Game Introduction_03 - Economy, Resources, and Trade in Epochia
In Epochia, power is not built by armies alone. Behind every expansion, every conflict, and every diplomatic move stands a living economy shaped by player decisions. Resources, the market, and trading form the backbone of the game — creating constant tension between ambition, survival, and opportunity.
This is where strategy truly comes alive.
Resources: The Foundation of Every Decision
Resources in Epochia represent the lifeblood of your civilization. They are not just tools for growth — they are strategic levers that force players to make meaningful choices every round.
Different resources serve different purposes: some fuel expansion, others sustain armies, enable construction, or unlock long-term advantages. Importantly, each nation interacts with resources differently, thanks to distinct resource ratios that influence efficiency and priorities. What feels affordable for one nation may be a costly sacrifice for another.
Crops – Sustains your people and allows you to recruit armies.
Ore – Represents military strength and is used to equip and raise armies.
Gold – Symbol of wealth and influence, used for major constructions and powerful investments.
Timber – Essential for building and expanding infrastructure, including vessels.
Stone – Used for durable construction, defenses, and landmarks.
Spices – A valuable trade resource that offers flexibility through exchange and conversion.
This design ensures that:
No strategy is universal
Every nation values resources differently
Every decision carries opportunity cost
Should you spend now to gain momentum, or save for what may come later?
The Market: A Shared Space of Opportunity and Risk
The market in Epochia is not a passive system — it is a dynamic, shared environment shaped by player actions. Accessing the market allows players to convert, exchange, or acquire resources based on availability and timing.
Because the market is shared, every interaction matters. A trade made by one player can limit options for another. Waiting too long may mean missing your chance, while acting too early can expose your strategy.
The market encourages:
Tactical timing
Reading opponents’ intentions
Adaptive planning rather than fixed paths
It is not just about what you need — but when you need it.
Trading: Diplomacy Beyond Words
Trading in Epochia goes beyond simple exchange. It is an extension of diplomacy, influence, and negotiation. Whether facilitated through alliances or market interaction, trade allows players to:
Balance weaknesses
Accelerate specific strategies
Create temporary advantages
But trade always comes with consequences. Strengthening your economy may indirectly empower a rival, while refusing to trade can shift alliances or escalate tensions. In Epochia, every trade is a political act, even when no words are spoken.
Building, Recruiting, or Saving: No Easy Answers
At the heart of Epochia’s economy lies a constant dilemma:
Do you build to expand your presence and long-term power?
Do you recruit to protect yourself or threaten others?
Or do you save resources, preparing for uncertainty, disruption, or famine?
There is no optimal solution. The right choice depends on your nation, the board state, your rivals’ intentions, and your tolerance for risk. Epochia rewards players who can read the moment and adapt rather than follow rigid plans.
A Living System, Shaped by Players
The economy of Epochia is not a background mechanic — it is a living system, shaped by player ambition, fear, negotiation, and foresight. Mastering it does not mean memorizing rules, but understanding flow, timing, and consequence.
And this is only the beginning.
As players dive deeper, they will discover that in Epochia, true power belongs to those who know when to act — and when to wait.
Game Introduction_02 - Meet the Nations of Epochia
In Epochia, players step into the age of legendary civilizations that shaped the ancient Mediterranean world. Each nation is inspired by real history and translated into distinct gameplay identities, offering unique strengths, special abilities, and iconic landmarks. There is no single correct way to win — your nation defines how you rise to power.
A core pillar of Epochia’s design is that each nation operates with different resource ratios. These ratios influence how efficiently nations convert their economy into progress, shaping strategic priorities and forcing meaningful trade-offs. As a result, decisions around growth, defense, and expansion feel different with every nation.
Whether you prefer diplomacy, military domination, long-term development, or strategic disruption, Epochia allows you to rewrite history through your decisions.
Egypt
In Epochia, Egypt rewards patient, methodical players who focus on steady growth and lasting advantages. Rather than sudden bursts of power, Egypt excels at building a foundation that becomes increasingly difficult to challenge over time.
Its legendary landmark, The Pyramids of Giza, reflects permanence and authority — a symbol of power that endures through the ages.
Best for players who prefer: long-term strategy, stability, and gradual supremacy.
Athens
Athens favors players who enjoy calculated expansion, diplomacy, and long-term influence. Its abilities reward thoughtful positioning and the smart claiming of key locations. Athens is not about rushing conflict — it is about shaping the game through presence and prestige.
The nation’s landmark, The Parthenon, embodies cultural dominance and enduring legacy. Once established, it reinforces Athens’ role as a center of influence and refined power.
Best for players who prefer: strategic planning, diplomacy, and winning through influence rather than warfare.
Sparta
In Epochia, Sparta is the embodiment of direct confrontation and battlefield superiority. It thrives on pressure, tactical positioning, and decisive action. Players choosing Sparta are encouraged to engage early and assert dominance through force.
The iconic Statue of Leonidas stands as Sparta’s landmark, symbolizing unbreakable resolve and battlefield leadership.
Best for players who prefer: aggressive play, tactical battles, and commanding respect through strength.
Carthage
Carthage thrives on opportunity and momentum. It benefits from turning conflict into advantage and adapting quickly to changing circumstances. Carthage players are rewarded for smart timing and exploiting openings created by others.
The Carthage Naval Port serves as its landmark, highlighting naval dominance and logistical mastery.
Best for players who prefer: flexible strategies, opportunistic expansion, and tactical exploitation.
Phoenicia
Phoenicia focuses on mobility, positioning, and disruption. Mastery of movement allows Phoenician players to influence the game in subtle but powerful ways, shaping interactions across the map without relying solely on force.
Their landmark, The Lighthouse of Tyre, symbolizes navigation, control, and strategic oversight of the seas.
Best for players who prefer: speed, clever positioning, and indirect control.
In the next article, we will dive deeper into Epochia’s economy — exploring the different types of resources, how the market functions, and the role of trading and building in shaping your civilization. We will break down how economic choices influence long-term strategy, when to invest, when to trade, and how smart construction decisions can define the rise or fall of an empire. Understanding the economy is key to mastering Epochia, and next time, we will uncover how every resource and every trade truly matters.
Game Introduction_01 - Timeline & Map
Epochia takes you back to ancient times, an age of legendary cities, growing empires, and exciting discoveries. You’ll explore a world inspired by real ancient civilizations, where trade routes connect distant lands, diplomacy opens new opportunities, and battles shape history. Epochia is designed to feel welcoming and easy to understand, inviting you step by step into its world while letting you enjoy the charm, strategy, and stories of the ancient era at your own pace.
The main map of Epochia is designed to truly stand out. Created for 3–5 players, it comes in an impressive 990 × 685 mm size, giving the game a strong table presence and plenty of room to breathe. Each tile measures 4 cm, providing clear space for smooth movement, easy orientation, and comfortable gameplay even during busy turns. The map is filled with diverse resource tiles — Timber, Ore, Spices, Stone, Gold, and Crops — which form the economic backbone of every empire. Alongside them, players will find city tiles focused on diplomacy, historical sites that generate gold, naval tiles for sailing ships and controlling the seas, fort tiles that help defend advancing armies, market tiles for trading and negotiations, and special beacon tiles used in skirmish scenarios to gain unique advantages over opponents. Together, these elements create a rich, readable, and strategic battlefield where every tile matters.
For players who prefer fast, intense confrontations, Epochia also offers a smaller 1 vs 1 skirmish map. This map is designed with a strong focus on battle-oriented gameplay, encouraging quick decisions, aggressive positioning, and constant pressure on your opponent. Inspired by the feel of classic RTS games from the early days of the new millennium, the skirmish map delivers a compact, competitive experience where territory control, tactical movement, and direct conflict take center stage. It’s a perfect mode for short, high-energy matches that highlight pure strategy and combat.
Development Update_1: Clearer Seas, Smoother Gameplay
I am excited to share a new development and progress update for the Epochia board game, shaped directly by feedback from our recent public playtesting sessions. Your observations helped us identify areas where clarity and flow could be improved—and we’re happy to say those changes are now in place.
Colorful Ships Added to the Core Game
One of the most common points raised during testing was ship ownership clarity on the map. To solve this, we’ve introduced color-coded ships into the base game.
Each ship now matches its nation’s color
Ownership is instantly visible on the map
Naval movement and battles are easier to read at a glance
These ships retain the same gameplay capabilities as before and can carry:
Up to 3 tokens total
Any combination of army tokens, ambassadors, or both together
The result is a cleaner, more organized naval layer that reduces confusion and speeds up decision-making during play.
Rule Clarifications & Updates
Based on player feedback, we also refined several rules that previously caused uncertainty. These updates improve realism, balance, and strategic tension:
Ships Cannot Sail Empty
Ships must carry at least one token (army or ambassador) to move.
This reinforces intentional movement and prevents “ghost ships” drifting across the map.
Abandoned Ships Can Be Sunk
If a ship is left abandoned, other players may sink it.
Sinking a ship grants points
⚠️ Be careful: this action may trigger diplomatic consequences
Naval aggression now carries political weight, not just military value.
No Token Jumping Between Ships
Tokens cannot jump directly from one ship to another.
Transfers must follow proper movement and positioning rules
This eliminates unrealistic maneuvers and keeps naval logistics meaningful
Maximum Ship Limit per Nation
Each nation may now control a maximum of 3 ships.
Encourages strategic deployment
Prevents naval overcrowding
Keeps the map readable and balanced
What This Means for Gameplay
These updates bring:
Better visual clarity
More intuitive naval control
Stronger strategic decisions
Reduced rules confusion
Most importantly, they keep Epochia deep and competitive, while making it easier to read, teach, and enjoy.
Thank you to everyone who tested the game, shared feedback, and helped push Epochia forward. Development continues, and more updates are on the way—both mechanical and visual.
The seas are clearer. The choices are sharper.
Stay tuned for the next chapter in Epochia’s evolution.
Epochia’s First Public Playtest at Brnohraní 2025
Epochia’s First Public Playtest at Brnohrani 2025
Epochia was publicly revealed for the very first time at the Brnohraní event in the Czech Republic — and the weekend could not have gone better. Over three days, 16 players tested the prototype across 17 hours of gameplay, exploring diplomacy, battles, expansion, and the unique ambassador system.
One session even turned into an epic six-hour showdown, where players were so immersed in their struggle for dominance that security eventually had to step in and close the venue for the night. The excitement at the table was unforgettable.
After each game, players filled out a detailed questionnaire, providing valuable notes, insights, and recommendations for further development. Their final average rating?
9.2 out of 10.
An incredible result for an early prototype — thank you to everyone who joined, tested, and shared feedback. Epochia grows stronger with every session, and we can’t wait to reveal what’s coming next.
