Overview
At a glance
Is this game right for my group?
ABG editorial scores on a 1–5 scale.
Harder to teach
High replayability
Highly interactive
Scales well
Deep strategy
How it plays
How does it play?
"Dark Emperor" is a two-player boardgame of warfare and quest in a fantasy universe. One player is a Dark Lord invading the world from another dimension; the other player must rally the kingdoms of the world to fight the invaders.
Core mechanisms
Key systems that shape the decisions players make.
Action Points
Spend a limited allowance of points across several possible actions each turn.
Grid Movement
Move pieces between adjacent spaces on a regular grid.
Dice Rolling
Roll dice to introduce uncertainty into actions, production, movement, or resolution.
Movement Points
Spend a movement allowance across spaces with different costs.
Simulation
Model a real or imagined system through detailed cause-and-effect rules.
Hexagon Grid
Use a hexagonal map where each space connects evenly in six directions.
Read the full game description
"Dark Emperor" is a two-player boardgame of warfare and quest in a fantasy universe. One player is a Dark Lord invading the world from another dimension; the other player must rally the kingdoms of the world to fight the invaders. There is a race-for-time aspect to the game as the Dark Emperor becomes steadily stronger whilst the opposing player scrambles to put together an alliance. The map is remarkable in that this world has obviously suffered extensive meteoric bombardment.