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Description
Uprising: Curse of the Last Emperor is a strategically challenging and fully cooperative board game for 1 to 4 players set in a deeply immersive post-apocalyptic dark fantasy setting. As the known world is about to end, the players take over the role of a great hero to lead their faction through these dark times.
Uprising is a 4X cooperative game played against two asymmetric enemy factions controlled by the game itself: Chaos and the Empire. Explore the wasteland, expand your dominion, exploit the resources of the liberated territories, and exterminate the Legions and Hordes around you.
Every game tells a completely different story due to a modular board, asymmetric factions and a huge variety of different events. The game ends after four chapters. If you have not collected more victory points than Chaos and the Empire, the world will truly end.
—description from the publisher
Year Published
2021
Featured Videos
Transcript Analysis
Browse transcript mentions, sentiments, pros/cons, mechanics, topics, quotes, and references.
Total mentions: 4
This page: 4
Sentiment:
pos 3 ·
mix 1 ·
neu 0 ·
neg 0
Showing 1–4 of 4
Video BsQRtzIgWC0
Unknown Channel general_discussion at 0:00 sentiment: positive
video_pk 41536 · mention_pk 125947
Click to watch at 0:00 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- High-quality deluxe components and presentation
- Beautiful, thematic and varied artwork across factions
- Distinct faction identities with unique miniatures and boards
- Thoughtful rulebook design (spiral bound) and organized components
- Strong potential for solo mode expansion and upcoming crowdfunding
- Exciting exploration and campaign structure with a layered, modular setup
Cons
- Heavy component count and storage requirements may be intimidating
- Rule complexity potential for new players; learning curve could be steep
- Unclear at times how strictly cooperative vs. competitive dynamics play out (ambiguous in video discussion)
- Potentially long playtime given multi-phase structure and campaign scope
Thematic elements
- Resistance against a central monarch or dominant empire; epic fantasy conflict featuring rival clans, nemeses, and order-versus-chaos dynamics.
- Fantasy empire with multiple factions engaged in a multi-chapter campaign across a modular board; exploration and domain control in a shifting landscape (prinicipally magical/epic fantasy setting with empires, druids, undead, and monsters).
- Chapter-driven, with a campaign arc (4 chapters) featuring events, nemesis encounters, and evolving board state; heavy storytelling framing with quest lines, market interactions, and a nemesis-driven push.
Comparison games
- Great Wall
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Asymmetric factions and player boards — Each faction has its own dedicated player board, units, and unique abilities, enabling varied playstyles and strategic choices per faction.
- boss battler — A Nemesis system and horde mechanics create a persistent antagonistic pressure, with phases for nemesis actions and waves of threats.
- chapter-based progression — Players advance through four chapters with events, nemesis phases, production, and scoring phases. The chapter track and event decks shape pacing and escalating challenges.
- Combat system with multi-phase flow — Combat involves an archery round, clash, and post-combat steps; players follow a flowchart to resolve engagements, with combat cards, dice, and terrain modifiers influencing outcomes.
- Dice-driven actions and customization — Dice are color-coded by faction with symbols for shields, skulls, and misses, driving randomness and tactical risk in combat and other actions.
- Exploration emphasis and destiny-like map flip — Exploration of unexplored sea towers, towers that flip to new states (e.g., Midnight Tower), and map exploration driving resource gain and territorial advancement.
- Market and quest decks — Quests and market cards provide objectives and opportunities, with active quest management and a market deck that drives rewards and choices.
- Modular map and territory management — A board composed of locations (e.g., Omi Prison, Midnight Tower) and terrain that players interact with via havens, walls, towers, and garrisons; terrain placement and control influence actions and combat outcomes.
- Nemesis and horde dynamics — A Nemesis system and horde mechanics create a persistent antagonistic pressure, with phases for nemesis actions and waves of threats.
- Resource economy with multiple resource types — Resources include gems, elephants (heavy units/materials), red stones (materials/currency), and other faction-specific resources; these drive actions, progression, and combat readiness.
- Resource management — Resources include gems, elephants (heavy units/materials), red stones (materials/currency), and other faction-specific resources; these drive actions, progression, and combat readiness.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- I know nothing about this game.
- Oh, I love exploration.
- This is a cool little rule book.
- Of course, this is a deluxe version, so nice.
- One of the things I appreciate so much about board games is I think just the art of it.
- Beautiful top to that tower. Look at that.
- Pretty sweet.
- I'm kind of excited.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video ss_BzP6WzNo
One Stop Co-Op Shop top_20_list at 10:18 sentiment: positive
video_pk 12914 · mention_pk 37798
Click to watch at 10:18 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- diverse factions and rich giant-scale battles
- epic scope and compelling campaign
Cons
- campaign length and complexity can be intimidating
- cooperation options could be richer
Thematic elements
- factions, exploration, empire-building, and epic boss encounters
- fantasy 4X with solo and cooperative play
- grand campaign-driven storytelling with extensive world-building
Comparison games
- 4X epics
- Other boss battler epics like Oathsworn (for scale)
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- desperate and exciting boss battles — large-scale antagonists and powerful encounters
- solo and cooperative 4X mechanics — faction-driven exploration, expansion, and combat with a sprawling campaign
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- there's basically like a little tactical game you have these varied factions that like hugely vary the game
- the solo mode is very complicated I'm super impressed
- this is an amazing one in a small package for a small price
- the story grabbed me and would not let go
- the racing is the smoothest solo racer I've ever played by far
- it's an emotional ending—the most emotional game experience I've had this year
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video CemRV3wPQRA
playthrough at 3:31 sentiment: positive
video_pk 11160 · mention_pk 32830
Click to watch at 3:31 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- High component quality and deluxe upgrade options
- Strong thematic integration and vivid flavor through cards and visuals
- User-friendly aids (player aids, flowcharts) to guide complex sequences
- Rich variety through expansions and multiple modes (solo, true solo coming via Kickstarter)
Cons
- Complex rule set; some ambiguities noted and discussed live
- Heavily networked setup with many tokens can be visually overwhelming on camera
- Long playtime, especially at higher difficulties or with 3+ chapters
Thematic elements
- Uprising against an oppressive empire and the defense of refuges (havens) against endless chaos and external threats.
- A frozen, backwater region (Azul) where four factions—the Crow/Durkar, the Dwun, the Moya, and the remnants of the Empire—rise to resist domination by encroaching chaos and imperial remnants. The game is framed around a cooperative uprising rather than a pure competitive skirmish.
- Campaign-like, with per-chapter events, escalating threats, and episodic narration driven by event cards and quest/toy-box cards.
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- asymmetric factions — Different factions (blue/green/red/other) have distinct unit distributions, costs, and special abilities, creating varied strategic approaches per player.
- chapter-based progression — The game is divided into four chapters (three played in the video). Each chapter defines its own sequence of rounds and escalating threats.
- Combat sequence with terrain and special dice — Combat is staged in a defined sequence: terrain checks, archery, and clash rounds, with special dice types, bolts, shields, and druid/god-power interactions.
- Combat: Dice — Combat is staged in a defined sequence: terrain checks, archery, and clash rounds, with special dice types, bolts, shields, and druid/god-power interactions.
- Cooperative victory point system — All players contribute to a shared objective; the team loses or wins collectively based on aggregate points, with separate faction scores contributing to end-state outcomes.
- Deck building — Starting decks for quests and feats are drawn, with some quests not refreshing; items drawn from a market deck refresh continuously as you buy them.
- Deck-building and quest/item/feats management — Starting decks for quests and feats are drawn, with some quests not refreshing; items drawn from a market deck refresh continuously as you buy them.
- Druid powers and ether — Druids provide ether for rerolls and can trigger god powers; ether expenditures balance dice outcomes and enable dramatic plays.
- Events — Event cards drive chapter-specific changes and can alter turn order, threat levels, level of difficulty, curse placement, and more.
- Events and quest-based dynamic changes — Event cards drive chapter-specific changes and can alter turn order, threat levels, level of difficulty, curse placement, and more.
- Hex-based exploration with terrain effects — The board consists of explored and unexplored hexes; exploring can reveal resources or hazards; terrain (e.g., highlands, woods, mountains) modifies outcomes.
- hidden victory points — All players contribute to a shared objective; the team loses or wins collectively based on aggregate points, with separate faction scores contributing to end-state outcomes.
- Hordes vs Legions vs Skeletons — The Chaos Horde and Empire Legions have setup mechanics (activation tokens, threat levels) that dynamically alter the board state; skeletons can spawn and potentially form a Horde.
- Resource management — Players manage multiple resources to buy units, build havens, and trigger various druid/god powers; havens generate ongoing resources and can be defended.
- Resource management (salt, plunder, food) and havens — Players manage multiple resources to buy units, build havens, and trigger various druid/god powers; havens generate ongoing resources and can be defended.
- Sea towers and teleportation — Sea towers act as teleport hubs, making hex adjacency global and dramatically affecting pathing and reach.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- This is a victory point game.
- The designers have put a lot of effort into making this game user friendly and accessible by putting a lot of player aids on the game board.
- This is a sponsored playthrough video.
- Points mean prizes.
- Sea towers are like teleports.
- End of chapter cookie.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video iTk3pd7NwG4
The Dice Tower general_discussion at 20:31 sentiment: mixed
video_pk 2400 · mention_pk 7012
Click to watch at 20:31 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
mixed
Pros
- Impressive components and standees
- High-scope production value
Cons
- Very large footprint and potential for complexity
Thematic elements
- 4X-esque ambitions in a sprawling, large-scale system
- Epic fantasy realm with empires, chaos, and rebellion
- Solo and group play with a heavy emphasis on upgrading and battles
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- area-control/territory interaction — There are multiple factions and heroes supporting distinct strategies
- boss encounter style battles — Large-scale threats and monsters on the board
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- This game will beat you down and you're going to love it.
- I don't like that whole like your friends are going to hate you.
- The board looks like a roll and write, but it's actually a dungeon crawl.
- You will understand why people love these big-box Kickstarters, or you won't.
- The art on the shelf together is one of the selling points.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Transcript Navigation
Showing 1–4 of 4