This is part two in a series of articles examining all the influence cards in The Barracks Emperors, one suit at a time. Part one, which can be found here, discussed Military cards. In this article, we look some of the uses and subtleties of the cards in the Blue suit. Just as in Time of Crisis, Blue represents power and influence with the Senate of Rome. All the special abilities tied to these cards represent things the Senate or the Emperor might rule on, including “peaceful” ways to deal with barbarians and different ways to draw cards, with one notable exception. Read on!
(Note: All art shown in this article is playtest art only. It is not final.)
This is the Action Round example as it appears in the playbook, except for a few additions to facilitate understanding without a copy of the game. Rules reference numbers remain in the text to minimize editing. Enjoy!
Compiled below you will find the seventh through ninth installments of an ongoing design diaries series from Border Reivers designer Ed Beach. (The previous installments can be found here.) He regularly publishes new design diaries and other updates on the “Reivers and Reformers” Facebook group, so if you would like to read those as they are released you can do so here. Enjoy! -Rachel
HNLMS DeRuyter was a Royal Netherlands Navy light cruiser built over the period of 1933-1935 being commissioned on October 3, 1936. She was named after Admiral Michiel Adriaenszoon de Ruyter, who was one of the most skilled admirals in the Dutch Navy during the Second Anglo-Dutch War.
She was set up as a flotilla leader and sent to the Dutch East Indies with two other cruisers. The reasoning behind the triad’s deployment was that with three cruisers in the theater, so far from the home nation, there would always be at least two operational ships to protect the Dutch interests.
The Barracks Emperors is a strategic trick-taking game that offers many new twists on the genre – see my earlier article here for more information on how the game is played. One twist is that every card played also grants the player a one-time special ability, in addition to the card’s inherent trick-taking potential based on its suit and value. This means that even when you’re playing a card that may not capture an Emperor for you by itself, you may be able to use the special ability to turn the tables on your opponents in a different way. Becoming familiar with what abilities are available in the game and how to use them is an important part of playing well.
In a deliberate nod back to our last game, Time of Crisis, we’ve adopted the same events used in that game and its expansion and designed reminiscent abilities for The Barracks Emperors.
This series of articles will examine all the influence cards in The Barracks Emperors, one suit at a time. In this article, part one of three, we begin with the Red suit. Just as in Time of Crisis, Red represents Military power and influence. All the special abilities tied to these cards represent battle effects and generally involve abilities to move, “defendâ€, and “attack†other cards.
(Note: All art shown in this article is playtest art only. It is not final.)
Compiled below you will find the fourth through sixth installments of an ongoing design diaries series from Border Reivers designer Ed Beach. (The first three installments can be found in the previous article here.) He regularly publishes new design diaries and other updates on the “Reivers and Reformers” Facebook group, so if you would like to read those as they are released you can do so here. Enjoy! -Rachel
We turn after our recent tour of Muslim al‑Andalus to the 11th-Century Spain of the Christians. Like the later Teutonic and Danish crusader states of the Levy & Campaign Series’ previous volume, Nevsky, the Christian lords featured in Almoravid seek to expand their realms at the expense of neighbors of a competing religion. Albert and Volko introduce us to these Christian kingdoms and counties along with their depictions and roles in the game. All game art in this article is playtest only and game details are provisional.
This article picks up where the previous one left off. It will get you to the end of a game Year. If you would like to read Part One first, that can be found here. Enjoy!
Compiled below you will find the first three installments of an ongoing design diaries series from Border Reivers designer Ed Beach. He regularly publishes new design diaries and other updates on the “Reivers and Reformers” Facebook group, so if you would like to read those as they are released you can do so here. Enjoy! -Rachel
