Emperor is a solitaire-style game that is designed for just one person. However, single-player card games can be fun, and Emperor is a great example. In this blog, we’ll look at everything you need to know about it if you want to give it a try.
What is The Emperor Card Game?
Looking for a single-player card game? Emperor is a game based on building foundations, and it uses two standard decks of playing cards. The game starts with you shuffling the deck and then dealing out ten piles of four cards.
Cards need to be dealt in rows, with the first three cards being face down and the fourth being face up. Then, the remaining cards are put together to form the stock. Once this set-up work is done, you can begin playing Emperor.
To begin playing, you turn up cards from the top of your stock. If you can place cards on a foundation, you should, but any cards that can’t be used are placed in a pile below your initial row of cards.
This forms the waste pile; the pile’s top card can later be used for building, so don’t worry if you have to discard a valuable card at first. The cards in the waste pile can also be overlapped so players can see all the cards at a glance.
So, how do you build foundations? Well, that’s what we’ll be looking at in the rules section below. Of course, as you’d expect in a solitaire-style game, you’ll need to follow special rules when putting the foundations together. But before we look at those, we need to look at what you’ll need to play the Emperor card game.
What You’ll Need to Play?
To play this fun card game, you’ll need two decks of playing cards. Of course, now there is no shortage of playing cards, and they can be found in shops and online quite easily. But if you want some high-quality playing cards, you might want to try Bee cards.
Bee is a manufacturer known for its very high quality. But you could also opt for something like this dual pack of Bicycle playing cards. It would be a quick and easy way of getting the two decks you need to play Emperor.
Once you’ve got your cards, you’re ready to play! Like many Solitaire games, you will need plenty of space to play Emperor. A medium to the large table would be your best option, but even the floor can work.
Rules and Gameplay
The Aim of The Game
The aim of Emperor is to build your foundations successfully. Because this is a single-player game, you work independently and do not compete against anyone else. But this doesn’t mean the game will be easy.
If you enjoy card games like Freecell Solitaire or Pyramid Solitaire, you will probably enjoy playing Emperor. The game can be challenging, but it’s a great way to spend an afternoon if you enjoy card games.
The Set-Up
Emperor is played with two standard decks of cards; make sure the jokers are removed. Then shuffle the cards and get ready to deal. You will need to deal with ten piles of four cards each. Cards are dealt in rows, with the first three cards being placed face down.
The final card in each row should be turned face up. Then, all the remaining cards should be placed in a pile to form the stock. Now, you’re ready to begin playing the Emperor card game; let’s look at the rules you need to know.
Playing Emperor
You can’t rely on those valuable Solitaire hacks to win this game. But if you think carefully and take your time, you still have a good chance of succeeding. So turn up a card from the top of your stockpile to start the game.
If you can place it down on one of your foundation piles, then put it down. If you can’t, it should be placed face up below the foundations to form the base of the waste pile. Then, the top card in the waste pile can be used for building later.
Many people overlap the cards in the waste pile to see all the cards more easily. But remember, only the top card can be used; you can’t shuffle through the pile to use another card. You’ll have to work your way down to it naturally.
Foundations need to be built following a particular pattern as well. We’ve listed the main rules to remember below to make this easier to understand.
- Cards can only be placed on a card of the opposite color.
- Cards must follow rank; this follows the Ace-King order.
- King cards can’t be built on Aces.
- When a pile is complete, it should be cleared away.
- Any other cards can be placed in empty spaces.
- Aces must be put down in a foundation row when uncovered/ found.
The aim of the game is to complete all eight foundations following the rules set out above. When you find/ free an Ace, it should be placed in one of the foundation rows, and then you should work your way up in numerical order till you get to a King.
Remember to reverse the color/ suit with each card. When you have completed all eight foundations, the game is over. Although if you want a bit more of a challenge, there is a special rule variation you can use.
Speed Emperor
One fun twist to traditional Emperor games is to impose a time limit. You follow the same rules but must complete the foundations within 30 minutes. You can increase/ decrease this time limit to make it easier/ harder.
We don’t recommend speed Emperor for beginners, but it can be a fun addition after playing a few standard games.
Emperor – A Splendid Stacking Solitaire Game
Emperor is a great single-player card game sure to offer hours of fun. It’s easy to play but more strategic than you might first think. Everyone enjoys a good two-player card game or games like Uno that you can play with large groups, but sometimes you can have just as much fun playing on your own.
