Gray Eminence Board Game Review - With Year Of Chaos Expansion

Gray Eminence With Year Of Chaos Expansion

WBG Score: 8/10 If you like bluffing and Negotiation (less if not!)

Player Count: 3-5

You’ll like this if you like: Negotiation and bluffing within a 'Euro-esque' experience

Published by: Dragon Dawn Productions

Designed by: Tony Cotterill, Ren Multamäki

This is a free review copy. See our review policy here.

I have covered a fair few games from Ren and Ton from Dragon Dawn, and I have liked them all, a lot. They are mostly card games. Trick-taking card games. But here, with Gray Eminence, we have something quite different from that, and indeed, many other games you will have played before. This really does feel quite unique. It is a political, satirical, but also very serious hand-management bluffing game with bidding and deduction. Which sort of feels all over the place, I know, but it comes together very well. Let's get it to the table and see how it plays.

How To Set Up Gray Eminence With Year Of Chaos Expansion

Place the Power Struggle board in the centre of the table, within reach of all players. Each player takes a playmat and their matching meeple. Leave space nearby for both the Unresolved Events pile and the Resolved Events pile. Next, put one of each starting resource into the Bidding Pool. Place all player meeples on the visibility track in random order. Set the Round Marker on the “1st Round” space.

Each player now chooses a Gray Eminence card and places it in the slot on their playmat. Take the starting resources shown on that card and add the starting Faction cards into their slots. Deal three Secret Objective cards to each player. Each player keeps two, placing them face down next to their playmat, and discards the third.

Next, select a Scenario card. For the first game, the EU scenario is recommended. Return all unused Scenario cards to the box. Now follow the setup listed on the chosen Scenario card which will included deciding how many rounds to play (5 for a standard game, 8 for a long game), shuffling any scenario-specific Tweet cards into the Tweet deck and placing the wooden Relationship Markers on the Relationship Chart as instructed, along with any scenario-specific cardboard flags on the chart. Finally, shuffle the scenario-specific Event cards into the Event deck, the scenario-specific Faction cards into the Faction deck, and the Scenario-specific Action cards into the Action deck.

Place all remaining resources within easy reach to form the Common Pool. Place the Victory Point tokens nearby as well. You will also need to leave space for Event cards in both the Event slot and the Additional Event slot. Keep the Escalation cards in the box, they are not used at the start of the game. Finally, make sure there is space for discard piles for every deck. When any deck runs out, shuffle its discard pile to form a new draw deck. You are now ready to play.

If you are using the expansion, it is a new stuff expansion, so just shuffle the cards into their respective decks and play as you usually would. There are a few new characters to choose from to, with some familiar faces, just like the game!

How To Play Gray Eminence With Year Of Chaos Expansion

The game is played over a series of five to eight rounds rounds (your choice), each split into nine phases.

Each round kicks off with the Refresh phase. Draw four Action cards and discard down to eight if needed. You can refresh any eligible Faction cards at this stage. Some factions can only be refreshed by card effects, so watch for that.

Next comes the Event phase. Draw a new Event card, read it aloud, and place it on the Mandatory Event spot of the board. This sets the common objective for the round, the thing that will shape your choices and maybe even unite you with your rivals.

Bidding follows. Players secretly bid resources to set the visibility track order. Resources are kept secret from other players, so you won't know what people could bid, or what they did bid. Players can bid zero if they wish. The highest bid chooses their place on the visibility track first, then the next highest, and so on. Ties are resolved first by the total number of one type of resource, then by the current order on the track. The visibility track matters a lot. It sets turn order, grants you benefits, and even decides tie breaks later on. At the end, one player is in the Public Eye, another in the Shadows, and the rest are Gray Eminences. Public Eye gains exposure: draw a Faction card, reveal a Secret Objective, and take money or influence from the Common Pool. Gray Eminences draw an extra Action card, gain a resource, and get to play a fourth card later. In the Shadows is trickier. They can blackmail players for faction cards or resources, or even peek at an objective. They also sneak a resource from the bidding pool.

All resources you gain here go into your box of secrets. Roles now define benefits, turn order, and voting priority. The box is a great addition as it keeps what you have a secret, which is crucial for various parts of the game where you may want to bluff about your certain Wealth or Power. Peering in and counting, or pretending to count, is a key part of this game! If this part alone sounds fun to you, you will probably enjoy this game.

Programming comes next. Players simultaneously slot their Action cards face-down according to their visibility. A fourth card costs a resource unless you are a Gray Eminence, in which case it is free. These cards will later be revealed for personal gain, for common good, or simply discarded.

Then comes the Presidential response. Draw tweet cards one by one until a hashtag matches the current event, or until all slots are filled. Each tweet takes effect as you draw it, and they can change factions, adjust the bidding pool, or even refresh cards. Once you get a match, the president is satisfied, and the response is locked in.

After that, the Action phase begins. Each player reveals and resolves the action cards they programmed earlier. You must use one for personal gain, one for common good, and discard one. If you played a fourth card, you choose whether it is personal gain or common good. Cards can be used differently than originally intended, but if you play them off-type they have no effect. You may also exhaust your factions at this time to use their powers.

Resolution comes next. Shuffle all the common good cards on the event and reveal them one at a time. These might adjust relationships on the chart, or add and remove resources from the pool. Then check the bidding pool. If there are enough resources, the mandatory event must be resolved. If there is more than one way to do it, the players vote. Pay the cost, move the card to the resolved pile, and mark it with the type of resource that was used. If resources remain, you may attempt the additional event in the same way. Some unresolved events move into the additional event slot automatically. Remember, how events are resolved is important for end game scoring.

Sometimes escalation events appear. These are special. They have a trigger effect that happens immediately, and a static effect that stays active while they are in play. They behave like normal events when it comes to resolution, but they change the game in bigger ways until dealt with.

After all this, the Trading phase comes next. Here, anything can be traded. Cards, resources, victory points, future promises. The only limits are what both players agree to and no coercion outside the game. You can even agree beforehand to play with optional rules that allow broken promises if you want things even nastier.

Finally comes Scoring. In turn order, each player may complete one public or secret objective. When you complete a secret objective, flip it up, score it, and draw a new one from two choices. When you complete a public objective, place victory points directly onto it. There is also an optional rule where other players can challenge your secret objective by trying to beat you to it.

Rounds continue until the scenario’s set number of rounds has been played. At the end, if the scenario’s common objective has not been met, everyone loses. Otherwise, add up your victory points from objectives, tokens, and bonuses. One point each for the player with the most money, power, influence, and total resources. If tied, the player with the most completed objectives wins. If still tied, it comes down to the visibility track.

There are a few key things to remember as you play. If a card contradicts the rules, the card always wins. Keep resolved and unresolved events separate, marking resolved ones with the resource used. Ties for least count, ties for most do not. Spending means moving resources from your box of secrets to the common pool. Resources are unlimited, so substitute if you run out. Blackmailing only works on players with faction cards. And above all, the common objective must be met or nobody wins.

Is It Fun? Gray Eminence Board Game Review With Year Of Chaos Expansion

This game can be a lot of fun because it feels like you are part of a big political drama. You are balancing your own secret objectives with the need to work together on events, all while watching your rivals and plotting when to help and when to sabotage. The tension builds as the tweets come in, changing the board and messing with your carefully laid plans. It is one of those games where stories naturally come out of the chaos, and you will laugh about them long after the game ends. This tension, plotting and scheming really can be a lot of fun. Especially when it pays off!

Not every part of the game will be for everyone though. It can run long, especially if players spend a lot of time negotiating or arguing about what to do with the common pool. There are also a lot of moving parts, so you need to stay focused. Especially if there are new players to the game. If your group prefers quick games with clear choices and immediate rewards, this might feel a bit heavy. Some players may not enjoy the take-that moments that come from blackmailing and trading either. It is a fun game to win, but can be frustrating to do badly in.

The characters you play, with their surprisingly lifelike resemblance to real characters, politicians, TV celebrities, business people, and even royalty, can add an area of whimsy and fun to what could otherwise be seen as a serious game. This is a political game; it is genuinely sincere, but it doesn't take itself too seriously. There is a lot of humor, debate, fun, and jovialness included.

People who enjoy negotiation games though, will find plenty to love here. The trading phase is where the table really comes alive, and the promises, deals, and betrayals will keep everyone on edge. Fans of thematic euro games will also enjoy how tightly the mechanisms fit the setting. If you like games with strong player interaction, lots of table talk, and plenty of tactical decisions, this one should be a hit.

On the flip side, if you prefer quiet, solitaire style euro games where you focus on your own board and optimise your engine, this will not be for you. The game thrives on conversation, bluffing, and conflict. If you sit back and keep to yourself, you may find it a frustrating experience. It also has hidden information and plenty of surprises, so players who like perfect planning will feel out of their comfort zone.

The expansion is perfect if you like the game. More stuff! Great! You won't need it to start with. I would say you could comfortably play 10 or more games and feel like you are still seeing new Tweet cards as you play, trying new characters to play as, and seeing new events. But after that, this is perfect to freshen things up. It won't change your perception of the game. It doesn't change things at all. It just adds more stuff, which for a game of this level, is perfect for me.

Pros

• Rich theme and strong political drama that doesn't take itself too seriously

• Intense player interaction and negotiation at the games core

• Hidden resources add clever tension to bidding

• Scenario variety keeps games fresh, even more so with the expansion

• Balance of cooperation and competition flows throughout the game as you vie to achieve similar or separate individual goals.

  
  

Cons

• Long playtime and potentially slow negotiations wont suit everyone

• Complex to teach with lots of moving parts, but simple to play when you get it

• Swingy events and tweets can derail plans or help you without your planning

• Heavy reliance on group dynamics; those who enjoy it will love it, while those who don't could have a bad time.

• Take-that, bluffing, and negotiating elements may put off some players

In summary, this is a big, bold negotiation game full of drama, deals, and double-crosses. It is best with a group that enjoys table talk and embraces the chaos, but it will not suit everyone. If your friends like flowing, interactive games where the story is just as important as the score, you will have a brilliant time. If they prefer calm, quiet play with no surprises, it might be better left on the shelf. I for one am a huge fan. I worry this wont see much table presence as it has to be played with the right group. It needs at least three players, but is better with more; and it is not a quick teach. But the player sin my group who do enjoy this, really love it. This could be a bit of a polarising game in most groups, but I think the design, ambition, whimsey, political satire, and sheer bravery of the game should be applauded.