- BGG rating
- 7.4
A War of Whispers: Conquests & Treasures
- 2–4 players
- 30–60 min
- Complexity 2.5/5
- 2020
- BGG rank
- BGG #922
- BGG rating
- 7.3
A War of Whispers
2019
Rules assistance for A War of Whispers
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 2–4 players
- 30–60 min
- 14+
- Complexity 2.6/5
For 2 players
Rules assistant for A War of Whispers
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
A War of Whispers is a board game released in 2019 for 2–4 players, 30–60 minutes per game, and ages 14 and up. It was designed by Jeremy Stoltzfus and its main mechanics are Take That, Area Majority / Influence, and Betting and Bluffing.
Expansions
- BGG rating
- 7.2
A War of Whispers: Dark Alliances
- 2–4 players
- 30–60 min
- Complexity 2.0/5
- 2020
- BGG rating
- 8.1
A War of Whispers: Expansion of Influence
- 2–5 players
- 60–90 min
- Complexity 2.7/5
- 2025
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About the game
A War of Whispers is a competitive board game for 2 to 4 players. Five mighty empires are at war for the world, but you are no mighty ruler. Instead, you play a secret society that is betting on the results of this war while pulling strings to rig the results and ensure their bets pay off. A War of Whispers is a game of deep strategy, hidden agendas, and shifting loyalties. You start the game with five loyalty tokens, each corresponding to one of the five different empires, bet randomly on a loyalty value. Your primary goal is to ensure that when the game ends, the empires you are most loyal to control the most cities across the globe. Gameplay consists of turns broken down into four phases: Deploy agents phase: In player order (starting with the first player and proceeding clockwise), each player removes, then deploys agents to empire councils, the positions on the board marked Sheriff, Steward, Marshall, and Chancellor. Empire turns phase: Each council position on each empire council will take an action. If a player has acquired cards, they may play them during this phase. Cleanup phase: Add the turn marker to the next space on the turn tracker, then each player discards down to the hand limit of five cards. Swap phase: In player order, each player may swap two of their unrevealed loyalty tokens. If you choose to do so, you must reveal both of the swapped loyalty tokens. They remain revealed for the rest of the game. Gameplay repeats itself in this order four times. When the last space on the turn track is filled, the game ends immediately and scoring commences. The player with the most points based off their empire loyalties and the cities they control wins.
Mechanics
Designers
Publishers
- Hobby World
- asmodee
- Galakta
- Matagot
- Starling Games (II)
- Tycoon Games
- Corax Games
- Jianjie Star Games
Questions and answers
A War of Whispers supports 2–4 players according to the catalogue. This range comes from the publisher’s listed player count, so the game can be set up for any group size within it. Some setups, rules and scoring details may still vary by player count, so check your edition’s rulebook for the exact configuration.
The listed playing time for A War of Whispers is 30–60 minutes. This is the publisher’s estimate for a full game. The actual duration depends on the group, the player count and familiarity with the rules: first sessions usually run longer, while experienced groups often finish faster. Setup and teaching time are not included in this estimate.
The catalogue lists A War of Whispers for ages 14 and up. This is the publisher’s recommendation and reflects reading demands, rule complexity and small components rather than theme alone. Younger players can often join with help from an adult, so check the age guidance on your edition and consider your group’s experience with board games.
A War of Whispers has a complexity rating of 2.6 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a medium-light game. The rating reflects how much rules knowledge, planning and decision-making a typical game demands. Expect a longer first teach for heavier games, and use a preparation guide before game night.
A War of Whispers belongs to these categories: Fantasy, Wargame, and Political. Its main mechanics are Take That, Area Majority / Influence, and Betting and Bluffing. Categories describe the theme and setting of a game, while mechanics describe what players actually do on their turns. Each mechanic links to a catalogue hub with similar games, which helps when you want something comparable.
The credited designers of A War of Whispers are: Jeremy Stoltzfus. These credits come from the published game data and name the people responsible for the game’s design, not its illustrators or publishers. Designer pages on MeepleRules collect other titles by the same designers, which helps when you enjoy a game and want to find similar ones.
The catalogue lists A War of Whispers as a base game. It can be played on its own with the components in the box and does not require any other title. Expansions, if any exist, add new content or rules on top of it and are listed separately in the catalogue with a link back to this base game.