Grand Emperor

Grand Emperor
Designer:	Dom Camus
Year:	unknown
Players:	10-20
Stuff required:	a normal deck of playing cards, plsu optionally dome way of timing things, a binbag and a medium sized cardboard tube.
Crew required:	one Moderator
Preparation:	if using a binbag, cut a head-sized circular hole in the bottom.
Time required:	roughly ten minutes.
Place required:	anywhere quiet enough for players to converse easily.
Activities:	bluffing, negotiating, strategy, acting.
This is an untested game. Its rules are written, but it hasn't been tested out yet.
This game is made available under an Attribution-Noncommercial Creative Commons licence. (What does this mean?)

A lighthearted social game of courtiers attempting to select a new Grand Emperor.

Setting Up

• Take the pack of cards and separate the cards into suits. The Moderator then randomly selects an equal number of cards from each suit such that the total number of cards is equal to the number of players. Where the number of players is not a multiple of four, the extra cards are drawn from Clubs first, then Diamonds, then Hearts.
• The Moderator shuffles the pack and gives one card face down, chosen at random, to each player.

Object of the Game

• Each player is a member of the courts of the empire and is trying to become the next Grand Emperor or a member of his or her court.
• The exception is any player to whom a Club has been dealt. Such players are barbarians trying to overthrow the empire.

Playing the Game

• Players may move amongst one another and speak to either individuals or groups.
• No player may show his or her card to another player (but making claims as to what card one has is fine).
• At any time, two players may challenge one another to a duel by mutual agreement. To do so, they approach the Moderator and request this.
• When a duel takes place, the Moderator takes the cards from both players and inspects them, then returns the winner's card and announces the result to all players (but not what either card was). The loser's card is kept my the Moderator.
• The loser of a duel is out of the game (and has lost the game). Eliminated players should not speak to or signal to other players.
• Barbarians (Clubs) always lose duels with non-barbarians, on account of inferior swordsmanship!
• Victory in a duel is otherwise determined by the highest denomination (Ace beats King beats Queen beats Jack beats Ten etc.). If both denominations are the same then both lose (and were clearly not paying attention during their fencing tuition).
• At any time after the first five minutes of the game a player may declare they are attempting to become Grand Emperor.
• When a player declares an attempt to become Grand Emperor then the Moderator announces this to all players.
• During an attempt to become Grand Emperor, the would-be Emperor points to each player in turn and that player must declare for an existing cadidate for the office of Grand Emperor or delcare themselves a candidate.
• Once every player has made their choice, the Moderator assesses each faction by looking secretly at the card held by each player in it.
• A faction scores one point for each supporter (that is, not the would-be Emperor themselves) whose card is of equal to or lower face value than that of the faction's candidate.
• The faction with the most points has its candidate elected Emperor.
• If a barbarian is elected Grand Emperor then all surviving barbarians win the game. All other players lose.
• If any other player is elected Grand Emperor then he or she wins, as do all non-barbarians supporting him. All other players lose.

At the End of the Game

• The Grand Emperor and his or her court (or fellow barbarians as the case may be) stand, suitably magnificent in their victory.
• If a bin bag and/or cardboard tube are available the former becomes the Grand Emperor's robe of office and the latter the Imperial Scepter.
• Defeated players are encoraged to bow humbly before the new Grand Emperor.

Designer's Notes

• Broadly, the game's strategy is to try to determine one person whom you are confident is both high ranking and not a barbarian and then support them.
• Duels are a good way to determine this, except that you don't want your top people all killing each other in duels trying to achieve certainty.
• If someone tries for Grand Emperor who you don't trust and you yourself are high ranked it's a good idea to stand against them in case they are a barbarian.
• For this reason, if you are a barbarian trying for Emperor yourself it is a good idea to choose people who you think are likely to be well supported competing candidates as late as possible. On the other hand you can't be too obvious about it or the non-barbarians are unlikely to support you at all!
• Whatever position you're in, lots of deal-making, heckling and encouraging other people to challenge each other to duels is probably a good idea.
• Long live the Grand Emperor!