A War of Whispers

To set up 'A War of Whispers', place the main game board in the center. Each player receives a player board, a set of agent tokens in their chosen color, and a set of loyalty tokens. The five empire loyalty boards are placed around the main board, and the corresponding empire tokens are distributed across the map according to the setup instructions. Ensure all cards, including the new Dark Alliance cards, are shuffled and placed in their designated areas.

The objective of 'A War of Whispers' is to accumulate the most victory points by the end of the game. Players achieve this by secretly aligning themselves with different empires and strategically influencing the power and control of these empires on the game board. Your loyalty to empires is hidden, and points are awarded based on how well your chosen empires perform in controlling cities and forts.

A player's turn involves deploying agents to council positions on the empire boards. Each position offers a specific action, such as moving troops, building forts, or drawing cards. The new Dark Alliance cards can be played on an opponent's turn, offering them a benefit (like adding banners to an attack or taking an action) in exchange for a cost (like removing an agent or revealing a bet). If the opponent accepts, the card's effect is resolved; if they decline, the card returns to your hand. If no one trusts you, Dark Alliance cards can still be used as icons to enhance other actions.

Scoring occurs at the end of the game. Each player reveals their secret loyalty tokens, which indicate their allegiance to specific empires. Points are awarded based on the number of cities and forts controlled by the empires you are loyal to. The more control your favored empires have, the more points you score. The new Dark Alliance cards can significantly impact this by allowing players to shift control or gain advantages during critical moments.

The game concludes after four full rounds of play. Once the final round's actions are resolved, players proceed to the final scoring phase. During this phase, all secret loyalties are revealed, and points are calculated based on empire control and individual player achievements. The player with the highest total victory points is declared the winner.