Happy Birthday to me

This being the week that I traditionally celebrate cheating the hangman for one more year, and it also being payday, I'm off to purchase my own self-indulgent birthday present for myself. I know, it's pathetic, but if entrust a gaming suggestion to my family, I'll get canasta (Here, you like games, right?). Might as well let the expert handle this...

Here are the two top contenders, both of which are giant plastic bit extraveganzas:

Conquest of the Empire, Eagle Games

In Conquest of the Empire, players are Roman generals vying to become Caesar about 150 years after the original. As much fun as the 1984 Conquest of the Empire was, it needed house rules to fix problems like the catapult being too powerful. Those fixes are already in place with this game. The rules have been redone by the designer of the original game, Larry Harris, with input from Eagle's Glen Dover. Players familiar with the original will notice that the most powerful piece is the most plentiful in this game, and that is probably the way it should be. The Roman Empire was build on the sweat and blood of the infantry. (Sweat being just as important as blood since the legions were also corps of engineers that performed amazing feats of engineering that were often more responsible for a victory than their fighting skills.)

or...

Twilight Imperium, Fantasy Flight Games

Shipping in an epic-size box, this new giant-size edition of Twilight Imperium features more than 200 masterfully sculpted oversize plastic miniatures—the typical TI units (Ground Forces, Cruisers, Dreadnaughts, Carriers, Fighters, PDS, and Space Docks) as well as two new units (the massive War Sun, and the Destroyer). TI3 contains new oversize board tiles, more than 400 cards, every known civilization of the Twilight Imperium universe, almost every expansion rule and component ever published for Twilight Imperium, a gorgeous graphical overhaul, and a full color rules set

(review blurbs copyright Boulder Games)

The jury is seated, and I am prepared to hear arguments before this learned court.