Came to post this , was not disappointed . <| sep |> I fenced for over 15 years and was on the US national team . Fencing is a great sport , but very hard to pick up as there is lots of equipment and awkward movements . It is also not a very good spectator sport as it moves very fast and the rules can be confusing . Definitely fun to try fighting with a sword ! Also , it always annoys me when people say one weapon is easierharder than another . You are directly against someone else , so it is easierharder for them too . <| sep |> I love Cosmic Encounter and Twilight Imperium and recommend them in general , but in terms of those specific criteria Cosmic isn ' t really a wargame and Twilight Imperium takes like 4 hours minimum with only 4 players who are relatively experienced with the rules . Also I believe Small World is a bit on the light side and only plays 5 although I ' m pretty sure they have a 6 th player expansion . If you ' ve got the budget I ' d say Kemet for 25 players and Rex for 6 . Or Forbidden Stars for 24 and Rex for 56 .