has been claimed, political agendas can enter the round structure. Players vote using influence and negotiate over table-wide laws and directives.
Victory
The first player to reach the base game’s victory-point target by scoring objectives and other legal sources wins.