Hello!

A few years back, I discovered that Star Fleet Battles was still alive and kicking. While exploring what all it had now, I found out that there was a strategy board game called Federation and Empire, that played very similar to broad strategy games I've seen on PC in that you can explore, have to manage an economy, engage in diplomacy with other players, and build up fleets to take territories and eliminate enemy players.

I did not buy it because 1) it was designed around one specific conflict in the SFB lore and 2) it had terrible balancing, i.e. one side would always win if they did not make very specific mistakes that were in the SFB lore. However, this kind of deep multi-faceted strategy gaming interests me. When I described Federation and Empire to others, they described it as "Axis and Allies in space" and pointed me in this direction.

So, I have to ask, is Twilight Imperium also a "Axis and Allies in space" game? Is this the kind of game I'm looking for with better balancing than Federation and Empire?

TI3 contains all the facets you mention in the first pararaph along with variable player powers (each race has certain special abilities that are unique to them), objective based Victory Point system and a wide tech tree to let you customize your race further to suit your play style. On the subject of customizing one feels compelled to mention the plethora of optional rules that can be added as the group sees fit for even further tailoring of the experience. This leads me to believe that it would be a good fit for you. A fair warning is in order, however: It takes time to play. One can usually count 1 hour per player + 1 hour per new player. Since it is a game for 3-6 players (8 with expansion) your looking at anywhere between 3 and 16 hours. Not counting setup/teardown time. But all in all, the whole feel of this game and its ability to make you feel like a galactic emperor far outweighs any negative aspect I can think of.

I have, however, never played Axis and Allies so I'll leave that comparison to those that have.

tl:dr version: Long playtime but soo worth it!

It's a very deep game with lots of optional rules so you can tailor the experience to your group.

Lots of races with their own special abilities and technology.

Sounds line you have played axis and allies before. The way I generally approach describing TI to a new play is this

"If you have ever played axis and allies and thought 'gee, I really like this game, but I wish it was BIGGER!!! More epic in scope, more tech options, more dynamic game play.... In space' Then yes, you will love TI. If you have played RISK and thought 'well, it's ok, but I wish it didn't take so long' then TI is probably not for you."

Short answer. Yes, TI is axis and allies in space, but much better.

Comment on the length. Yes, TI is a LONG game (not can be, IS), but I don't think it'll hit 16 hours. Even with all new players I think it would "only" run about 10 hours. The shortest game I've ever had was about 5, and 5-6 is probably a good rule of thumb for experienced players.

HOWEVER. It does not FEEL long. Unlike in axis and allies, where you take your turn and then go watch a movie while the other 4 players take theirs, TI has a very dynamic turn structure. You are constantly engaged with making (meaningful) decisions, managing resources, and planning strategy. The time can just fly by.

Not exactly, while Twilight Imperium does use an "Axis & Allies" battle system in space it is only half of the puzzle, the other half is in the politics and mission objectives. Think of Axis & Allies combat system with Diplomacy for team selection (as in there is no teams) with the mission objectives from Risk and the event cards from Fortress America all rolled into one large complex game and that is without the optional modules.

Now Twilight Imperium is on the same "scale" as Federation vs Empire and though archaic the Axis and Allies battle system does work for it, although I think Rebellion has a more refined system (I am trying to make a house rules using Armada Dice). But it is definitely not Axis and Allies as there is no set teams or alliances.