Twilight Imperium Fourth Edition

 
3 - 6
best with 4+
4 - 8 hrs
9.8 / 10
8.6 / 10
Suggested Ambient Audio

Area Control
Hexes
Modular Tiles
Sci-Fi
Strategy

Collection


Player Aids

Galaxy Mat (8-player)

With the announcement of the new Prophecy of Kings expansion, and its support for 7 and 8 player games, we decided to update our mat design to support the new setup configurations.

Order a 36"x36" mat - Inked Gaming
Using this link you can order a mat directly from Inked Gaming

Kelsam Tabletop TI4 Galaxy Mat (8-player)
This image is 37"x37" at 150 DPI (suitable for custom printing)

Galaxy Mat (6-player /w PoK Start Positions)

This is a 6-player mat with start positions setup to support the warp lanes tiles that come with the new expansion. Meaning, it's the same as the original mat design, except the 5-player start postions have changed (also it has a 37"x37" base mat, instead of the 32"x32" one we used in previous versions).

Order a 36"x36" mat - Inked Gaming
Using this link you can order a mat directly from Inked Gaming

Kelsam Tabletop TI4 Galaxy Mat (6-player w/ PoK Start Positions)
This image is 37"x37" at 150 DPI (suitable for custom printing)

Galaxy Mat (6-player w/ Warp Lanes)

Thanks to Fedor bringing this awesome variant to our attention, we've made a version of the Galaxy Mat with Warp Lanes! The Warp Lanes variant is a fun way to setup 3-player or 5-player games of TI4, that balances the map differently by adding adjacency to tiles farther than 1 space away. Thus, the warp lanes.

Order a 36"x36" mat - Inked Gaming
Using this link you can order a mat directly from Inked Gaming

Kelsam Tabletop TI4 Galaxy Mat (6-player w/ Warp Lanes)
This image is 32"x32" at 300 DPI (suitable for custom printing)

Galaxy Mat (6-player Original Design)

We actually play exclusively on our neoprene table, but many players have wanted a nice mat to place on their hard-top table. So, we made this galaxy mat, modelled after the mat FFG sent to some brick-and-mortar stores that pre-ordered enough copies of TI4. Being that this mat was available to very few, we decided to make our own image that anyone can use to print their own mat!

UPDATE: Fantasy Flight Games is now selling their galaxy mat.

Order a 36"x36" mat - Inked Gaming
Using this link you can order a mat directly from Inked Gaming

Kelsam Tabletop TI4 Galaxy Mat (6-player Original Design)
This image is 32"x32" at 300 DPI (suitable for custom printing)

Color-Specific Tokens

We've had some questions as to why we prefer the color-specific command/control tokens over the provided faction-specific tokens. The reason is because your faction's primary representation on the board is your miniatures, which are color-specific. Adding faction-specific tokens created confusion during several of our games, particularly for factions that are similarly colored or those whose symbols are similar.

In the example, the first picture shows use of the faction-specific tokens. It's difficult to tell which player controls each planet and which players have activated systems (even if you have memorized all of the faction symbols) because several of them are so similar. Also worth noting, these pictures were taken much closer to the game board than any player is likely to be sitting. With our color-specific tokens, it's much easier to tell what's going on at a glance. Having said that, we understand that ordering laser-cut tokens is very expensive. So we've also included models in the insert STLs so you can 3d print your own color-specific tokens. UPDATE: we now offer these for sale on Amazon for those that don't want to print their own!

3D Printed Command & Control Tokens

After trying to find a way to get color-specific tokens that aren't as crazy expensive as laser cut acrylic, we decided to make our own. We experimented with prints to get the quality and color selection that we're happy with and we now have Twilight Imperium Command & Control Token Upgrades available. These sets of 3D printed tokens come with 16 Command and 17 Control tokens in all 8 player colors included in the base game and the expansion (264 tokens). They are comparable in size and shape to the cardboard faction-specific tokens, but are thicker for easier handling. If you have your own 3D printer and colored filament and would rather print the tokens yourself, our insert STLs also include the tokens.

Order the Token Upgrade Set - Amazon

Acrylic Command & Control Tokens

Before the 3D printed insert, we designed some laser-cut acrylic tokens. These are much more expensive to make than the 3D printed color tokens, but are pretty awesome if you want that extra flare.

TI4 Acrylic Tokens Vector
Using this file, you can order your own tokens from Ponoko. We recommend ordering Gray Translucent, Green Translucent, Light Blue Translucent, Purple Translucent, Red Translucent, and Yellow Translucent.
If you own the Prophecy of Kings expansion, we also recommend ordering Neon Pink Translucent and Orange Translucent.

TI4 Acrylic Tokens Vector (w/ etched control tokens)
This file is the same as above, but has etched control tokens. If you're having a company make your laser-cut tokens, this file would more than double the "making cost", but may look a little nicer if you don't like the plain control tokens. We prefer the plain control tokens, but some of our fans have requested this update.

Fleet Stands

As many veterans of the game know, sometimes your hexes can get way too many minis on them, making it difficult to really see what's going on. We use modified Litko Fleet Stands with our game to solve this problem.


Insert

Common Insert Design Goals

For each insert we create, we have a few "common design goals". They are:

Twilight Imperium Fourth Edition Insert Details

For this insert, we've opted to fit the base game and expansion in the base game box. There are a couple benefits from this. Some people prefer to fit all components in the base box for shelf space saving purposes. For the rest of us, the expansion box is left entirely open for mods, 3rd party accessories, or other extras. In our case: fleet stands, the hard copy rulebook, other booklets we've had printed over the years, and any other goodies we might come up with.

As always, we try to minimize setup time. To that end, faction-specific cards are separated in labeled trays in alphabetical order, so you can get them quickly. System tiles are divided into home systems, planets, hazards, and warp lanes for optimal setup speed. Play token trays and play cards go straight from box to table.

All play cards are stored in card trays with separate sections labeled on both sides, making it easy to pull cards and return to the front/back as needed. The action deck which is quite tall with the expansion cards has a small divider in the middle of it, to prevent cards from falling down into the slot as the deck gets smaller.

This insert follows the theme of our latest foam core insert, with player trays that hold minis, tokens, and color-specific technology and promissory cards. The cards are designed to store flat but have a slot to stand them up for ease of use during gameplay. Additionally, we wanted shallower bins for ease of grabbing minis, so War Suns have been moved into a separate tray because they are twice as tall as the next tallest minis. These can be handed out during setup and go near your player tray. This insert is designed for each player to have and use color-specific tokens instead faction-specific, for reasons explained here. The STL files include models to print your own color-specific tokens. The tokens have their own slots with dividers to ensure they stand up and are much easier to grab than previous inserts.

As an added bonus, we've also designed a technology deck book. It doesn't fit in the base game box, but for those that really want to take their insert the extra mile, it's a really cool way to handle your technology deck. Pictured below is our very rough first print from designing the proof of concept.

Get 3D Printing Files


Related Blog Posts

Cheaper TI4 Command & Control Token Upgrades Now Available May 31, 2022 --- Updates The Geek Weekly Mention #13 July 22, 2021 --- Press TI4 3D Printed Insert July 19, 2021 --- Updates 3D Printed Inserts and Other Updates June 30, 2021 --- General - Updates The Geek Weekly Mention #11 Aug. 2, 2020 --- Press TI4 8 Player Galaxy Mat July 31, 2020 --- General - Updates New TI4 Mat with Warp Lanes Feb. 20, 2020 --- General - Updates CustomGameBits TI4 Organizer Available July 19, 2018 --- General International Tabletop Day 2018 April 28, 2018 --- General TI4 Updates April 23, 2018 --- General - Updates The Geek Weekly Mention #10 April 19, 2018 --- Press The Geek Weekly Mention #8 Nov. 23, 2017 --- Press TI4 Galaxy Mat Nov. 19, 2017 --- General - Updates The Geek Weekly Mention #6 Sept. 14, 2017 --- Press TI4 and Website Upgrades Sept. 4, 2017 --- General - Updates

Suggested Ambient Audio

Learn to Play

Living Rules Reference v2.0

3D Printed Insert