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Heropath: Dragon Roar
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Empires of Zidal
2013
Rules assistance for Empires of Zidal
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 2–4 players
- 60–120 min
- 12+
- Complexity 3.0/5
For 2 players
Rules assistant for Empires of Zidal
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Empires of Zidal is a board game released in 2013 for 2–4 players, 60–120 minutes per game, and ages 12 and up. It was designed by Lee Kress and its main mechanics are Trading and Deck, Bag, and Pool Building.
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About the game
Lead your people to greatness by training them in the ways of war, commerce, magic, labor, or entertainment in this fun and original deck building board game. The people in the Empires of Zidal require your guidance! Train the children in your empire to become military workers who can attack other players and take their game resources. Alternatively you can train your children to become market workers who can manipulate the in game supply and demand driven market to your advantage. Grow the power of your empire by constructing buildings to give benefits to workers in specific employment branches. In total, there are 5 different employment branches which children can be trained in (military, market, magic, labor, or entertainment). Each branch has their own unique effects and strategies for winning. In the end whichever empire is able to gain the most signets wins! Empires of Zidal is a deck building game for 2 to 4 players. The game is set in the land of Zidal and every player is the ruler of one of Zidal's empires. The deck you build throughout the game consists of people from within your own empire. Will you decide to create a military empire and populate your realm with generals, knights, and archers? Will you take advantage of the market by training your children to be merchants, negotiators, and analysts? Will you populate your empire with magic, labor, or entertainment workers... or a combination of two or more employment branches? It's up to you to decide.
Questions and answers
Empires of Zidal 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 Empires of Zidal is 60–120 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 Empires of Zidal for ages 12 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.
Empires of Zidal has a complexity rating of 3.0 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a medium-weight 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.
Empires of Zidal belongs to these categories: Card Game, Fantasy, and Medieval. Its main mechanics are Trading and Deck, Bag, and Pool Building. 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 Empires of Zidal are: Lee Kress. 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 Empires of Zidal 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.