Seems like TI3 with all the expansions and new minis, which is fine, since it's probably cheaper overall, but I didn't see anything particularly transformative in the description, so it seems like if you have TI3 and the expansions, you're good to go unless you want War Suns that are spheres instead of domes. And cooler-looking cruisers.
Can't figure out if they're changing lots of rules or not.
I'm not as skeptical as Barnes. I think there's a time and place for a long game like this, though it has never caught my fancy since it seems more like Space Cold War than Space Opera.
I'll be surprised if they don't re-jigger the rules for this one. Seems crazy not to work on modernizing it some (or a lot). I'd love to see them change the combat so you were encouraged and rewarded for fighting, instead of the TI3 method where anyone who gets in a fight winds up weakened enough that someone else is going to swoop in and finish them off. A space opera game where you spend 4 hours pushing plastic ships around and then get punished if you use them seems dumb to me.
But holy fuck, at $150, there's no way I'll ever find out, because no way I'm paying that much for a TI game.
When I got back into gaming during college TI2 was my gateway drug so I'm very excited about this. But last time I played TI3 years ago it wasn't especially memorable. Too sluggish and too long - it simply didn't deliver enough compelling narrative, especially not when considering the time spent. So if they shave off some of the moving parts (I've never played with them all) and especially playing time I'm maybe in.
Yeah, the risk of combat really did bog the game down fairly often. We had some good games where there was enough competition going on between neighbors that it was just as risky to extend yourself to go after one of the post-fight weakened guys, but that wasn't a common thing. I played with the N'Orr one time and set up such a mesh of PDS in my systems that it was basically suicide for anyone to approach me. That let me use a strategically-placed wormhole with relative impunity and I ended up completing one of the more difficult secret objectives (occupy two different homeworlds, I think) and winning the game, but it was a real confluence of factors that led to it (obvsly.) That kind of variability lends itself to replayability, IMO, but if I'm going to play an eight-hour game, these days I'd rather it be something like Here I Stand. I guess I've kinda played my fill of TI3. Maybe I should put it up for sale if TI4 is revealed to not have any major rules changes.
I am not going to rain on any parades. This looks fucking awesome. New art, sweet minis, we know the game rocks. This is all upside from where I sit. Price is a doozy, but there ain't a lot of games like this. Folks spent $500 on Zombies4Ever or whatever; this is easy.
Ignore GW Banner Bearer Barnes, there will always be an audience for TI. I played a 5-player game a few months back - under 40s (except for an old grumpster) and both sexes with all wanting or happy to play again. The new component design looks easier to reference and a bit more modern in design (and bigger text for older eyes !) so I'm sure it will be picked up, people pay stupid money for kickstarters, or endless X-Wing and Armada plastic expansions, and even GW products so I can't see the price hurting too much.
A few weeks ago, I was looking at my game collection and pondering the dust on Twilight Imperium 3. There is still a regular weekly game at the FFG Event Center a few miles from my home, so I could theoretically play TI3 often. And yet I am not often in the mood for a long brainburning game of TI3, and none of my friends have ever shown any interest. So I was thinking about selling mine, especially given the high prices showing at BGG.
So I have mixed feelings about TI4. It looks really good, and maybe the rules will be a little more streamlined and efficient, though the 4-8 hour playtime suggests otherwise. My TI3 shelf toads are likely to remain shelf toads. I would like to at least try TI4, but I don't know if it will be embraced by the local players, and I don't want to throw down $150 for another shelf toad.