Stats:
No. of players: 1
Amount of time to play: 60 minutes
Age requirements: 12+
Set-up time: 5-10 minutes

We Must Tell the Emperor Rules Description:

We Must Tell the Emperor is published by Victory Point Games as part of the States of Siege Series. You play the role of the Japanese after Pearl Harbor and must try to survive the oncoming Allie onslaught.

We Must Tell the Emperor has an engine that runs similarly to Legions of Darkness which I previously reviewed. You draw cards and execute the Events Section. This section tends to either advance one of the Allied generals or give and take away your resources. The cards also tell you if you’ll have any bonuses or penalties during your action phase.

Some Event cards contain battles that you may take part in. Depending on your results these battles can help you. But if the battle doesn’t go your way you are sure to lose some resources.

The Event deck is divided into three sections: Early, Mid and Late War. You play through each consecutively. Cards within each era are shuffled so you get a different play experience every time.

To slow the Allies you must attack them and try to drive them back. You can even try for a military victory by driving them all off the map completely. A military victory is very hard to achieve and will take a lot of your resources.

You can win a survival victory by doing just that, surviving. And that is not a given. There are fortifications that can be built to help you slow the progress of your enemies. You can send kamikaze units at the Allies too, but if any general reaches the Home Islands, you lose.

A Quick Review of We Must Tell the Emperor:

We Must Tell the Emperor is a tense, light war game. You start the game with decent resources and a bit of confidence. But most turns and each new era brings the threat of the Allies closer. Your enemies are gaining strength and you are not.

The atmosphere of We Must Tell the Emperor can be overwhelming, but trying to go for a gutsy military victory or just trying to hang in and survive are worthy goals. You are rarely ever going to win militarily and you will even have a hard time just lasting until the end of the event deck.

I really enjoy the States of Siege series and We Must Tell the Emperor is another fine installment. Not only does it capture the feel of military Japan post-Pearl Harbor, it includes historic battles and information.

If you are a solo wargamer or even a WWII buff you will totally enjoy We Must Tell the Emperor. Heck at its price point most anyone could buy it and get hours of fun from this game.

(Here is a link to buy We Must Tell the Emperor at the Victory Point Games website.

Score and synopsis: (Click here for an explanation of these review categories.)
Strategy 3 out of 6
Luck 3 out of 6
Player Interaction 5 out of 6
Replay Value 4 out of 6
Complexity 3 out of 6
Fun 4 out of 6
Overall 4 out of 6