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?
In the Shadow of the Emperor is a tactical game for 2-4 players. Players represent aristocratic families at the Court of the Holy Roman Emperor.
Core mechanisms
Key systems that shape the decisions players make.
Action Points
Spend a limited allowance of points across several possible actions each turn.
Area Majority
Compete to have the strongest presence in areas that award control or points.
Worker Placement
Commit limited workers to action spaces before opponents occupy them.
Voting
Players collectively approve, reject, or select an outcome through votes.
Take That
Direct negative effects at selected opponents.
Read the full game description
In the Shadow of the Emperor is a tactical game for 2-4 players. Players represent aristocratic families at the Court of the Holy Roman Emperor. Players seek to get their family members into influential positions with the various electorships of the Empire. Once there they accumulate votes towards being elected to be Holy Roman Emperor. Players choose actions for their family members to take, which allow them to wrest control of the various Elector States (each of which has a special ability in addition to its voting power) whilst displacing their opponents. However, family members age and die and the number of action cards is limited, restricting the tactical options. As players build their influence they collect victory points and the player with the most points at the end of the game wins.