Sorcerer King

Sorcerer King is a new direction for 4X game design, pitting the player against a single overwhelmingly powerful enemy rather than a series of equally powerful factions fighting over abstract victory conditions. Think of the Sorcerer King as the evil mage who won the last traditional 4X game. He has already conquered the world. His enemies (including you) are scattered, their armies crushed and cities razed. His dark minions have free rein to terrorize the survivors everywhere except for a few tiny outposts of civilization (like the one you start in) that are too insignificant to destroy.