You might think that the venn diagram of heavy metal enthusiasts overlapping with board game hobbyists would be quite small. Yet, we exist, out in the wild with fevered passion. The Emperors of Eternal are one of the few publishers catering to this niche of heavy riffs and sharp cardboard, and they’re absolutely killing it.
The trio behind this ominous name are designers Mat Brinkman, Jochen Hartmann, and Nate Hayden. They’ve birthed numerous titles spanning a multitude of formats, all containing a common thread of gruesome metal visage with hard-nosed, conflict heavy, play. It’s difficult to label their work, but their releases operate on the fringe of the wargame realm, featuring chits or standees crawling across hexes scrawled upon paper maps. The physical form of these games tends to hearken close to their metal ‘zine DNA, presenting a sort of low-fi aesthetic that still maintains a solid degree of quality.