Game Overview

Game Name: Uprising: Curse of the Last Emperor
Publication Year: 2021
Designers: C. Cremin, P. Mazur, and D. Sommer
Artists: Igor Desic, Bartek Fedyczak, and Dirk Sommer
Publisher: Nemesis.Games
Solo Mode: Included in the Base Game (Cooperative)

Played over the course of 4 chapters, hexes may be explored as a pair of enemy factions marches closer and closer. Armies and battles play a crucial element, yet each faction’s leader has special abilities and a way to solve quests for other rewards. Who will prevail? Let’s go!

Preparing for Chaos

As might be evident above, a Chaos enemy popped up out of nowhere in Yfelskog in the north. The False Messiah recruited the Druwhn, felling the haven in an instant.

Dugpa heard news of this terrible turn of events for Fhayanor. She built up her own army, readying for a push towards the capital to render some aid. Possibly…

Although this is a cooperative adventure, the factions don’t completely trust one another. Rather interesting.

I had more strategic things on my mind, too, especially since Dugpa’s army was rather stuck without her!

To Rebuild Anew

Earlier on, I had Fhayanor build a new haven and thank goodness that happened! Havens allow more units to be added and are also excellent for resource production.

Alas, it looked rather rough for these survivors. Until, of course, I remembered how I oriented the hex tile!

Partially hidden on all but the northern and southern sides is impassable terrain. Only Dugpa and Fhayanor could traverse these barriers, so Chaos was at a loss.

All the same, this meant the small army of Druwyn had very limited paths. Was it a good decision? Hmm…

Stormy Weather

Another excellent mechanic I didn’t touch on much is the market. Each leader has a unique deck of cards that slowly builds up their power and abilities during play.

Yet there are usually 3 items available to purchase from the market. Most have a minimum requirement to use, which can make the best item completely unusable!

Fhayanor had the Orb of Storms in his possession. And I knew just how to use it… Trigger an unexpected battle!

It was risky going up against the False Messiah with mostly basic units, but Yfelskog needed to be retaken.

The Fallen Messiah

A little bit of luck came through with the dice! Over several combat rounds, only a single Druwyn unit fell to the forces of Chaos. Don’t mess with Fhayanor’s home!

Combat is dice-driven and relies on a certain degree of luck, but there are many ways to manipulate dice.

As I was starting to see at this point, purely relying on the basic sorts of dice was extremely risky. Some battles might have called for that, yet I needed to plan carefully.

Units are also finite and only recruited before all actions take place. Would Fhayanor head off into another battle?

Finding New Allies

I left the combat out of things momentarily! Instead, the available quests called out for some attention. Allies!

This was a very nice opportunity to pick up a permanent ability. Although there was just a single marsh hex out, there might have been more in the unexplored areas.

Quests provide other ways to gain victory points, too, so a faction isn’t forced to be completely aggressive.

It still seemed like my pair of characters needed to follow unique paths, although I was still trying to figure out just what that meant. In other words… So much fun!

Into the Tombs

Finally, after Dugpa disappeared into the north to heed the call of the Siren, she traveled back to the south. That army needed a clear path forward! Or, maybe an indirect route.

Unexplored hexes are, after all, potentially dangerous. With both excitement and dread, I flipped the new hex.

The Tombs of the Elder Kings were filled with skeletons. No surprise there! Most importantly, though, was the impassable terrain on the north and northwest sides.

A-ha! This provided a little protection for the army, since most enemies would now come directly from the capital.

An Ancient Prophecy

Dugpa’s army traveled east in order to defeat the old skeletons and created a haven for the survivors in the area.

There were losses in battle, though, so I had to think about the other available actions. With a little more luck, another quest was solved with quite a nice bonus.

Its ongoing effect allowed basic units to be recruited more easily when a Chaos enemy activated. They were all over the world, so this seemed like it could be very useful.

Saved resources could then be used for the elite units. Yes, indeed! Chaos had no idea what was headed its way!

I Will Survive!

Under most circumstances, building units and defenses may only take place during the early phase of a chapter. This makes battles so important and risky.

Yet Fhayanor had something in order! After retaking his home, there were plenty of new survivors to recruit.

This excellent card allowed both factions to add new units! Granted, it wasn’t as useful for Dugpa since she was close to the limit of 5 units on a hex. But still. Reinforcements!

While the quest deck looked like it would be depleted, only a small portion of the item cards would be seen.

Fancy Meeting You…

Although Chaos was the biggest menace, the Empire was starting to get a foothold. But I had some tricky ideas up my sleeve with Dugpa’s exploration close to the capital.

Remember how Chaos got stuck by the impassable terrain? Both the Coven of Yssat and the Warlock had to move in a very specific order. I timed it perfectly!

I reevaluated this sequence several times during play and don’t believe I made a mistake. Even if I did… No worries.

This brought these factions together, which began an epic battle. Dugpa just hid in the background, watching.

Battle to the Death

Although I wanted the Empire to win, a curious thing happened. Over the course of 3 battle rounds, they slowly whittled away at each other. I just enjoyed the show!

A winning faction does receive victory points, which means these enemies can move ahead. But when a powerful foe is too much, these battles can be awesome.

With the final roll of the dice, they actually defeated each other! Not what I planned, but not a bad ending.

However, my biggest issue was how far ahead Chaos was on the victory point track. And Fhayanor was behind.

To the Icy Depths

Perhaps the most important part of this chapter involved the demise of the Siren. You know… That annoying nightmare who moved Dugpa in the first chapter!

Again, I didn’t have to take any action. She moved into a hex with the Empire’s garrison. And it prevailed.

Back to the depths she sunk, probably not dead because Chaos is chaotic and all undead-like. Tricky, tricky!

Most of this decision was based on my poor planning. Allowing these major bosses to roam about and gain power only made it all the more difficult to face them.

Racing to the End

As the chapter came to a close, things looked a bit grim. Chaos took the lead, although I wasn’t surprised. This is why attacking early would have been a better idea!

Dugpa was still keeping pace. With a few more skeleton battles and related quests, she would be very close.

No comment on the Empire because it was having a very slow time. Chaos was the main foe I worried about!

Fhayanor was truly struggling. To win, all factions must score higher than Chaos and the Empire. Not very close! I had to find ways to help him catch up, and soon.

Targeted by the Empire

With so many forces in the south, it was no wonder that the Krowh would be the next target. Of course, the Executioner wasn’t exactly the kindest of foes!

Whereas Chaos Hordes move towards nearby havens or enemies, Empire Legions set out with a specific hex.

The impassable terrain helped to ensure the shortest path was 3 hexes instead of 2 hexes. A very small respite!

Yet this wasn’t the time to completely rest. By not addressing these enemies, both of my factions were behind and there was a lot of ground to cover.

A Spy Amidst the Ranks

The Executioner was far from a standard enemy, though. This was connected to a quest involving a spy… Traitors were all throughout Azuhl, fueled by the promise of gold.

At the same time, this quest had a lot of different rewards. Enemies only activate based on their tokens, so the solve ability was very powerful. So were the individual bonuses!

It was quite obvious that this quest had to be solved to stop the Executioner. So many tokens… Not so good.

Despite the many challenges ahead, the third chapter would be the turning point. I had a lot to accomplish!

Trouble at the Tavern

One of the newest hexes was a tavern in the middle of Chaos. It looked like a prime spot to build another haven.

Alas, Chaos reared another ugly head as the Bloodwyrm showed up as a nasty surprise. What an entrance!

I should note here that the only known rules mistake I made was with the Lichqueen in the background. She was on a sea tower, which made her adjacent to every hex.

Instead, I treated this like a standard hex and kept her moving on a normal path. Not the end of the world, but an important thing to remember for the next play!

Creeping Closer

In the interest of time, I took less photos so I could focus on my strategy during this pivotal chapter. Enemies fell, quests were solved, and my factions grew in strength.

The Empire was almost entirely out of the running due to their late arrival and quick demise of their Legions.

Despite my efforts, Chaos remained in the lead and was closing in from all sides. Dugpa and the Krowh were most certainly prepared to keep moving forward.

But Fhayanor was still in a rough spot with just 25 victory points. That early lost army and haven were crucial!

The Final Countdown

As the last chapter took shape, the world looked quite different from where it had started. Curses littered the landscape, laying waste to many unexplored regions.

Chaos had nearly burned itself out, while the Empire was scrambling to mount its own offensive. This time, it had the Legions to do so and would be a difficult faction.

Dugpa was poised to command her armies, although some of her powerful units were separated.

Fhayanor needed to survive, but he had to lead his units in order to overcome Chaos. No footnote in history for him!

Fallen but Not Lost

A swift attack on the Executioner was warranted. The Vargs were far from defensive and focused on some of the dice that did the most damage as quickly as possible.

I calculated well and didn’t need to use any items, although having the pair together offered an advantage in the initial archery round. Execute the Executioner!

Dugpa kept watch, knowing full well that this would be a fight to the end. Both sides were defeated, though.

Losing these Vargs was a major setback, yet it was important to open the path to the capital. More battles!

Too Quiet for Comfort

Battle after battle was fought until the map was nearly cleared out. Such excitement and tension throughout the entire final chapter, though, especially for Fhayanor.

Dugpa was in a much better position to destroy the Legions, but Fhayanor’s army was just sitting there.

I made the decision to put him on the offensive, if only to whittle down the enemies. And that’s precisely what happened, only with a slightly unexpected outcome.

No matter what I did, Fhayanor’s troops could never finish a battle to earn the victory points. Not a good sign!

Trio of Triumph

The Assassin, Imperial Guard, and Bloodwyrm all fell during the fourth chapter. Quite the exciting time when all of the hard work of previous chapters paid off!

However, it was Dugpa who earned the victory points every time. She usually had about 1-3 damage left to do, while Fhayanor’s units took the brunt of the attacks.

I also dared not allow the factions to fight each other. Those victory points were ours to earn in battle!

There were plenty of thrilling dice rolls, yet I was more concerned about the final victory points. Was it enough?

Outlasting Chaos

Such a thrilling ending! The Druwyn were so far behind Chaos, but there was one final way I could pull off a win.

For every 5 resources spent, any faction may gain 1 victory point. Fhayanor had enough to almost catch up to Chaos, and then the cooperation of the Krowh kicked in.

I forgot how well I set up each faction for production! Those last resources were all they needed to be victorious.

How exciting! Despite this being the easiest difficulty level, I never felt like either faction was winning. They had to fight through every chapter just to survive.

Reviewing Dugpa

As with every chapter, the action points told the entire story. Dugpa solved several quests, but her main contribution was to command and battle.

She specialized in magic and leadership, both of which served her well. Many quests that required shields or bolts were tasked to her, and she never failed.

The Krowh faction definitely prevailed over the evil! Dugpa was the main reason why victory was possible.

It was a satisfying sort of win after all the time and effort. I did it! Hours of fun led to this excellent outcome.

Session Overview

Play Number: 2
Solo Mode: Included in the Base Game (Cooperative)
Play Details: Chapters 2-4 at the Easy Difficulty Level
Outcome: 52/48 to 44/26 (Win)

There were a few aspects that didn’t quite meet my expectations, but this was an immensely fun time! Even Fhayanor’s final player board told a story of a faction that survived. I looked at the map and thought through the decisions and what I might have done differently. And I kept on thinking! This was a pleasant surprise and a 4X game I plan to keep exploring in the future. Awesome!

Affordability

Price & Value

7

Functionality

Challenges & Mechanics

10

Originality

Design & Theme

10

Quality

Components & Rules

10