We Must Tell the Emperor: Expansion Kit Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• 1.0 Introduction
• 2.0 Game Equipment
  • Parts Inventory
  • 2.3 New Playing Pieces
• 3.0 Set Up
• 4.0 Sequence of Play
• 5.0 The Event Cards
• 6.0 Army Movement
  • 6.7 ABDA Unit Reactivation
• 8.0 Player Actions
  • 8.6 Withdrawal Action
    • Procedure
    • 8.6.1 Effect of Withdrawal Markers
    • 8.6.2 No Withdrawal Turn
    • 8.6.3 No Further Withdrawals
• 9.0 Housekeeping
  • 9.4 Pre-Invasion Preparation
    • Procedure
• 11.0 Victory & Defeat
  • Tournament Scoring System
• 12.0 Optional Rules
  • 12.3 Simplified Knock-Outs (player advantage)
  • 12.4 Divine Wind (player advantage)
• 14.0 Designer's Notes

1.0 Introduction

The rules, cards, and pieces in this expansion kit extend the scope and narrative of We Must Tell the Emperor. These rules may be used separately or together at your discretion. They follow the same numbers as the Standard Rules Booklet and, where there is a conflict, the expansion kit instructions take precedence.

2.0 Game Equipment

Parts Inventory

• 6 3/4" square game pieces
• 16 Event cards (with an aircraft icon or mushroom cloud in their title bar)
• 1 Scenario sheet
• 1 Rules sheet

2.3 New Playing Pieces

The new square playing pieces include a Soviet Union unit and five Troop Withdrawal (or just "Withdrawal") markers.

3.0 Set Up

5. Place the Soviet Union unit and the five Withdrawal markers in the Not in Play Box.
6. Add the 12 expansion kit cards to each of the Early, Mid and Late War decks.

4.0 Sequence of Play

4. Action Phase: A new type of Action, the Withdrawal Action, can also be performed (see 8.6) when allowed.

5. Housekeeping Phase: A new Step has been added:

   D. Home Island Invasion Preparation: Check to see if at least one American unit and at least any one other Allied unit occupy their 1 spaces and, if they do, flip the Home Islands Fortress marker and make an Invasion Preparation roll (see 9.4).

5.0 The Event Cards

Some new twists have been added on some cards that are elaborated upon below:

#59 (Soviet Union Declares War): This card must be one of the last cards played in the Late War deck. When drawn, if there are 4 or more cards still in that deck left to play, then this card is not played at that time! Instead, it is put face-down at the bottom of the deck to be revealed later.

The Soviet Union unit shares the China track. It functions normally and completely independently of the China unit (they just coexist on the same track without affecting each other).

Any card that states "Advance All Allied Armies" does include the Soviet unit when it is in play (regardless of the card's flag symbols).

#60 (Unconditional Surrender): This card is always the final card performed in the Late War deck. If it is drawn while there are still other cards in that deck to play, it is placed face-down at the bottom of the deck to be revealed last.

Often during play, card #59 winds up being played as the penultimate card in the Late War deck, as it was historically.

Note that the Unconditional Surrender card does not mean you automatically lose! If you survive this final card, you still win the game (see 11.0). In fact, the Allies do accept one surrender condition, which is that you, the Emperor, remain on the throne of Japan!

6.0 Army Movement

6.7 ABDA Unit Reactivation

Card #9 (Naval Engagement: Java Sea) has the ABDA Front Advancing (unless it is in its #1 space, in which case the Advance is ignored). If it has already been flipped to its "Oil Roll Allowed" side in the Java box when this card is played, the ABDA unit is flipped back to its 2 Battle Value side, is moved to its 4 space (Timor), and returns to active status. You must once again push it back again to Java in order to restart the flow of Oil in the normal manner (see 9.3).

8.0 Player Actions

8.6 Withdrawal Action

A new type of Action can be performed after card #36 (Chinese Dissension) is played, called a "Withdrawal Action." This represents moving Japanese forces out of China and into the Pacific Theater.

Procedure

Once allowed via card #36, you may spend one Action per turn (maximum) to conduct a Withdrawal Action. Place the highest-numbered Withdrawal marker (e.g., "6" would be the first one) in the correspondingly numbered box on the Army-Navy track, and then automatically gain one (+1) Army-Navy Resource (i.e., no die roll is made).

8.6.1 Effect of Withdrawal Markers

Once placed on the Army-Navy track, Withdrawal markers are never removed. While on that track, that box can no longer be entered by the Army-Navy marker. In effect, the track becomes one box "shorter" for each Withdrawal marker placed on it.

8.6.2 No Withdrawal Turn

Any turn when the China unit Advances during the Military Phase (i.e., actually occupies its next lower-numbered space), Troop Withdrawal Actions are prohibited. Chinese Army Advances represent increased activity in this Theater. If the China Advance is cancelled for any reason, a Withdrawal Action is permitted that turn.

8.6.3 No Further Withdrawals

When the first of either card #56 (Withdrawal From China) or #59 (Soviet Union Declares War) is played, from that point forward and for the rest of the game, the player cannot conduct further Withdrawal Actions. Set the remaining Withdrawal markers aside (out of the game).

For Example: The first time the player performs a Withdrawal Action, the "6" Withdrawal marker (shown here) is placed in the 6 box of the Army-Navy track – that box is no longer in play and now the Army-Navy track "ends" with the 5 box as its new maximum.

In return, the Army-Navy marker, which in this example was in the 1 box, is advanced to the 2 box (with no die roll necessary; it is automatic in exchange for "shortening the track").

Do not confuse the regular Army-Navy marker on the track with Withdrawal markers; they represent two different things in the game.

9.0 Housekeeping

9.4 Pre-Invasion Preparation

Every turn, check to see if at least one American (MacArthur or Nimitz) and any one or more other units occupy their respective 1 spaces. If they do not, skip this Step.

If they do, AND the Home Islands Fortress unit is in its box (as pictured above), then flip it over to its Invasion Preparation side and make an Invasion Preparation Resistance roll to ascertain if the Allied invaders are held in check, applying any applicable Fortify DRMs. This die roll can be re-rolled using the Bushido Bonus, if available (see 7.3.2).

Invasion Preparation can be an easy rule to overlook during the heat of play. We recommend that you rotate the Home Islands Defense Fortification [3] marker 90 degrees whenever the one American unit occupies its 1 box as a reminder to do this Invasion Preparation step when any other Allied unit also enters its own 1 box.

Procedure

Compare the Resistance roll result to the Invasion Preparation Resistance Value of [4] as indicated on the counter. If the result is greater than the Resistance Value of [4] (or a natural roll of the success die face, which always succeeds), flip this marker back to its Home Island Fortress unit side where it again guards Japan next turn as usual (see 6.4).

If the result is less than or equal to the Resistance Value of [4] (or a natural roll of the failure die face, which always fails), then this marker remains on its Invasion Preparation side with the following effects:

• The Home Island Fortress is considered out of play (obviously, because it is flipped over) and does not block any Allied Army Advance (see 6.4) into the Japanese Home Islands space.
• Banzai Attacks (8.2.6) are prohibited.

These penalties are removed and the Home Island Fortress unit is restored, during any future Housekeeping Phase's Invasion Preparation Step when the American unit(s) have been Retreated to their numbered 2 space (or higher) on their Front track(s).

Under any other circumstances after Invasion Preparation has occurred (i.e., the Invasion Preparation marker is currently face-up, and at least one American unit still in its 1 space), then this Step is skipped and the Home Islands fortification [3] and Banzai Attacks remain unavailable.

The effects of an undefeated Allied Invasion Preparation marker are that, should any Allied unit (not necessarily an American unit!) subsequently Advance into the Japanese Home Islands (0) space, it would not have to roll to Advance past the (now neutralized) Home Island Fortification unit, nor be subject to any free Banzai Attacks.

11.0 Victory & Defeat

The game's Victory Conditions still apply, but win or lose, now a comparative scoring system is presented here to help you keep track of your Personal Best Scores or to determine the winner when playing for a Tournament High Score in We Must Tell the Emperor.

Tournament Scoring System

Regardless of when or whether the game ends in Victory or Defeat, score your Victory Points at the game's end according to the following schedule:

• Add the box number of each Allied unit's final position (excluding ABDA's), OR add 10 for each Allied Army in the Out of Play box (from a Knock-Out Blow).
• Add 10 if you win the game via a Military Victory.
• Add the box number of each Resource marker's final position.
• Add 1 for each unspent Kamikaze marker in the Available Kamikazes box.
• Subtract the number of Withdrawal markers on the Army-Navy track.
• Add 1 for each card (if you won a Military Victory), or Subtract 1 for each card (if you suffered a Defeat), that was not revealed (including for decks that have not yet entered play!). This would be 0 points if you made it all the way to the last card.

For Example: The player didn't do too badly, making it well into the Late War deck before suffering an Unconditional Surrender Defeat. A quick tally of their score is:

• +1 for the British unit in its 1 space
• +2 for the China unit in its 2 space
• +0 for the MacArthur unit (it is in Japan)
• +1 for the Nimitz unit in its 1 space
• +2 for the Army-Navy marker in its 2 box
• +0 for the Prestige marker in its 0 box
• +1 for the Oil marker in its 1 box
• +1 for having one unspent Kamikaze marker
• -0 for having made no Troop Withdrawals
• -6 for an Unconditional Surrender Defeat with six unplayed cards still in the Late War Draw Pile (having already played all the Early and Mid War cards).

= +2 Victory Points for the final score

In tournament play, the better/highest score wins; recall that a lower negative score is better than a higher negative score, so having -9 VPs would be better than a score of -12 VPs.

Just because you achieve a positive score that does not mean you've won the game!

In the unlikely event where scores tie, the player with the most Prestige points wins.

12.0 Optional Rules

As the name states, these rules are optional. They provide for variations in gameplay and may be added in any combination.

12.3 Simplified Knock-Outs (player advantage)

Disregard the Knock-Out attack calculations required under 8.2.3, and instead simply allow the attempt to succeed on a Natural roll of a 5 or 6 (8.2.2).

12.4 Divine Wind (player advantage)

If any Allied Army occupies the Japanese Homes Islands space, ignore the restrictions on only 1 Kamikaze use per turn (10.0). In this instance, the player is free to use any or all Kamikaze units that are available, even utilizing more than one on a single die roll, (2 Kamikazes = +2 DRM) if so desired.

14.0 Designer's Notes

Welcome to the Expansion Kit for We Must Tell the Emperor. It includes some interesting options that can enrich your gameplay and narrative story experience with the game, albeit at a modest increase in complexity and playing time. With an increased focus on China, the addition of the Soviets, the Allied invasion plans of Japan, several scenarios, plus the 4 card End War ("Atomic") mini-deck, players can now bring the war to its full (and brutal) conclusion if they so choose.

It was my decision to exercise Victory Point Games' Expansion Kit option for game designers as I felt the standard Emperor design was already stretching the limit of the 'classic' States of Siege™ framework. By making this Expansion Kit, I have been afforded the opportunity to include 16 additional cards that add more flavor and strategy to the game.

The scenarios sprang from an online discussion and will allow players to explore only portions of game (including tournament play).

We Must Tell the Emperor continues to be a challenging game that I play and enjoy over and over again. I hope that you feel the same way.