Imperial Struggle (French)*

With the Spanish succession crisis looming, no one had any illusions about the tranquility of the new century. But neither France nor England could have anticipated the tumult of the years to come: a second Hundred Years' War, during which these two bitter adversaries would face each other fiercely and proudly in all areas of human performance. On battlefields from India to Canada to the Caribbean Sea, their armies and fleets would clash; in the salons of Paris and the cafes of London would be born the politics and economics of the modern world; and ultimately a revolution would shake the foundations of society: a revolution that could have ended not in blood and terror but in the triumph of democracy and freedom, that could have transformed the world beyond all imagination .

Imperial Struggle is a two-player game depicting the rivalry between France and Great Britain in the 18th century. It begins in 1697, while the two kingdoms cautiously wait for the King of Spain to name an heir, then ends in 1789, when a new order brings down the Bastille. The game is not just about war: France and Britain must establish the foundations of colonial wealth, deal with the other nations of Europe, and compete for glory across the full spectrum of human activity .

Imperial Struggle covers nearly a hundred years of history and four major wars. However, it is a fast and not very complex game. It aims to honor its spiritual progenitor, Twilight Struggle, by moving further in the direction of simple rules and playable systems, while still maintaining global scale and historical sweep in a single evening. During Peace Towers, players develop their economic interests, their alliances and take advantage of the historical events represented by the Event cards. They must choose their investments wisely, but also be careful that their opponent cannot benefit from them. During War Turns, each theater can yield great rewards in the form of conquest and prestige… but territorial gains can disappear at the negotiating table. At the end of the century, will the British rule an empire on which the sun never sets? Or will France open the way to the world, like the superpower of the Sun King's dreams or Lafayette's Republic?