- BGG rating
- 6.8
Gray Eminence: Year of Chaos
- 3–6 players
- 60–90 min
- 2021
- BGG rank
- BGG #23,159
- BGG rating
- 6.1
Gray Eminence
2020
Rules assistance for Gray Eminence
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 3–5 players
- 60–90 min
- 15+
- Complexity 2.0/5
Rules assistant for Gray Eminence
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Gray Eminence is a board game released in 2020 for 3–5 players, 60–90 minutes per game, and ages 15 and up. It was designed by Ren Multamäki and Tony Cotterill and its main mechanics are Hand Management, Trading, and Auction / Bidding.
Expansions
Similar games
- BGG rank
- BGG #22,576
- BGG rating
- 6.0
Tolerance
- 3–5 players
- 60–90 min
- Complexity 3.0/5
- 2023
- BGG rank
- BGG #25,937
- BGG rating
- 5.8
Mine 77
- 1–5 players
- 90–120 min
- Complexity 3.0/5
- 2025
- BGG rank
- BGG #6,729
- BGG rating
- 7.1
Hit the Silk!
- 3–6 players
- 20–45 min
- Complexity 1.9/5
- 2021
- BGG rank
- BGG #9,550
- BGG rating
- 7.9
Syncanite Foundation
- 2–4 players
- 60–180 min
- Complexity 3.7/5
- 2025
- BGG rank
- BGG #24,084
- BGG rating
- 6.3
Zanziar
- 2–6 players
- 120–180 min
- Complexity 3.6/5
- 2008
- BGG rank
- BGG #22,645
- BGG rating
- 5.9
Book of Dragons
- 1–8 players
- 15–60 min
- Complexity 1.3/5
- 2018
- BGG rank
- BGG #14,525
- BGG rating
- 6.9
Processing: A Game of Serving Humanity
- 3–6 players
- 30 min
- Complexity 2.0/5
- 2019
- BGG rank
- BGG #256
- BGG rating
- 7.4
Dead of Winter: A Crossroads Game
- 2–5 players
- 60–120 min
- Complexity 3.0/5
- 2014
- BGG rank
- BGG #3,935
- BGG rating
- 6.5
Senji
- 3–6 players
- 90 min
- Complexity 3.0/5
- 2008
- BGG rank
- BGG #2,116
- BGG rating
- 7.0
Patchistory
- 2–4 players
- 60–120 min
- Complexity 3.8/5
- 2013
- BGG rank
- BGG #10,117
- BGG rating
- 6.4
The Phantom League
- 2–6 players
- 90 min
- Complexity 3.2/5
- 2010
- BGG rank
- BGG #26,604
- BGG rating
- 5.6
Corrupted Kingdoms
- 2–6 players
- 20–60 min
- Complexity 1.3/5
- 2016
About the game
Gray Eminence is a 3-5 player game lasting 60-90 minutes, in which players take the roles of powerful puppet masters in the modern world, each working towards common goals as well as their own secret agenda. Each shadowy figure uses money, power and influence to steer the course of multiple factions toward their own inscrutable ends. Gray Eminence does not pretend to observe political correctness or historical accuracy but rather aims to induce discussion about the world we live in. We also claim that all events in the game are plausible and event resolution options are within the range of real-world possibilities. We do not, however, pretend that our event resolution options cover all possible eventualities - If you find that you end up discussing event resolution options we didn’t list, that would count as a success in terms of our game design. The person with most progress toward their winning conditions at the end of the game wins. An éminence grise (French pronunciation: [eminɑ̃s ɡʁiz]) or grey eminence is a powerful decision-maker or adviser who operates "behind the scenes" in a non-public and unofficial capacity. In this game the players adopt roles of the gray eminences working toward their own victory conditions. It's a game about intrigue, politics, bluffing and (questionable) morality. —description from the publisher
Categories
Mechanics
Designers
Publishers
- Dragon Dawn Productions
Questions and answers
Gray Eminence supports 3–5 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 Gray Eminence is 60–90 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 Gray Eminence for ages 15 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.
Gray Eminence has a complexity rating of 2.0 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.
Gray Eminence belongs to these categories: Deduction, Bluffing, and Political. Its main mechanics are Hand Management, Trading, and Auction / Bidding. 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 Gray Eminence are: Ren Multamäki and Tony Cotterill. 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 Gray Eminence 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.