| Galactic Empires | |
| Designer: | Original design by Daniel Pierce (1979), David Pierce (1996) and Mark Wardell (2018) |
| Publisher: | Pierce Enterprises (1979-1996), Wy'East Games (1996-present) |
| Date: | September 1979 |
| Years: | 1979-2002, restarting late 2024. |
| Genre: | wargame, science fiction, play-by-mail |
| Language: | English |
| Players: | Unlimited |
| Setup Time: | 5 minutes |
| Playing Time: | 20-60 minutes per turn. Potential of hours corresponding with other players planning and negotiating. |
| Random Chance: | Medium |
| Skills: | Negotiation, Strategy game |
| Materials: | Instructions, order sheets, turn results, paper, pencil |
| Media Type: | Play-by-mail or email |
Galactic Empires is a space-based open-end, play-by-mail (PBM) wargame.
Galactic Empires was a computer moderated.[1] open-ended, space-based, science fiction play-by-mail wargame of medium complexity published by Pierce Enterprises and later by Wy'East Games. The game launched in 1979 and was "well established" by 1984.[2] By 1986, some of the empires were "massive".[3] Turns had no time limit, enabling overseas players as well.[3] The game designer was Dan Pierce, who attempted to improve on Starweb.[3] By 1985, the publisher had moved the game system from a "TRS 80-1 to a Tandy 1200 HD" for speed and expansion purposes.[4] Dan eventually lost interest in the game, so his brother David took over for many year. In the Mid-90's Mark Wardell, Wy'East Games, took over first under a licensing agreement and later purchasing the game outright.
Gameplay shared similarities with Starweb.[2] Four empires types were available: "Empire Builder, Star Merchant, Xenophobe, [and] Pirate".[3] Players choose between four character types.[2] Available elements include "ships, ground based military equipment, economic components, etc.", providing gameplay options for players.[2]
Dave Weidner reviewed the game in a 1986 issue of Flagship. He gave it a generally positive review, stating that "In all, Galactic Empires is a game that is simple enough for a novice, while stillchallenging enough for the most advanced player, at a reasonable cost".[5]