The rules for Empires as written provide a framework for many very different types of games, scenarios etc. These rules try to allow tournaments that explore different ways of playing Empires, but still permit a consistent tournament scoring.
In particular, Empires has the potential for exciting multiplayer games with diplomacy, intrigue, promises made and broken etc - but this can be both fun and a problem, when players cooperate in unfair ways to manipulate the tournament outcome. This is why it si recommended to schedule multiplayer games in early rounds of the tournament, when all players are still playing with equal chances. In the last few rounds, the games that determine the tournament winners should be two player games. If multiplayer games are needed in every tournament round (e.g. because there is an odd number of participants), these should be played by lower ranked players in later tournament rounds.
Every player should bring one complete Empires army to the tournament. A possible size for tournament armies is 2500 GPs. Buildings and extensions, like castles, town walls etc must be included in the army list and count towards its GP limit.
It is possible to play the game with cardboard counters or proxy minies. However, to encourage play with painted, appropriate minis there is a small scoring incentive for players who do so (see below).
In every game, players can score tournament points and scenario points. They work like the 'points' and 'goals' in European soccer leagues.
Tournament points go the winners of the different games (usually 2 TPs to the winner, 3 TPs for a decisive victory, 1 TP for a tie and 0 TPs to the loser). The player who ends the tournament with the most tournament points wins the tournament. The current TP score of players is also used to pair players for games in every round of the tournament (Swiss system: the best players plays the second best, the third against the fourth etc).
Ties between players with the same number of tournament points are resolved by the scenario points. These are defined differently in different scenarios, but usually amount to about 5 to 15 scenario points per game. They reward players who score very clear victories or lose very close games.
As an incentive to play with appropriate and painted minis, at the end of the tournament every player gets one scenario point (not tournament point!) for every game played with painted minis only, and one scenario point for every game played without proxies (i.e. without card board counters or the 'wrong' minis - modified or other appropriate minis which are not precisely those sold by HP for a particular unit are not counted as proxies as long as they clearly look like the real unit in terms of weapons etc). These scenario points are only recorded and considered at the very end of the tournament, they have no influence on who wins games and on player parings in the Swiss system.
In addition to the army size and the number of rounds played, the tournament organizer should also announce before the tournament which scenarios will be played in which round and when multiplayer games will be played by whom (although this may have to be adapted if players drop out of the tournament etc).
Diplomacy and Alliances in multiplayer games
It is allowed for players to cooperate and make promises in multiplayer games.
However, there is no obligation to keep promises. Formal alliances as described
in the Empires rules (who can exchange adjacent elements etc) are never
permitted in any tournament game.
Strategy tip for three player games
In three player games there is a big chance (or danger?) that two players
cooperate against the third. If you find yourself as the single player opposed
by an alliance of two, try focusing all your attacks on one of the two players
and playing very defensively against the other. Yes, this makes it easier for
the latter player to win the game because you don't oppose him strongly. But it
also may convince the opponent you fight more strongly that his/her chances in
the game are better if he/she breaks his alliance, and that he or she has no
chance of winning if the alliance is continued. This strategy works best if you
make it public right from the start and really stick to it, no matter what.
Three player games on one board:
If three players play on one board, one of them will have the disadvantage of
being sandwiched between the others form the start of the game. The middle
player is determined randomly. As a small balance, he or she may place all three
capitals on any hexes he or she chooses, as long as the hexes are legal (e.g.
not a mountain hex) and the capital of the middle player is closer (in hexes) to
the middle line of the board than both others.
Multiplayer games on crowded boards
Usually, it is harder to score many scenario points on crowded boards. To
balance this, every player who plays in a game with more than two players per
board (e.g. three players on one board, or five or six on two boards) gains two
additional scenario points at the end of the game, no matter what the result is
otherwise.
Here are a few examples for tournament scenarios per round.
1. Small four round tournament with four players
The first and third round are four player games on two game boards. The 2nd and
last round are two two player games with the stronger and weaker pair of players
facing each other.
The first and last game use the Machiavelli
scenario, the second round is a Settlers
game and the third a Make Money Fast game.
2. Four round tournament with seven players
All games use the Machiavelli
scenario.
In the first game, the players are randomly grouped together for one three
player game on one game board, and one four player game on two boards. The
second round has the three best players from the first in a three player game,
while the others are paired off in two player games. In the third round, the two
best and the two worst players after the second round play two player games
against each other, the remaining players play a three player game. In the last
round, the three lowest ranked players play together; the two best ranked
players face each other, as do the third and fourth ranked after the third
round.