Council of 4

About this board game

Council of 4 is a board game for 2–4 players, with games lasting about 75 minutes. Set in a wealthy empire of three kingdoms, it casts players as rich merchants competing to become the most famous builder.

Each kingdom is governed by a council of four nobles drawn from six influential families. Your main action is to corrupt a council, represented by a slide containing four noble pawns. Corrupting the councils of the three kingdoms provides permit cards, which offer immediate or endgame benefits and can authorize construction in specific cities.

Players can also use permission cards to build an emporium. Every emporium grants the special benefit of its location, while connected emporiums activate one another in a chain effect. The Emperor offers another route to expansion: corrupting the Emperor’s council lets you build emporiums without permission cards.

• Collect permits with varied instant and endgame benefits.
• Build connected emporiums and trigger chain effects.
• Change the composition of a council.
• Advance on the nobility track.

There are several ways to earn points in Council of 4. Build connected emporiums in scoring cities, complete every city in an area for a reward based on how quickly you finish, move up the nobility track, and obtain permits that provide points.

The board is modular, offering eight possible combinations for the three kingdoms. With council manipulation, permits, construction, and multiple scoring opportunities, every merchant must decide how to claim the best locations and build an influential network.