Today I would like to talk and share my experiences about Twilight Inscription from Fantasy Flight Games – title I had a chance to first see on Essen Spiel in 2022 and play numerous times since then. Still, I would probably not notice it, if I had not know its older / larger brother earlier.

By this I of course mean Twilight Imperium, a huge title which has numerous fans across the globe. Three, more or less nine-hours long sessions with already 4th edition of that title build up a huge appetite in me to try something very similar while much more accessible time-wise. Did Twilight Inscription fulfilled that hopes? Let us see!

Game Overview

In Twilight Inscription, each player assumes the role of a major faction from the Twilight Imperium universe as they expand from their homeworld into the galaxy. Through technological superiority, military power, and industrial zeal, each faction seeks to become the dominant force within the galaxy.

At the same time Twilight Inscription is a competitive roll-and-write game for one to eight players. The primary components are sheets that the players write on with dry-erase chalk markers. Those represent different dimensions of their empire – Navigation, Expansion, Industry, and Warfare. Throughout play, the players mark their sheets in a variety of ways, trying to collect as many victory points as possible. The player with the most victory points at the end of the game is the winner!

Session Reports

Let me now briefly describe some of the more prominent sessions we had with that game. There will be both multiplayer and solo games here, with me pointing not only to the actual gameplay but also some of the game mechanics, components and solutions. Of course, traditionally, with large number of pictures!

Enjoy the reports! PS. Remember you can enlarge each picture by clicking on it.

Multiplayer Plays

First attempt

Our initial session was held with four players – I believe pretty optimal number, which allowed for streamlined play. Still, remember that regardless of the player count, the game lasts more or less the same time (up to 3 hours).

“The Board” at the end of our initial session.

It was a completely new experience for us, so it took some time to fully grasp several of the game mechanics. With so many choices and cascading options – as in each roll & write game – the decision paralysis was clearly visible from time to time. Still, having so many options makes each session different, and many strategies – as viable paths to victory.

Close-up on my Empire four key areas – as seen above, I mainly focused on Navigation & Industry.
Fantasy Flight Games is know for top quality of its products and Twilight Inscription is not and exception here. All is beautifully printed, the components are sturdy, thick and colorful. It is simply pleasure to play!

Second attempt

The final situation after 3-player game; this time I managed to grab the victory!

What I really like about that game is that our second attempt – although with one new player (Kuba J.) was much quicker, straightforward and simply smooth. Decision paralysis was more or less gone, the choices and strategies clear – to large extent driven by the objectives, faction cards as well as dice rolls. We even played another roll & write game during this evening!

Solitaire Plays

Having such good experiences as well as solid knowledge of the rules I jumped pretty quickly to solo game. We have some interesting bot here, which can be played at various levels of difficulty. It is more a distractor, which prevents you from scoring points or using some of the bonuses. In the end, it is only human player who is measured vs. victory thresholds and how well he did.

First attempt

Solo play, first attempt: I decided to try with an easy bot at the start to see if I have a chance to win at all; playing as Barony of Letnev my strategy was much more focused on warfare than previously. And it worked, as with 102 points I achieved overwhelming victory.

Second attempt

Solo play, second attempt: it went well on easy difficulty level so let us increase it by one bar – to normal. This time I was leading Sardakk N’orr Empire, and again, warfare was playing much more prominent role than in multiplayer games. Still, I scored another nice victory, this time with 92 points.
Solo play, second attempt continuation: above you can see close-up on special Mecatol Rex sheet, designated to use in solitaire play. Depending on difficulty, bot will start at different points on track. Also, once he first reaches some of the areas, the bonuses for objectives will become unavailable for the player.

Impressions & Conclusion

I admit, playing Twilight Inscription was a huge fun. It is really interesting write & role game, with a lot of planning and empire building; still, negative interaction is important too, as war wage across the common deck of events – unlike some other titles in this genre, you cannot ignore what are your neighbors are doing on their player mats 🙂

And let us be honest – that game has a lot in common with Twilight Imperium – theme, empires, characters, etc. but the key one – mechanics – is of course completely different. Still, if you are looking for a title in this universe which is much shorter to play than the main game, this is definitely great choice.

See you in another review!