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Gilded
Reversed combat: it captures neighboring enemies stronger than itself on the touching side.
Rules of the game
The rules of EMPRISE
A tactical card duel, free, in your browser
- 8cards per side
- 20squares on the board
- 10Orders to discover
- 0draws possible
EMPRISE is played by two, in a few minutes. Each side has eight cards and places them one by one, taking turns, on a board of twenty squares (five columns, four rows). A card you place can turn the enemy cards touching it. At the end, the side that owns the most cards wins, often by a single point.
No card draw, no dice. Everything comes down to your choices: where to place, when to place, which card to keep for later. The only luck imposed on you is who goes first.
Rule 01
The four ranks
Each card carries four ranks, one per side: top, bottom, left, right. When you place a card against an enemy card, only the two ranks facing each other count.
Each Order has four cards. They carry the same numbers, turned by a quarter turn: it's up to you to choose which side to show your opponent.
TopLeftRightBottom
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Card 1 of 4
Rule 02
Capturing a card
If your rank is strictly higher than the rank facing it, the enemy card switches to your side. On a tie, nothing moves.
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Rule 03
Resonance
A single tie takes nothing. But if your card makes two exact ties in the same move, the tied enemy cards all fall together. That's Resonance: the move that turns a game around.
One of your own cards can provide one of the two ties: it doesn't change sides, but it counts toward triggering Resonance.
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Rule 04
The Ripple
Cards taken by a Resonance don't stop there: they serve your side at once. Each one triggers its ability for you, then attacks its enemy neighbors with the normal rule. Each card that falls in turn sets the chain going again. That's the Ripple, a chain reaction that can turn a whole board around.
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Rule 05
The Orders
Every card belongs to an Order, and every Order has its ability. The Archers capture at range, the Guardians strengthen the rank under attack, the Cinders pull cards toward them, the Scribes hide their ranks… Before each duel, you choose two Orders, yourself or with a roll of the die: your eight cards are the four cards of each, and the game is played out in their alliance.
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Cinders
Pulls the nearest card on each side, ally or enemy.
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Pikes
Pierces the cards lined up in each direction.
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Archers
Captures in a straight line, even at range.
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Abyssals
Each Abyssal in play strengthens the others by +1.
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Chimeras
Flips the rank of each adjacent enemy on its axis.
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Plagued
Poisons the 4 neighboring squares: −1 to every rank.
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Guardians
+1 to the attacked rank, for the length of the fight.
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Scribes
Ranks hidden in hand, then for 1 turn after placing.
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Cursed
Gains a permanent +1 on its 4 ranks each time it is captured.
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???
The next Order to join EMPRISE.
Swipe to see all eleven →
Rule 06
The Reserve
Before each duel, you set two cards aside, one per Order, never the same one twice: that's your Reserve. Your hand loses nothing, you still play all eight of your cards. You may never play the Reserve… or it may decide everything, in case of a tie.
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Reserve
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Rule 07
Who goes first, and how you win
The first player is drawn at random. At the end of the duel, sixteen cards have been placed and four squares remain empty. The player who opened the duel doesn't place the last card, a real disadvantage: so they receive a two-point lead in the count. Each side then counts the cards it owns on the board.
Azure 0+2
0 Scarlet
Azure opened the duel
Rule 08
The tie: Sudden Death and the Last Word
On a perfect tie, it's Sudden Death: each side takes a card from its Reserve and places it on a square left empty. If the tie still holds after both rounds, the Last Word decides: one point goes to the player who did not open the duel. A duel of EMPRISE never ends in a draw.
Azure 9+2
+19 Scarlet
9 to 9: a perfect tie
Play
Game modes
Against the Echo
The game's own opponent, on four levels, from Novice to Warlord.
Story mode
Eight chapters, one per Order, each with its final battle. The chapters in detail.
Tournaments
Eight Commanders: solo against the Echo, or online between players, with a code to share.
Ranked and friend challenges
Ranked games online take you up the leagues, from Bronze to Legend. And friends challenge each other from their list.
Confluence
The same hand for both sides: only skill decides.
Local duel
Two players on the same device.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
Is EMPRISE free?
Yes. The game is free to play, with no ads in the game.
Do I need to create an account or download anything?
No. The game opens in your browser, on a phone as well as on a computer, and an anonymous account is created on its own the first time you open it. You only choose a username.
Is there a tutorial?
Yes: an interactive tutorial teaches you everything, Sudden Death included, in a few minutes. It stays available at any time in the settings.
Is EMPRISE like Triple Triad?
If you enjoyed Triple Triad in Final Fantasy VIII, you will find the same pleasure of ranks facing off here. EMPRISE is an independent game, with no connection to Square Enix: it adds the Orders and their abilities, the Reserve, the Ripple and a board of twenty squares.
Who made EMPRISE?
A single person, who can't code. The rules, the balance (tested over tens of thousands of simulated games) and the game's choices are Alexandre's; the code is written by an artificial intelligence, Claude; the illustrations are generated, then retouched.
Is the game finished?
EMPRISE is in beta. A next Order is already announced in the game, and your feedback matters: write to us from the Play screen, “A problem, an idea?”.
Your first duel awaits
Two minutes for the rules, a few minutes for a game. The board is ready.
Play for freeNo account, no download, in English