| User | Rating | Min. Age | Adults Too | Comment |
| Mark | 8 | 14 | Yes | Long, epic science fiction wargame. Takes about an hour per player. Very good, but probably for older teens who enjoy the theme. Large rulebook. |
| sigmazero13 | 8 | 14 | Yes | My rating reflects only those who meet the recommended minimum age . Not a game for a casual evening, requires a lot of planning and strategy, and not a little reading comprehension. An excellent game to really delve into deeper strategy and politicking. Younger kids would be lost in the game, and even Teens would have to really be interested in the theme to fully enjoy it. Not something to avoid altogether, but not a game that every kid would enjoy, mostly due to it's sheer epicness . |
| markball | 7 | 10 | Yes | TI3 is a very very long game. I've played it with kids as young as 8, but we did not come close to finishing. To play an entire game you really need older kids, and/or very motivated kids.
Some kids (boys and girls!) really like to blow stuff up . TI3 lets them do that if they like. Now, playing this way you won't win many games!
TI3 has a fairly long set of rules and some of those rules really get in the way of game flow. When I'm leading a game I'll often let a rules violation (stranded fighters, fleet size) go by to keep things moving. Some of the strategy choices are hard to explain to anybody, let alone kids.
But, the flavor of the game is perfect for kids. There are just not many space empire games out there, and even fewer offer the molded plastic ships and alien races and the chance to build up, go out, and conquer. |
| The Unbeliever | 7 | 14 | Yes | Long. Diplomacy required, which is not always the best thing when kids are playing. |
| guantanamo | 5 | 14 | | |