A Study in Emerald
Victorian anarchists and eldritch horrors fight a secret war over London and the world.
Who it's for
You enjoy Sherlock Holmes, Lovecraft or Neil Gaiman, and like a deep hidden-role game with deck-building.
Not for you if…
You prefer light, quick or fully cooperative games. This one is long and thinky, and plays best with a full table.
Vibe's take
Tense, secretive and clever: you bid, build your deck and try to read your teammates from the way they play. Lovecraftian weirdness and Victorian paranoia go hand in hand.
About this game
A Study in Emerald takes Neil Gaiman's short story, a mash-up of Sherlock Holmes and H.P. Lovecraft, and turns it into a game. The Old Ones already rule the world, and a secret war is being fought to free humanity. Each player has a secret identity on one of two sides, and you use influence cubes to bid for the right to draft cards and control cities, while deck-building shapes your strategy. Nobody knows for sure who is on your team, so you spend the game watching and guessing. It is a long, deep, atmospheric game full of Victorian anarchists and eldritch horrors.
Get it
Mechanics
By the numbers
Players
Duration
90 min
Ages 14+
Complexity
3.5 / 5 — MediumBGG Rating
6.5/10
Rank #1,289
3.6k ratings
Published
2013
Language
Moderate text
Designed by
Martin Wallace
Published by
Treefrog Games
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