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Rules Guide

How to Play Empire Veil

Empire Veil is a cooperative investigation game. Players learn by reading evidence, choosing routes, managing risk, and building a case together.

The Short Version

Your Goal

Complete the current act before Menace reaches 12. The act goal tells you what matters: gather clues, visit regions, or collect the right lead categories.

Win

Finish all three acts and expose the conspiracy.

Lose

Menace reaches 12 before the case is solved.

Turn Loop

What Happens Each Turn

  1. 1 Read the act goal. It tells you what the team should do next.
  2. 2 Check the current investigator. Use their location, role, Trust, and Morale to choose wisely.
  3. 3 Take one useful action. Draw a scene, travel, research a lead, use the network, or draw intrigue.
  4. 4 End the turn. After all investigators act, Menace rises.

Actions

What Each Action Teaches

Draw Scene

Use it: Use this when you need clues.

Learn: Scenes teach close reading. The text tells you what kind of evidence you found and what risk follows.

Travel

Use it: Use this when the act asks you to visit regions or follow a trail.

Learn: Travel teaches geography and tradeoffs. Cheap travel is often slower or riskier. Visible travel can raise attention.

Research Lead

Use it: Use this when the final act asks for motive, method, agent, location, or time.

Learn: Leads teach case building. A mystery is solved by matching evidence categories, not by collecting random facts.

Use Network

Use it: Use this when you need a safer clue and have Trust to spend.

Learn: Networks teach social history. Information can move through households, workplaces, letters, and friendships.

Draw Intrigue

Use it: Use this when you want a hidden advantage or complication.

Learn: Intrigue teaches uncertainty. Detectives often work with incomplete information.

End Turn

Use it: Use this after the investigator has acted.

Learn: Ending turns teaches pacing. Waiting too long can give Menace more time to rise.

Map

How Travel Works

The map shows regions and routes. A route connects your current region to another region. Choose a travel class, then move.

  • Sea routes are broad and slower.
  • Rail routes are fast but visible.
  • Low visibility is safer when Menace is high.
  • High comfort can protect Morale, but costs more.

Risk

How Menace Works

Menace is The Veil noticing you. Some actions raise it. At the end of each round, it also rises by 1.

  • 4: people become suspicious.
  • 8: travel becomes harder.
  • 12: the team loses.

Trust

Why Networks Matter

Trust represents help from women across the empire: households, servants, journalists, hostesses, temple women, and working communities.

Spending Trust can gather clues without raising Menace. This teaches that history often moves through informal networks, not only official records.

Evidence

How Leads Work

Clues move the act forward. Leads answer the mystery. Final acts usually need categories such as motive, method, agent, location, or time.

A strong case needs the right kinds of evidence, not just a large pile of clues.

Example

A Simple First Turn

  1. The act says: gather 10 clues.
  2. Investigator 1 is in Calcutta with 2 Trust.
  3. The player draws a scene and reads the test.
  4. The team decides the investigator passes.
  5. The team gains clues and records the result in the journal.
  6. The player ends the turn. The next investigator acts.

Learning Goals

What the Game Is Teaching

Evidence reading Historical geography Risk assessment Cooperation Social history Cause and effect

Questions

Rules FAQ

What is the main goal?

Complete the three acts before Menace reaches 12. Most acts ask you to gather clues, visit regions, or collect lead categories such as motive, method, and agent.

What should I do on my first turn?

Read the act goal. If it asks for clues, draw a scene or use the network. If it asks for places, use the map and travel.

Why does Menace matter?

Menace shows how close The Veil is to stopping the investigation. At 4 the case becomes harder. At 8 travel becomes dangerous. At 12 the team loses.

Why is this an educational game?

The game teaches evidence reading, route planning, risk tradeoffs, cooperation, and how informal social networks can shape historical events.