Board game · 2013
A Study in Emerald
A Study in Emerald is a game for two to five players based on the award-winning short story of the same name by Neil Gaiman. In this stylistic mash-up of Sherlock Holmes and H.P. Lovecraft, the worst has already happened and th…
- Players
- 2 to 5
- Duration
- 90 min
- Age
- 13 and up
- Complexity
- Expert
Martin Wallace · Treefrog Games
Add to my shelf Sign in to add it to your shelf
Videos to learn
Playthrough2
View all videosAll
Does this video explain the rules well? Vote with the arrows.
-
The video plays right here — it never leaves Rules of Play.
-
The video plays right here — it never leaves Rules of Play.
-
The video plays right here — it never leaves Rules of Play.
-
The video plays right here — it never leaves Rules of Play.
-
The video plays right here — it never leaves Rules of Play.
-
The video plays right here — it never leaves Rules of Play.
-
The video plays right here — it never leaves Rules of Play.
-
The video plays right here — it never leaves Rules of Play.
-
The video plays right here — it never leaves Rules of Play.
Type a word from the rule. Esc to close. · 3 chapters, across 1 video
-
A Study in Emerald 2nd Edition Review - with Meeple Talk
Introduction
00:00 Watch this clip
-
A Study in Emerald 2nd Edition Review - with Meeple Talk
Game overview
00:46 Watch this clip
-
A Study in Emerald 2nd Edition Review - with Meeple Talk
Final thoughts
04:52 Watch this clip
No chapter carries that word
Chapters come from the headings of the videos, not from the rulebook text. Try another word, or:
In brief
A Study in Emerald is a game for two to five players based on the award-winning short story of the same name by Neil Gaiman. In this stylistic mash-up of Sherlock Holmes and H.P. Lovecraft, the worst has already happened and the world is now ruled by the Old Ones. However, a secret war is being fought to free mankind from their servitude. The game A Study in Emerald fleshes out this core idea by including historical figures from the late nineteenth century, most being persons involved in the anarchist movement of the time.
Deck-building forms the core of the game. You use influence cubes to bid for the right to draft cards and take control of cities. Each player has a secret identity, either a Restorationist fighting against the creatures or a Loyalist attempting to defend the status quo. Which side you are on determines what you score points for. An additional twist is that the performance of other players on the same side as you can stop you from winning if they are doing particularly badly, so you really want to know who is on which side. More specifically, when the game ends – and this can result from multiple causes, such as a marker on the War or Revolution track hitting 15 or the assassination of a Restorationist player agent – then the sides compare their scores; which side has the lowest score automatically loses, then the player with the highest score on the remaining team wins the game.
The game takes around ninety minutes to play and is more complex than most, so more suitable for the experienced gamer.
Contribute to this page
Add a resource, correct information or report a link. Every contribution is gathered here and reviewed before publication.
Suggest a videoReviewed before publication
An account is needed to suggest a change. Create an account
Correct the detailsReviewed before publication
An account is needed to suggest a change. Create an account
Suggest a correctionReviewed before publication
An account is needed to suggest a change. Create an account
Suggest rules or a player aidReviewed before publication
An account is needed to suggest a change. Create an account
A video is broken or doesn't match the right game?No account required
In the same spirit
Games that share its mechanics. Neither expansions nor other editions.
