Summary
👥A game for 1 – 4 players
⏳Playing time is 90 – 300 minutes
🏢Publisher is Aegir Games
Introduction
In Europa Universalis: The Price of Power you take control of a great power in early modern Europe. You develop new ideas, wage wars, manage your economy, explore distant lands, and strive to expand your religious and political influence. The goal is to earn as much prestige as possible before the end of the game. There are countless ways to achieve this: through territorial expansion, clever diplomacy, successful colonization, control over religious institutions, and the completion of missions.
Let’s get it on the table
Before you begin Europa Universalis: The Price of Power, you first choose a scenario based on the number of players. The scenario determines which nations participate, how many rounds will be played, and what the starting conditions are. Each player then selects a nation and takes the corresponding player board, along with matching tokens, armies, fleets, and markers in their color. The starting provinces of your nation are shown on the overview board; place your control markers and armies there.
Next, set up the main world board with all neutral provinces, trade routes, and the different decks such as action cards, event cards, mission cards, and idea cards, each in their designated areas. Place the general supply of coins, trade goods, and markers within easy reach. Each player receives their starting income and a number of monarch power points according to the scenario, usually divided among administration, diplomacy, and military power.
Finally, determine who will be the starting player, reveal the event card marking the beginning of the era, and you are ready to begin. From that moment on, the first round starts, and each empire begins to rewrite its own history.
Let’s play
A round in Europa Universalis: The Price of Power feels like a living era in motion. At the start of each round, you gain monarch power divided into three types: administrative, diplomatic, and military, which serve as the fuel for everything you do. You also draw cards, such as action cards that expand your options and sometimes mission cards that grant prestige once completed. Meanwhile, the world itself is constantly changing, as each year brings new events that affect the map, your realm, or the global stage.
The core of the game lies in the action phase, where players take turns performing actions. Each turn, you choose a single action, but your monarch power is limited, so you must decide between developing your nation, engaging in diplomacy, waging war, exploring new territories, or managing religion. Do you unlock a new idea to gain long-term bonuses? Claim a neighboring province to justify a war? Or perhaps strengthen your position through alliances and careful diplomacy? Every choice costs points, and every point represents a difficult decision.
The military side of the game is both strategic and tactical. You can build armies, move them across provinces, declare wars, and lay sieges to cities. War is never taken lightly, as you need a legitimate reason to start one, and expanding too aggressively can provoke other nations to unite against you. Battles are resolved with dice, leaders, and modifiers, but sieges and supply lines also play an important role. After a series of victories or defeats, you may negotiate peace, gaining or losing territory, wealth, or prestige.
At the same time, you can set sail to explore the world. You send explorers into uncharted regions, draw exploration cards, and later send colonists to establish settlements. Colonies generate income, prestige, and strategic advantages, but they can also lead to conflicts with rival powers. Colonization is slow and risky, yet highly rewarding for those who invest in it.
Religion adds another dynamic layer, especially once the Reformation begins. As a Catholic power, you can gain influence within the Papal Curia. If you become the Papal Controller, you can use powerful papal actions. Alternatively, you may choose to embrace Protestantism for other advantages, which can bring internal stability among your people but also create tensions with neighboring countries and lead to uprisings. These choices are both ideological and strategic.
The economy is another vital pillar of your empire. Your wealth comes from provincial taxes, trade routes through your centers of trade, and income from colonies. You need money for everything: maintaining armies, sustaining diplomatic relations, constructing fortresses, hiring generals, and much more. Income is collected during a later phase of each round, but expenses and debt are a constant concern. Balancing investment and survival is key.
Finally, unrest can threaten your stability. Religious tensions, low stability, or foreign pressure can lead to rebellion. Each province has its own situation, and it is up to you to maintain balance or enforce control. Neglect these problems, and parts of your empire may break away, or uprisings may derail your military campaigns.
Conclusion & final score
Difficulty: 4.69/ 5
Re-playability: 8
Our score: 8,5 out of 10 dice
Europa Universalis: The Price of Power is an exceptional board game that brings the grandeur and complexity of world history to life. It is not a game you play casually, but an experience you completely immerse yourself in. Every decision you make has consequences, every alliance can mean the difference between glory and downfall, and every war or discovery adds a new chapter to the story of your empire.
What makes this game truly special is the way it blends strategy, history, and human ambition. You constantly feel like you are part of something greater: a world that evolves, grows, and reacts to your choices. Whether you are exploring the seas, leading religious reforms, or challenging mighty empires, the game keeps surprising you with its depth and attention to detail.
One downside, however, is the trade action. When you take this action, you draw cards that feature trade centers, and you must choose one of the three to activate. If none appear, you receive two coins as compensation, which feels rather meager considering it costs valuable monarch points and one of your limited actions.
Europa Universalis: The Price of Power is an immersive journey through time, where each nation tells its own story and you decide how that story ends. The game is modular in design and offers scenarios of varying length. You can play a short scenario lasting only a few hours, or embark on an epic campaign that can span multiple days. For those who prefer solo play or smaller groups, the game includes automated bot systems that perform actions and provide a realistic challenge.
Europa Universalis: The Price of Power is not a light board game, but a profound historical simulation in which every nation writes its own tale. As a player, you are the author of that story, acting as diplomat, commander, colonist, religious leader, and strategist all at once.
Thanks to Aegir Games for this review copy and the opportunity to write about it.
