Forge of Empires

What it is

Forge of Empires is a city-building strategy game from InnoGames, published in 2012 according to its own site. You found a settlement in the Stone Age — the official page sets it in 5000 B.C., with little more than a few tents — and lead it through history. The official wiki lists 23 ages, running from the Stone Age through the Middle Ages, the industrial and modern eras and on into several imagined futures, ending in the Space Age.

It plays in the browser and on iOS and Android. Of the games on our roll it sits closest to a city builder: the empire is real, but your daily view is your city.

How a reign unfolds

Your city produces goods and resources, and research carries you from one age to the next. The official page notes that while you are logged out, your empire keeps producing goods and troops for you to collect when you return. You grow your territory by conquering nearby provinces on a campaign map; InnoGames describes a full single-player campaign across a continent, alongside multiplayer modes.

Battles are turn-based and fought on hexagon maps, with you moving every unit yourself in the browser. That one design choice makes Forge of Empires calmer than the real-time games here: a fight waits for your decision. You can still raid neighbouring settlements — the official site leaves it to you whether to rule in peace or ambush your neighbours — so other players remain part of the picture.

Guilds are the social core. Once you have researched smithery you can join or found one. The official wiki describes a guild market where members trade without spending Forge Points, a chat and a forum, visits to motivate and polish each other’s buildings, Guild vs. Guild battles on a shared map, and Guild Expeditions. Guild levels run from 1 to 100.

The clock it asks for

Forge of Empires bends to short sessions better than anything else on this roll. Production waits for you, battles are turn-based, and a missed evening costs far less than in Travian or Tribal Wars. Guild activities reward turning up regularly, and events give you reasons to log in more often, but the pressure is social rather than military.

If your playtime comes in small, unpredictable pieces, this is the game least likely to feel like a second job.

How it pays its way

InnoGames states that Forge of Empires is free to play without restrictions, and that players may choose to make in-game purchases. The premium resource is Diamonds. The official wiki lists their uses: building special buildings, improving production, speeding up construction, buying extra Forge Points, supplying missing goods and shortening scouting times. Quests hand them out only very rarely, so in practice they are bought.

Because the game is about long-term growth, Diamonds mostly buy speed. You can reach the same ages without them; you will simply arrive later.

Who it suits

Strengths and faults