Wow, I actually never expected this gem to be re-released. This is one of the the most creative and interesting 4X games I've ever played, and I played dozens of them. The most interesting thing is how this game incorporates lore of the tabletop RPG into gameplay. Because you don't play as races, you play as one of the four major Houses in universe, and you both fight in battles with other Houses but also politically, and not only with them, but other actors inside the vast human Empire, like Church, that controls technological advancement, with it's own Inquisition that will find you if you try to research forbidden tech, Trade League guilds, that secretly try to convert the Empire from feudalism into Third Republic, and so on, the end goal being becoming an Emperor, but that's not the only outcome. The game is incredibly intricate and will amaze you with it's depth and detail, for sun's sake, the battles take place on planets in hexagonal fashion and in space at the same time, which is almost unprecedented. Also, this game made me find anything and everything about the lore of the universe, including tabletop RPG rule books - and it's marvelously immersive and interesting, taking cues from Dune and many other classic sci-fi universes. I'm really happy this got re-released, definitely recommend to any 4X and TBS player and hope that it'll get more recognition it rightly deserves, after being overlooked for so long.
