Imperium - 3rd Millennium

Supporting the War Effort

The economy is based on resource units. Resource units are gained from friendly worlds and outposts. Additionally, the Imperial player receives a budget that may be increased through appeals or affected by events elsewhere in the empire. In general, the effect of the Imperial bureaucracy seems reduced in comparison with the original version, and games are more evenly matched, making for a better two-person game.

Resource units can be expended to purchase additional ships, ground troops, or planetary defenses. The cost for some ship types vary between the two sides, reflecting differences in fundamental tactical doctrine. Furthermore, some types of ships cannot be built by both sides. For example, large capital ships can only be built by the Imperial player with special permission, and there are certain restrictions on other units. Resource units can also be used to repair damaged units. New outposts have a small cost and must be moved via transport to their destination systems. Finally, resources may be kept in reserve to spend on maintenance, serving to avoid a potentially damaging attrition die roll.

A portion of the main strategic star map.

Combat in Three Dimensions

The most dramatic change in Imperium – 3rd Millennium over its predecessor is the implementation of a 3D battle board. More precisely, tactical combat takes place on three planar grids; one plane represents space above the middle plane, and the other, is below. Ships may be equipped with either beam or torpedo weapons (or both). A single combat segment consists of three phases. Depending on the class of the ship, it may move during one, two, or all three phases. Ships may engage in combat during each phase regardless of their class. Beam attacks occur before torpedo attacks, but beam weapons can only fire at targets in the same or adjacent squares. Torpedoes have greater range, but they can be negated by use of counter-measures (CM). Range may span adjacent planes. Ships may have different damage thresholds; a battleship, for instance, might require four hits to be scored before it is damaged. Damaged ships may have reduced CM as well as damage thresholds, making it more vulnerable to destruction. A persistent dilemma in combat is whether to target more numerous but easy-to-kill smaller ships or throw a large effort into bringing down a capital ship. Combat continues in this manner until one side retreats, is destroyed, or three segments have taken place.

Planetary combat takes place on yet another display. Each habitable planet on the strategic map is represented on the planetary battle display. The size of the planets range from tiny, one-hex bodies to large, 14-hex worlds (as reference, Earth is mid-size at 7 hexes). A fleet must already be present in a system to initiate planetary combat. Optional bombardment is followed by the landing of ground troops (fleets by themselves cannot occupy an enemy world). Planetary defense may fire at landing troops. Once on the ground, activations may be spent to force a round of ground combat. Attacking a well-defended planet can be a drawn-out affair.

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