
- BGG rank
- BGG #5,951
- BGG rating
- 7.0
Vivarium
- 2–4 players
- 30 min
- Complexity 1.9/5
- 2022

2017
Rules assistance for L'Empereur
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
For 2 players

What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
L'Empereur is a board game released in 2017 for 2–4 players, 15–25 minutes per game, and ages 8 and up. It was designed by Florent Toscano and Frédéric Vuagnat.
Never has such a simple journey been so unexpected! Your penguin must leave the colony to feed on the ocean, then return to his own. Your instinct will guide you to choose the right path, avoid the blizzard and enjoy the help of others. Memory and tactics will be essential to win this race! On your turn you choose a card near your penguin to move it on, turning this card. A color appears and if it corresponds to the color of your penguin, you can move again. If not, your moving is over. After that, you move a white or black chip to a closed card. When a penguin comes on a card with a white chip, he can play again now, but when he goes on a black chip, he must stop its moving. A card whithout penguin on it is face off. When a penguin is on a card of its color, with other penguins, he must bring them with him!
L'Empereur 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 L'Empereur is 15–25 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 L'Empereur 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.
L'Empereur 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.
L'Empereur belongs to these categories: Animals. 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 L'Empereur and want something comparable for your next game night.
The credited designers of L'Empereur are: Florent Toscano and Frédéric Vuagnat. 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 L'Empereur 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.