This is 4X in its purest and best form. Explore the systems around your homeworld, expand your empire, exploit its resources, exterminate your foes. The first player to destroy another player’s homeworld wins.
With nothing but simple cardboard chits, the game hides a huge amount of information in plain sight. You can see where your opponent’s ships are, but there’s no way to know what kind of ships they are, or how many they are, or what kinds of technology they might be carrying, until you engage them in combat.
Space Empires 4X is an old-school game. You’ll be tracking your expenditures and technology levels with pencil and paper. Some naysayers have said that this feels akin to doing your taxes. Some (like me) find it a beautifully elegant system. If you’re the former, no hard feelings, but you will be happier playing something else. 🙂