- BGG rank
- BGG #18,227
- BGG rating
- 6.1
Empire
2022
Rules assistance for Empire
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 1 player
- 15–30 min
- 10+
- Complexity 2.9/5
For 1 player
Rules assistant for Empire
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Empire is a board game released in 2022 for 1 player, 15–30 minutes per game, and ages 10 and up. It was designed by Todd Sanders and its main mechanics are Dice Rolling, Network and Route Building, and Open Drafting.
About the game
At the turn of the century, build your industrial empire by constructing factories, hiring workers, producing goods and selling them for a profit. How rich will you be when you retire? Create a manufacturing empire in 30 years (15 turns) by building factories, producing Capital, Materials, Commodities, and Goods, and earn as much Profit as you can. Needed to Play: 9 Game Cards 7d6 to track workers (Worker Dice) 1d6 to track The Market (Market Die) 1d6 to track Managers (Managers Die) 9 eurocubes (8mm suggested) as tracking markers Phases of a turn Each turn consists of three phases: Set the Market Take Your Actions Upkeep/Record Time Passed Phase 1. Set the Market Roll the Market die and place it next to the Market. Reference the Market die’s face against the Resource numbers listed in its matching row. This row shows the amounts you will gain in Capital or Profit for each resource unit sold during this turn in Phase 2. Phase 2. Take Your Actions You may now take up to 4 actions in the game, once each, in the order listed below, though you may skip any action in the series (ex. - A, (skip B), C, D): Sell Resources and/or Capital for Profit; Hire and/or Move Workers; Build a Building/Events; Produce Resources and/or Capital. Phase 3. Upkeep/Record Time Passed Overstaffing a building can lead to additional costs and to buildings requiring upkeep. On years 6, 12, 18, 24 and 30 you must pay rising labor costs for any workers represented by a Worker die whose value exceeds the Staffing Requirement die icon for that building (do not count the Central Factory during this phase). For each building with more workers than the staffing requirement (as shown by the die icon) pay Capital equal to 1/2 of the value on the current Market die (rounded down). If you are unable to pay this amount, the Worker die is rotated to 1 and the building must be restaffed. On years 8, 18, and 24 you must pay for Building Upkeep and Maintenance (do not count the Central Factory during this phase). For each building built, pay a cost of any two Resources shown for the original building cost. You may choose which two of these you pay; then reduce the value on a matching Resource track among any one of your buildings. For each unit of the Resource cost you cannot pay, subtract 1 Profit unit. At the end of each turn, move the marker on the Years in Business track forward one space. The game ends after your 30th year. —description from the publisher
Designers
Publishers
- Giant Roc
- AVStudioGames
- Air and Nothingness Press
Questions and answers
Empire 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 Empire is 15–30 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 Empire 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.
Empire has a complexity rating of 2.9 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.
Empire belongs to these categories: Economic, Territory Building, and Print & Play. Its main mechanics are Dice Rolling, Network and Route Building, and Open Drafting. 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 Empire are: Todd Sanders. 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 Empire 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.