Imperial Glory

The Imperial Glory period from 50-220 CE was entirely new for Eurasia. For the first time, most of the civilized world was or would shortly be dominated by one of four massive empires that bestrode the earth.

• Far to the east, the Han Dynasty had dominated since 206 BCE, then fallen, but since 23 CE had resurrected itself and was now extending its powerful grasp far to the north and west.
• In the far west the Roman Republic had fallen and after multiple civil wars Caesar Augustus had consolidated a stable empire, over which his descendant Claudius now presided.
• To their east, following Roman defeat of the Seleucids, the horse riding Parthians had conquered an empire, stretching from the Fertile Crescent in the west to Central Asia in the east.
• ln Central Asia, a group calling themselves the Kushans, part of the Yuezhi confederation, had consolidated power and were set to drive south to build their empire.

The Base Game

This first solo offering portrays the Kushan Empire. Future expansions will add to the map, on the west, Rome and Parthia, and on the east, Han Dynasty China.

The Kushans begin as the smallest empire and have the most to gain territorially, as well as the strong commanders needed to accomplish it.

But it's not simple. To the east, the desert outposts of China form a difficult obstacle for your mounted army. To the south, the forest and large populations of the subcontinent are also challenging. And while you pursue these there are persistent threats from northern mounted barbarians.

How It Works

Each player has a deck of advisors including generals, governors, diplomats, artists, architects, philosophers and secret agents. Each type allows distinct types of actions. The player can accept the initial card draw, or begin spending precious influence hoping to draw the type the empire needs more.

After determining the action, the player deploys funds (talents) and determines the result via draw of a result counter. But in the case of invasion, a more elaborate sequence plays out on the Battle Board. Based on how well the turn went, the emperor gains or loses popularity points, the player keeps or loses influence points, and gains or loses an advisor.

Finally, players draw one of the momentous Fate cards, which can even lead to the death of the emperor. When this occurs, popularity converts to influence and cards enter and leave the deck based on the differing interests of the new emperor. When the last emperor dies, the game ends and the player scores points based on the empire's achievements at that time.

Expansion news

As of May 2023, you can also order the Han Dynasty China expansion. This enables adding a second player as well as the chance to play the Han Dynasty in solo mode. It also adds concepts such as Corruption.

Included

Game features include named emperors with historical stats and descriptions, a wide array of army types, army maintenance, unrest, rebellion, civil wars, heresy, pandemic, trade, temples, monuments, aqueducts, roads, rules to control a nonplayer in combat, and more.

The game includes

• An unmounted map depicting India and Central Asia with background information on the reverse
• An unmounted Battle Board with background information on the reverse
• Decks of Advisor, Province, Ares, Fate, Arts, Science and large-sized Emperor cards
• Counters depicting armies, popularity and results
• Cubes and sticks to represent constructions and mark province statuses
• 28-page rules booklet
• A box large enough to hold all future expansions.
• Downloadable 4-page player aide

See below for a detailed list and photos of components.

Links

• Video introduction
• All videos
• Learn more at Up & Away Games
• Follow on Twitter.
• Questions? Contact us.

Published March 20, 2021.

What This Is

This is not a mass-produced game, but printed-on-demand . We have uploaded the artwork, rules and specifications, but The Game Crafter makes it only when you order it. Learn more.