It is NOT an easy game to figure out, due to two factors: 1) the extremely challenging rulebook; and 2) the game is sooo asymmetric, that playing any one of the four factions for your first game won't help much experience-wise the next time you play with a different faction!
BUT: it's worth the struggle! It is extremely challenging; and rather than just trying to perfect your strategy, you need to be constantly taking actions to prevent your opponents from achieving their goals. In fact, you'll find yourself frequently cooperating with one or two of your opponents just to prevent a sudden-death victory on the part of Player #4. Yes, player-interaction is very high in this game.
Which leads to another drawback with Soul of the Empire (if it can be considered a draw-back): although the game can be played with 2 or 3, it's not at all worth it unless you have 4 players. Having said that, if I had three other equally experienced players of Soul of the Empire available, I'd want to play this every week, it's that much of a challenge.
For most of the game, it feels like no one is at all close to a victory. Then, all of a sudden, two or three factions seem like any one of them could win in the next fifteen minutes! And five minutes after this realization, one of them does.
I was not expecting to like Soul of the Empire as much as I did. In fact, I love it!
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