For the Emperor
For the Emperor Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
- 7 Battlefield Cards
- 18 Warrior Cards (9 per player)
- 2 Player Aids
- 7 Banners
- 8 Ability Tokens (4 per player)
Setup
- Place the 7 battlefields in the middle of the table, spaced evenly apart.
- Place the 7 banners in a supply nearby. Do not stack them.
- Each player chooses an army (Turtle or Crane) and takes their 9 warriors, 4 ability tokens, and player aid.
- Each player shuffles their warriors, draws a hand of 3, and places the rest in a facedown draw pile.
- The Crane army goes first.
How to Win
In For the Emperor, each player sends out their elite warriors to take control of the 7 battlefields. Each warrior adds their strength (number) and ability to the battlefield where they're placed.
You control a battlefield if you have more total strength there than your opponent. If you control the most battlefields at the end of the game, you win.
Banners & Battlefields
As you play, each of the 7 banners will be assigned to a different battlefield. The total number of warriors on a battlefield can never exceed the number on its banner (counting both players' warriors).
The game ends when every battlefield has a banner and a number of warriors exactly matching its number. Each player will have 1 unplayed warrior left, which acts as their tiebreaker.
Illustration caption: The Turtle army controls this battlefield. It has a "2" banner, so the Crane army can't place another warrior.
Game Turns
Players alternate taking turns. Each turn has the following steps:
- Play 1 warrior on a battlefield.
- Assign banners if necessary.
- Draw 1 warrior.
Playing a Warrior
Choose a battlefield with either no banner or fewer total warriors than the number on its banner. Place 1 warrior from your hand faceup on your side of the battlefield. If your warrior has a "When Played" ability, resolve it immediately.
If you have multiple warriors on a battlefield, arrange them such that their strength, "Ongoing" abilities, and "Game End" abilities remain visible. "When Played" abilities can be covered by other cards.
Assigning Banners
After playing a warrior, check whether to assign banners to 1 or more battlefields. Follow these steps:
- A. First, check if the highest banner in the supply matches the number of warriors on any battlefield without a banner. If it does, place the banner on that battlefield.
- B. If you place a banner in A, repeat A for the next highest banner in the supply. Continue like this until the highest banner left in the supply can't be placed.
- C. Finally, check if there are exactly two battlefields with 0 or 1 warriors on them. If there are, place a "1" banner on each of them.
3 with 3+ Rule
During the game, there can never be more than 3 battlefields with 3+ warriors. In other words, once 3 battlefields have 3 or 4 warriors, the other 4 battlefields can have a max of 2 warriors).
Illustration caption: The Crane army can't place a warrior here, because there are already 3 battlefields with 3+ warriors.
3 with 3+ and Banners
If a battlefield has a "3" or "4" banner, it will have 3+ warriors at game end, so it must be counted towards the 3 with 3+ rule no matter how many warriors it currently has. See Ronin (4) Clarifications.
Game End
When your draw pile runs out, continue playing without drawing new warriors. When each player has 1 warrior left in hand, finish the turn and end the game.
Determine who controls each battlefield (count each final player's strength from warriors, tokens, and "Game End" abilities). If both players have the same strength on a battlefield, no one controls it.
Whoever controls the most battlefields wins the game. In a tie, whoever has the higher tiebreaker card left in hand wins. If still tied, the players are evenly matched and share the victory!
Warrior Clarifications
- Ronin (4): You can't place a banner if one is already present. If you can place a banner, you must. The battlefield now counts towards the 3 with 3+ rule.
- Yamabushi (5): If you return your Ashigaru (2) or Kyudo (3), leave their ability token in play. If you play them again later, place their 2nd token.
- Wokou (6): You may move an ability token placed by either player. The token's effect is removed from this battlefield and applied to the new one.
- Onna-musha (7): If your opponent can't legally place a warrior anywhere else, they may ignore your Onna-musha.
- Sohei (8): You may choose to use your normal tiebreaker (last card in hand) instead of your Sohei.