The Barracks Emperors

I will not dress it up with more words than it needs: The Barracks Emperors is, by a clear margin, the best game we have played during all the time I had been absent from posting. GMT may intimidate some people, but the rules here are at the level of a straightforward shedding game, and it reaches the table far more easily than its box might suggest.

At its core it is a trick-taking game, lean and clear in structure, yet deeply complex where it matters: in the decisions and their consequences. You play cards, contest tricks, and try to build your position without giving the others the opening they are looking for.

Interaction is the real meat of it. With the right four players, it becomes chaos on the board, with mistakes punished immediately and an emperor you thought was a sure thing capable of being lost to an opponent’s devilish play. It is one of those games that produces intense emotions and, inevitably, colourful swearing.

My only negative is that with fewer than four players, the whole situation becomes a little delulu. At four, though? For me, it is a blind buy, especially since its price is perfectly fair.