Pritchard self-published Lensman in '69, hand-drawing the map (pictured above) and stenciling most of the pieces. Loosely inspired by the Lensman novels, it was the first space wargame and also the first "4x" game (Explore, Expand, Exploit, Exterminate). As revolutionary as it was, Pritchard himself admits that, "the designer's creativity exceeded the components' capacity to support the design."
The new components will be double-sided and die-cut, showing the original maps and markers on one side and a new version with modern colors and graphics on the other (modern map pictured above). You can play three different versions of the game: a quick version that will last two hours or so, the 4x version that involves exploring nearby star systems, and another version with deep tactical combat that includes orbital fortifications, mines, tractors beams and other goodies.

Keep in mind that even the updated Lensman will be strictly old-school. There are no fancy miniatures with clicky bases, just lots and lots of cardboard chits and a hex map to move them on. There are forms to track your systems and your ships. It's pretty hardcore grognard stuff. There's no set date for the release yet, but they're close enough that they had a booth at Origins last month promoting it. Images by: Phil Pritchard.

With a variable map that encompasses an entire galaxy, hundreds of playing pieces, multiple winning strategies and a minimum play time of four hours, Twilight Imperium pretty much defines "epic sci-fi board game." If you're playing with six players (or eight, with the Shattered Empire expansion), plan to spend an entire day sparring with your friends over planetary systems and Galactic Council votes.

Each player has hidden agendas that they pursue to accumulate victory points, along with shifting public goals and a strong political component. You can wage war to win, but you can also legislate your way to victory. One of the strengths of Twilight Imperium is the feeling of participating in a true science-fiction narrative as each game winds its way to an epic conclusion. You can head over to the official site for the FAQ, optional rules and notes from the game's designers.

By the way, for the io9 readers who are gaming nerds like me, I'll be hitting the Origins Game Fair in Columbus, OH next month to bring you tons of info on all the latest tabletop aliens, space marines and star destroyers. Image by: Fantasy Flight Games.

Merchant of Venus incorporates all the great elements from 4X computer games (explore, expand, exploit, exterminate) in board game form. The basic game is actually bloodless, but optional rules for combat make the game more balanced. Players spend their first few turns finding out which alien races populate the star systems on the board. Then they set up trade routes, monitor supply and demand and start earning cash, the accumulation of which is the game's win condition. Hey, it's the 32nd century, and there's money to be made.

Since cooperation is usually required to keep trade routes profitable, combat is used mostly as a last resort, but it keeps the other players in check if one of them starts running away with the lead. One player can take the role of the Rastur, a standoffish race that inhibits trade, while other races have their own attributes. Players can even find interstellar artifacts that will give them bonuses, such as faster ships. Maybe if enough people write letters to Hasbro, they'll put this classic back in print. Photos by: Avalon Hill.