How to Play
Eternal Empires is a head-to-head civilization card battler. You are the leader of a great culture — Rome, Egypt, Ancient Japan, or Polynesia — commanding armies, raising structures, and unleashing tactics. Each player's Empire starts at 30 Health.
Two paths to victory: Conquest — reduce the enemy Empire to 0 Health. Age of Wonders — build your civilization's Wonder and keep it standing for 3 of your turns.
Match Setup
- Choose your empire — each has a unique 30-card deck, a legendary Leader, and a signature Wonder.
- Opening hands — the first player draws 4 cards; the second player draws 5 and receives a Tribute (a free tactic worth 1 bonus Command for one turn).
- Pick a difficulty — Easy, Normal, or Hard AI. The AI plays by exactly the same rules you do.
The Basics
- Command ⬤ is your currency. You start with 1 and gain one more maximum each turn (up to 10). It refills every turn — spend it freely.
- Empire Health is your life total. Protect it, or race your opponent's.
- Units fight on the battlefield; Tactics are one-shot effects; Structures and Wonders grant ongoing power and can be attacked.
- Drag cards from your hand onto the battlefield to play them. Drag from your unit onto an enemy to attack. Right-click any card to inspect it.
Your Turn
Turns are simple and fast — no phase juggling. Everything in your main phase can be done in any order.
1
Start of Turn
Automatic
Your units ready. Your maximum Command rises by 1 (to a cap of 10) and refills. Structures trigger their start-of-turn effects, your Wonder gains an Era counter, and you draw a card.
2
Main Phase
Your Actions
Play cards, attack with units, and use your Leader's Command ability — in any order, as many times as your resources allow. Units can't attack the turn they arrive unless they have Swift.
3
End Turn
Automatic
Press End Turn. Temporary buffs expire and play passes to your opponent.
Running out of cards? If you must draw from an empty deck, you take escalating fatigue damage instead — 1, then 2, then 3… Endless stalling is not a strategy.
Card Types
U
Unit
Your fighters, with Attack and Health. Up to 6 on your battlefield. Damage they take sticks until healed. New units need a turn to ready before attacking, unless they have Swift.
Deploy effects trigger when played · Legacy effects trigger on death
T
Tactic
One-time effects that resolve instantly — removal, buffs, healing, card draw, or summons. Some require a target: drag the card onto it.
Goes to the graveyard after use
S
Structure
Buildings with Health but no Attack — up to 3 in your structure row. They generate ongoing value each turn, but your enemy can attack them, so they demand protection.
Cannot attack · Can be attacked
W
Wonder
Your civilization's crowning monument — one per deck. Every one of your turns it gains an Era counter; at 3 counters you win the game. It also has a powerful ongoing effect, and 10 Health your opponent will be aiming at.
One per deck · Alternate win condition
Combat
How Combat Works
- Unit vs unit: both units deal damage equal to their Attack to each other simultaneously. Damage persists between turns.
- Unit vs Empire or Structure: one-sided — the defender does not strike back.
- Guard first: if the enemy controls any Guard units, you must attack a Guard before anything else.
- Each unit attacks once per turn, and never on the turn it was played (unless Swift).
Special Combat Rules
Ranged attackers take no counter-damage when they strike a unit.
Pierce sends overkill damage — anything beyond the defender's remaining Health — straight into the enemy Empire.
Shield completely absorbs the first damage a unit would take, then breaks.
Venom destroys any unit it damages, no matter how large.
Keywords
Seven keywords define the battlefield. Every one is shown as a badge on the unit — hover it in-game for a reminder.
| Keyword | Effect |
|---|
| Guard | Enemies must attack your Guard units before your other units, structures, or Empire. |
| Swift | Can attack the turn it enters the battlefield. |
| Ranged | Takes no counter-damage when attacking units. |
| Pierce | Excess damage from destroying a unit hits the enemy Empire. |
| Shield | Ignores the first damage it would take. |
| Venom | Any damage this unit deals destroys the damaged unit. |
| Wayfinder | This unit's attacks ignore Guard. |
Ability text uses three markers: Deploy (triggers when the card is played), Legacy (triggers when the unit dies), and Ongoing (always active while in play).
Leaders & Wonders
Your Leader commands from outside the battlefield with an always-on Passive and a once-per-game Command ability that costs Command to activate. Timing the Command ability well is often the difference between victory and defeat.
| Leader | Passive | Command (once per game) |
|---|
Julius Caesar
Rome | Roman Discipline — your units have +0/+1 while you control a Structure. | Forced March (5) — ready all your units; they may attack again this turn. |
Cleopatra VII
Egypt | Gift of the Nile — whenever you play a Tactic, restore 1 Empire Health. | Treasury of the Nile (2) — gain 2 Command this turn and draw 2 cards. |
Tokugawa Ieyasu
Ancient Japan | Warrior's Code — when your unit destroys an enemy unit in combat, it gains +1/+1. | Shogunate Decree (4) — your units gain +2 Attack and Ranged this turn. |
Moana Te Ariki
Polynesia | Wayfinder — your first attack each turn ignores Guard. | Tides of Fate (3) — return your units to your hand; units cost 2 less this turn. |
Winning with a Wonder
Each civilization has one Wonder — The Colosseum, The Great Pyramid, Himeji Castle, or the Moai of the Ancestors. A Wonder costs 9 Command and has 10 Health. At the start of each of your turns it gains an Era counter; at 3 counters you immediately win.
Countering a Wonder: attack it! Wonders can be struck like any structure (clear the Guards first). The neutral tactic Sabotage destroys a structure outright. When an enemy Wonder appears, you usually have three turns to raze it or win first.
PlaystyleDefense & Attrition
StrengthsGuards, buffs, structures, tokens
DifficultyBeginner friendly
Overview
Rome wins by holding the line. Its units are durable, its Guards are plentiful, and its structures — the Grand Aqueduct, Forum Romanum, and Legion Barracks — generate compounding value every turn Caesar's discipline keeps them standing.
Choose Rome if you like solid boards, steady advantage, and armies that refuse to die.
Leader: Julius Caesar
Passive — Roman Discipline
Your units have +0/+1 while you control at least one Structure. Keep an Aqueduct standing and every legionary fights a size larger.
Command — Forced March (5)
Once per game: ready all your units — they may attack again this turn. A devastating finisher after a full attack.
Key Cards
Legionary Infantry 2 2/3
Guard. The wall Rome is built on.
Legion Signifer 3 2/2
Ongoing: your other units have +1 Attack. Multiplies every body on your board.
Grand Aqueduct 2 Structure
Restores 2 Health each turn and switches on Caesar's passive.
Legion Barracks 4 Structure
Summons a 1/1 Legion Recruit every turn — an endless supply of soldiers.
Testudo Formation 2 Tactic
+0/+3 and Guard turns any unit into a fortress.
Decimation 5 Tactic
2 damage to all enemy units — Rome's answer to swarms.
The Colosseum 9 Wonder
Summons a 2/2 Arena Gladiator every turn while counting down to victory.
Strategy Guide
Early game: Trade efficiently with cheap Guards; play a structure by turn 3 to activate Roman Discipline.
Mid game: Stack the Signifer's aura on a wide board. Barracks + Signifer wins games by itself.
Late game: Grind them down with Caesar's Tenth Legion, or land The Colosseum behind a wall of Guards and let the Eras roll. Save Forced March for lethal — attack, ready, attack again.
PlaystyleSustain & Late Game
StrengthsHealing, Venom, revival, card draw
DifficultyIntermediate
Overview
Egypt outlasts. Cleopatra converts every Tactic into Empire Health, asps and the Judgment of Osiris erase any threat, and the Obelisk of Thoth buries opponents in card advantage until the gods themselves — the Sphinx, the Herald of Anubis, the Avatar of Ra — take the field.
Choose Egypt if you like surviving the storm and winning the long game.
Leader: Cleopatra VII
Passive — Gift of the Nile
Whenever you play a Tactic, restore 1 Empire Health. Every spell keeps the Nile flowing.
Command — Treasury of the Nile (2)
Once per game: gain 2 Command this turn and draw 2 cards. Cheap, flexible, and always useful — a tempo surge whenever you need it.
Key Cards
Desert Asp 2 1/1
Venom. A 1/1 that executes an 8/8. Small. Patient. Final.
Temple Priest 2 1/3
Deploy: restore 2 Health to any friendly character.
Obelisk of Thoth 4 Structure
Draws you a card every turn — protect it and bury them in value.
Wrath of Sekhmet 4 Tactic
3 damage to a unit and 2 Health back (3 with Cleopatra's passive).
Judgment of Osiris 5 Tactic
Destroy any enemy unit. The feather is heavier than it looks.
Herald of Anubis 7 6/6
Deploy: return a random unit from your graveyard to the battlefield.
The Great Pyramid 9 Wonder
Restores 2 Health and grants bonus Command every turn as the Eras pass.
Strategy Guide
Early game: Stabilize with Tomb Guardians and priests. Don't panic about taking damage — you can heal it back.
Mid game: Land the Obelisk and defend it. Use Venom and Sekhmet to trade up against big threats.
Late game: Sphinx into Herald into Avatar of Ra. Sacred Revival brings back whatever they killed. The Pyramid seals games your opponent thought they were winning.
PlaystyleAggression & Duels
StrengthsSwift, Ranged, cheap efficient units
DifficultyIntermediate
Overview
Japan attacks. Its units are cheap and razor-edged, its tactics turn any skirmish into a won duel, and Tokugawa's Warrior's Code means every kill makes your samurai permanently stronger. A Kyudo Archer that has taken three heads is a monster.
Choose Japan if you like tempo, pressure, and snowballing duels.
Leader: Tokugawa Ieyasu
Passive — Warrior's Code
When one of your units destroys an enemy unit in combat, it gains +1/+1 permanently. Win duels, grow blades.
Command — Shogunate Decree (4)
Once per game: your units gain +2 Attack and Ranged this turn. Your whole board trades without taking a scratch — or simply goes face.
Key Cards
Kyudo Archer 2 2/2
Ranged — duels without counter-damage, and grows with every kill.
Kenjutsu Strike 1 Tactic
+2 Attack this turn. One breath, one cut, one dead defender.
Mountain Dojo 3 Structure
Every unit you play arrives with +1 Attack.
Ancestral Shrine 3 Structure
Your dying units each deal 1 damage to the enemy Empire — aggression even in death.
Duel at Dawn 3 Tactic
Destroy an enemy unit with 4+ Attack. The strong are invited first.
Dragon of the Storm Court 8 8/6
Swift. Eight damage from nowhere ends games.
Himeji Castle 9 Wonder
Your units get +1/+1 while the White Heron counts down to victory.
Strategy Guide
Early game: Curve out — Ashigaru into Kyudo Archer into Ronin. Use Kenjutsu Strike to win early duels and start Warrior's Code stacking.
Mid game: Dojo makes every reinforcement bigger. Force trades your grown units win, then push face damage.
Late game: Shogunate Decree clears their board for free, and the Storm Dragon closes. If they stabilize, Himeji Castle gives your aggression a second win condition.
PlaystyleTempo & Swarm
StrengthsToken fleets, bounce, Pierce, Guard-ignoring attacks
DifficultyAdvanced
Overview
Polynesia flows around every wall. Voyager fleets flood the board, Riptide washes threats back into your opponent's hand, Wayfinders slip past Guards, and Moana's tides let your whole army redeploy at a discount. No board state is ever final against the ocean.
Choose Polynesia if you like speed, tricks, and out-maneuvering slower empires.
Leader: Moana Te Ariki
Passive — Wayfinder
Your first attack each turn ignores Guard. There is always a way through — pick their backline apart.
Command — Tides of Fate (3)
Once per game: return your units to your hand; your units cost 2 less this turn. Re-trigger every Deploy effect in one enormous tempo wave.
Key Cards
Navigator Scout 2 2/1
Legacy: draw a card. Trades and replaces itself.
Reef Diver 2 2/2
Wayfinder — ignores Guard completely, every attack.
Riptide 2 Tactic
Bounce an enemy unit to hand — tempo removal that beats buffs.
Sacred Marae 3 Structure
A free Voyager every turn keeps the fleet growing.
Canoe Flotilla 5 3/4
Deploy: summon two 1/1 Voyagers — three bodies in one card.
Kupe the Wayfinder 6 5/5
Wayfinder, draws a card. He followed the octopus and found a world.
Taniwha of the Deep 8 8/8
Pierce. Overkill damage crashes into the enemy Empire.
Strategy Guide
Early game: Flood the board — Outrigger Scouts, Navigator Scouts, Wave Callers. Chip early and often.
Mid game: Chief of the Fleet turns your swarm lethal. Use Moana's passive and Reef Divers to assassinate their key units behind Guards.
Late game: Tides of Fate re-buys every Deploy effect at a discount for an overwhelming swing turn. Tsunami resets bad boards; Taniwha and Pele finish the job.
Deck Building
The in-game Deck Builder lets you craft custom decks and save them in your browser. Select your saved deck on the Play screen.
- A deck is exactly 30 cards from one civilization plus Neutral cards.
- Maximum 2 copies of any card — 1 copy of Legendary cards, and at most one Wonder.
- Watch your Command curve — the builder charts it. A good deck plays something meaningful every turn from turn 1.
Neutral toolbox: every deck can pack Sabotage (destroys enemy Structures and Wonders), Field Medic, War Elephant, and more. Rome-style decks love Village Militia; aggressive decks love Rally the Banners.
Strategy Tips
1. Spend Your Command
Command refills every turn — unspent Command is wasted tempo. Ending several turns with unused Command usually means you're falling behind.
2. Trade Up, Not Down
Use cheap units and tactics to kill expensive ones. Ranged units trade for free; Venom executes giants; Guard forces bad attacks.
3. Respect the Wonder Clock
An enemy Wonder wins in three turns. The moment it lands, recount every point of damage you can put on it — or on their Empire.
4. Kill the Engines
A structure drawing a card or summoning a token every turn will bury you. Attacking a structure costs no counter-damage — raze the engines early.
5. Play Around Guard
Your attacks must go through Guards — so remove them with tactics, bypass them with Wayfinder, or overwhelm them with Pierce.
6. Time Your Leader
Command abilities are once per game. Forced March and Shogunate Decree are finishers; Treasury and Tides are tempo — but all of them are wasted on an empty board.
7. Mind the Fatigue
Drawing from an empty deck hurts more each time. Against Egypt's healing, the fatigue race can genuinely decide the game.
8. Inspect Everything
Right-click any card — in hand, on the board, or in the library — for full text and keyword explanations. Information wins wars.