Classic Empire

Classic Empire is a turn-based wargame originally developed by Walter Bright starting in 1971. It is notable for being one of the earliest examples of a complex empire-building strategy computer game.

Walter Bright drew heavy inspiration from classic board games like Risk, as well as the World War II film Battle of Britain. These influences resulted in a game focused on military logistics and world conquest.

The game was initially entirely text-based when created for early mainframe computers in the 1970s. It was later given graphical adaptations for various personal computers and modern operating systems.

Players engage in turn-based tactical combat, resource management, and troop movement to conquer a map of interconnected cities. The ultimate goal is to carefully manage production to overwhelm enemy forces and capture their capital.