Empire
The Card Game

The object of the game is to build an “Empire” by collecting 4 “pillars”. First person to have 4 pillars and play a card to end their turn wins the game.  

Each player is dealt 10 cards.

The rest of the cards are placed in the middle face down. This is the pick up “resources” pile.

A paper scissors rock “battle” determines who goes first. If there are more than 3 players battle first in pairs or threes. 

On the first round no player can “secure & sabotage”, “steal”, “trade” or “battle”. They simply pick up a card from the resource pile in the middle and choose to discard a card by placing it on their discarded resources pile face up in front of them. Each player will have their own discarded card pile in front of them. Once a player has discarded a card, their turn is complete.

Starting from the second round, each player takes turns to complete the following actions:

1. Picks up a card from the middle “resources” pile. 

2. Selects to either “steal”, “trade” or “battle” a card from another player.

How to “Steal” a card: 

Announce that you are going to “steal” a card, then take a card from any players discarded resource pile and add it to your hand. This may include taking from your own discarded card pile. You cannot steal a “2” and you can only take the top card. 2’s protect cards from being stolen.

How to “Trade” a card: 

Announce that you are going to “trade” a card. Place any card from your hand on the table. 2s can be traded but Jokers cannot be traded. Once this has been tabled you must trade the card. Every player then chooses a card from their own hand and places it on the table. You then choose a tabled card to swap with your card and place it in your hand. All players return their cards to their hand. 

How to “Battle” for a card: 

Beginner Battle Instructions (great when playing with kids)

Announce you are going to “Battle”. Choose a player and demand from them any card. This can include 2s and Jokers. They then indicate if they have the requested card or they do not. If they have do not have the card then the  “battle” is over, if they do have the card then a paper, scissors, rock battle commences to determine if you get the card. If you lose, your opponent gets to keep their card, if you win you take the card from your opponent and add it to your hand. 

Advanced Battle Instructions

Announce you are going to “Battle” someone for their card, you are now the “attacker”. Choose a player and demand from them any card (This can include 2s and Jokers), they are now the “defender”. The defender then indicates if they have the requested card or they do not. If they have do not have the card then the  “battle” is over, if they do have the card then on the count of three each player will play a card or a set of cards to win the battle. 

When someone request a battle for a card the defender must answer honestly whether they have the card or not. However during general cared play and table talk it is encouraged that players misrepresent the cards they are holding or the regimes they are targeting.

The winner of the battle is determined by the number of cards of the same kind, which regime they are from and the value of the card:

Firstly the battle is determined by whether a player puts down a single card, two of a kind, three of a kind or 4 of a kind (eg. Single 4, Two x 4s, Three x 4’s, four x 4s). These are the only options that each player is permitted to play and Jokers are not permitted in battles (unless you have collected all of the jokers and obtained the “Holy Grail”). 

Two of a Kind beats One of a kind. Eg. Two 5s beats an Ace.

Three of a Kind beats two of a kind. Eg Three 10s beats two Kings.

Four of a Kind beats three of a Kind. Eg Four 6s beats three Queens.

If you have all the Jokers (two packs will have four jokers) you have obtained the “Holy Grail” and you are invincible in battle. 

If both players play the same number of cards then the winner is determined by which regime they are from:   

Warlord beats Thief Lord: The same number of cards in the warlord regime (A-J) beats the same number of cards in the Thief regime (3-6). Eg. A King beats a 5.

Thief Lord beats Merchant Lord: The same number of cards in the Thief regime (3-6) beats the same number of cards in the Merchant regime (7-10). Eg. Two 4s beats two 10s.

Merchant Lord beats Warlord: The same number of cards in the Merchant regime (7-10) beats the same number of cards in the Warlord regime (J-A). Eg. Three 9s beats Three Aces.

If both players play the same number of cards from the same regime then the winner is the player whose card number is higher. Eg A king beats a Queen.

If it is still a draw then the winner is the defender. Eg if the attacker plays an Ace and the defender plays an Ace then the winner is the defender. 

Once the battle is complete each player returns their battle cards to their hand and if the defender has lost then they hand over the requested card to their attacker. 

3. If you have and choose to, then put down a “pillar”. A “pillar” is made up of a set of 4 of the same card. The first pillar you put down decides what sort of empire you are building and all subsequent pillars you put down must consist of pillars from that empire set.

 Empire Regimes: 

The “Empire of the Thief Lord” consists of pillars of 3’s, 4’s, 5’s,6’s. That is to win the game you must eventually put down 4 x 3’s, 4 x 4’s, 4 x 5’s, 4 x 6’s.

 The “Empire of the Merchant Lord” consists of pillars of 7’s, 8’s, 9’s, 10’s. That is to win the game you must eventually put down 4 x 7’s, 4 x 8’s, 4 x 9’s, 4 x 10’s.

The “Empire of the Warlord” consists of pillars of J’s, Q’s, K’s, A’s. That is to win the game you must eventually put down 4 x J’s, 4 x Q’s, 4 x K’s, 4 x A’s. 

Bonuses:

When you have put down your first pillar you immediately pick up 6 additional cards from the “resource” pick up pile. 

After you have put down your second pillar you recieve an additional action every turn depending on on what sort of Empire you are building. This begins on the turn you put down the second pillar.

The “Empire of the Thief Lord” bonus action: Every turn you can get an additional “steal”.

The “Empire of the Merchant Lord” bonus action: Every turn you get an additional “trade”.

 The “Empire of the Warlord” Bonus action: Every turn you get an additional “battle”.

After you have put down your third pillar every player must pay you tribute and give you a card of their choice .

4. End your turn by placing a card face up on your discard resource pile in front of you.

Special Cards:

2’s are called “security & sabotage” cards. When you place a 2 on your discard “resource” pile at the end of your turn you get to choose someone to get skipped on their turn. You can not load up skips on a single player so if a player already has a pending skip they cannot be skipped again. Placing a 2 on your discard pile also prevents cards being picked up from your discard pile. 

Jokers are wild cards and can be used to make “pillars”. You can use as many jokers as you want to make up a “pillar”.

5. As soon as a player has 4 pillars and has ended their turn by playing a card on their discard pile they have built their “Empire” and have won the game. Note: A player must discard a card to end the game.

6. If you run out of cards from the middle “resource” pick up pile then collect all the cards from the discarded card piles in front of each person (except for the top card, it stays in front of each player),  reshuffle them and place in them in the middle for the “resource” pick up pile.  

7. For an extended version: Multiple games are played until a player has got each of the empire sets. That is they have won, in any order,  a game by getting “Empire of the Thief Lord”, won another with “Empire of the Merchant Lord” and another with “Empire of the Warlord”.  The first player to achieve all three is anointed Emperor Overlord and shall forever be remembered.