
- BGG rank
- BGG #556
- BGG rating
- 7.3
Sprawlopolis
- 1–4 players
- 15–20 min
- Complexity 1.8/5
- 2018

Rules assistance for Embers: The New Guard
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.

What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Embers: The New Guard is an expansion for Embers released in 2025 for 1 player, 15 minutes per game, and ages 10 and up. It was designed by Steven Aramini.
Drawn by the sound of battle, a rescue party bursts from the surrounding forest. Inspire them to join the fight against the vicious monsters! Embers: The New Guard introduces three new heroes with unique maneuvers and special abilities. These heroes can be used in the base game or as part of the expansion. The expansion keeps all the gameplay from the base game, and also introduces a new mechanic, where two upgraded heroes are placed into the tent during setup as Reserve Heroes. Each Reserve Hero is given a Reinforcement Requirement from one of the three Reinforcement Cards (12 possible requirements in total). When the player meets a given requirement, that Reserve Hero becomes available to deploy into camp to strengthen the party. Based on the chosen difficulty level, a certain number of requirements must be met to win the game, as well as surviving until dawn without losing all Fire Cards. —description from the publisher
Embers: The New Guard supports 1 player according to the catalogue. This is the publisher’s listed player count, so the game is designed for exactly that number of participants. Variants for other group sizes, if any, are described in the rulebook of your edition, so check it before setting up a different configuration.
The listed playing time for Embers: The New Guard is 15 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 Embers: The New Guard for ages 10 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.
Embers: The New Guard has a complexity rating of 1.0 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a 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.
Embers: The New Guard belongs to these categories: Card Game, Print & Play, and Expansion for Base-game. Categories describe the theme, setting and style of a game rather than its rules. Filter the catalogue by the same category to find similar games when you enjoyed Embers: The New Guard and want something comparable for your next game night.
The credited designers of Embers: The New Guard are: Steven Aramini. 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 Embers: The New Guard as an expansion for Embers. Expansions add new content, rules or scenarios to the base game and usually cannot be played on their own, so you need Embers to use it. Check that your edition of Embers is compatible, as some expansions were revised between editions.