
- BGG rank
- BGG #7,432
- BGG rating
- 6.5
Pentaquark
- 1 player
- 15–30 min
- Complexity 2.3/5
- 2016

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

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Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Hierarchy: Emissary is an expansion for Hierarchy released in 2020 for 1 player, 20–30 minutes per game, and ages 8 and up. It was designed by Mike Mullins and its main mechanics are Area Majority / Influence and Solo / Solitaire Game.
Solo expansion for Hierarchy. Two noble families have been fighting over the throne for years, and the people of the kingdom have suffered. You’ve been sent to make sure there is an uneventful transition into a new age of peace. To be a successful Emissary, you must play all 14 cards. Hierarchy: Emissary comes with 3 double sided Edict cards that give special abilities, as well as three alternate game cards (Impostor, Tower, and Surgeon) to swap in for solo play. At any time, you may discard an Edict card to use its printed ability. You must be able to resolve the card in order to use it. For example, if there are no cards left in the deck, you cannot “Return a card to the bottom of the deck.” It also comes in three levels of difficulty. In the Standard and Expert difficulties, after you fully resolve the Edict, you must remove the bottom card in the line and place it on top of its deck, extending the length of the game. While it's not required, we also made a sweet playmat for solo play. If you like to go all out, the playmats are always really nice. —description from the publisher
Hierarchy: Emissary 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 Hierarchy: Emissary is 20–30 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 Hierarchy: Emissary for ages 8 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.
Hierarchy: Emissary 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.
Hierarchy: Emissary belongs to these categories: Card Game, Print & Play, and Abstract Strategy. Its main mechanics are Area Majority / Influence and Solo / Solitaire Game. 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 Hierarchy: Emissary are: Mike Mullins. 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 Hierarchy: Emissary as an expansion for Hierarchy. Expansions add new content, rules or scenarios to the base game and usually cannot be played on their own, so you need Hierarchy to use it. Check that your edition of Hierarchy is compatible, as some expansions were revised between editions.