How to Play Oath: Chronicles of Empire and Exile - Start Here!

This is the "start here" video that works well as a place to start if you want to learn how to play Oath: Chronicles of Empire and Exile. My goal is to make sure you spend more time playing, and less time flipping through the rule book. In this video I cover everything for the multiplayer game in this from how to win, to the details of each of the actions. What I don't cover (which is just a few things) is in the next video. I'll post the link to that below once it's released. The links to all of the other videos and the playlist are listed below. Please let me know any questions, comments or feedback in the comments section below. Now feel free to click play, or click on any of the links below to jump right to a topic!
By the way, the copy of Oath used for this video was partly paid for through the generous contributions of supporters over on Patreon. If you're interested in becoming a supporter of the channel, you can do so over at / moderncardboard Extra special thanks goes out to all supporters!
0:00 Introduction
0:34 How to win - Chancellor
2:36 How to Win - Exiles
5:40 Legacy Intro
7:02 Set Up advice and link
7:46 How the game works
8:46 Wake phase
9:18 Act phase
10:17 Denizen cards
12:27 Search action
17:07 Muster action
18:40 Trade action
19:48 Recover action and banners
23:41 Campaign action
30:13 Travel action
31:40 Site powers
32:17 Minor actions
33:16 Card actions
34:04 Rest phase
35:14 Final scoring
Other Oath Videos
- How to play Oath 2nd video: (Citizenship, Archive, Writing the Chronicle and my top 5 Mistakes) -
• How to Play Oath: Citi...
- Set up and Walkthrough video -
Here's the video line that takes you to set up of your first game and the full Walkthrough: • How to Play Oath - 1st...
Other Links
If you're ever interested in resetting the decks in your copy of Oath like they were the first time you opened the box, here's the Oath deck order link from Leder Games that provides the order to put these into: www.dropbox.com/s/yfjbun4vm95...

[@garrettwagner5112]

This is hands down the best tutorial I have seen. You speak clearly and concise which helps with understanding the nuance of each action, while the visuals with chopsticks points out perfectly what you are talking about. Thank you so much for your work!

[@ModernTablegamer]

Hi Garrett! Thanks so much for your kind words and glad you like it!

[@warpaint9385]

I agree. I’ve watched 3 other videos and have no idea what’s going on. After watching this I probably understand about 90% of the game now.

[@sergioperez2771]

This game has been in my collection since the KS delivery, and I've never been able to get it to the table. We're finally going to try this week. I've watched several videos on rules, and there are some good ones out there, but your video is the best by far overall. The structure of your teach is superb; laying out the overview, objectives, win conditions, then the mechanics. This is so helpful. Thank you so much!

[@ABitOfApplause]

I've watched about 4 or 5 of these "how to play Oath" videos prepping for my game night. This is the best one by far. You expertly lay out theme, win conditions, elements, and mechanics in an order that makes it easy to understand, and you don't try to rush through it like so many others I've watched. Great job!

[@svedjenaeva]

Thanks for the great videos! Very pedagogical, and a good flow. This is my go to channel for "how to play"-videos

[@jsibleytube]

Very well done; great pacing, camera work, and (simulated) rapport. Bravo!

[@NyloSound]

Amazing job teaching this beast! Thank you very much for sharing it!

[@ModernTablegamer]

You bet! Thanks so much Danilo!

[@urossinigoj4196]

Phenomenal guide to an otherwise very hard to grasp game. Thank you!

[@cesarpim]

Best rules-teaching channel I've seen on YT. And I've seen a many! Also, absolutely love this game.

[@ModernTablegamer]

Thanks so much Cesar! I’m with you on this game. I love it too.

[@HaniOveissy]

Fantastic teaching. It was great. Thank you so much.

[@ModernTablegamer]

Thanks Hani!

[@ilqrd.6608]

oh hell yesssss! You taught me Pax Pamir 2nd and I’m super grateful for that

[@ModernTablegamer]

Awesome! You even have me excited to watch this one :).

[@mathiaslangford1948]

Just subscribed. Excellent content

[@timdertim]

Excellent. Stunning. To the point. Outstanding. Chopsticks!

[@ModernTablegamer]

Thanks so much Tim! Now it's time to eat ramen! :)

[@ianmacleod1781]

very good overview ,thanks for all the work you must have done .( like the chopsticks)

[@williammartindale5769]

Great video! Would love to see solo tutorial

[@Tanks.With.Teeth.Malloy]

Wonderful explanation so far. I wanted to back this game but decide not to because at the time it look super complicated. Now watching this, I might try and buy soon :)

[@ModernTablegamer]

Awesome! Thanks so much for the kind words and if you do make the plunge, hope you enjoy!

[@gerardmulder7656]

Great video!

[@ModernTablegamer]

Thanks Gerard!

[@Andy_Quest]

Hi Pete! Just found you after searching for ‘how to play Oath!’ .. really like your presence, pacing, shots and edits! Thanks so much for great content. Sub from me and have linked you to friends too! 👊🏼

[@ModernTablegamer]

Thanks so much Andy! Really appreciate it!

[@WillHawkinsRock]

Great videos, Pete! 😊 Really. One thing? 23:40 - Maybe this was a coy wink, but if it wasn't... My guess is that you'd want to Recover a banner from yourself if it was on the mob side & you'd let the # of favor tokens on it drop down to, say, 3. You recover it from yourself with 4 favor tokens, flip the banner, & only have to put a 5th favor token on it during your next Wake phase (so it doesn't flip back over to it's Mob side). If I'm wrong, please correct me.

[@ModernTablegamer]

Hi Will, great strategic thinking! I believe you are absolutely correct on this one!

[@sincitysir1]

Teach me your teaching abilities!!!

[@ModernTablegamer]

Ha! Maybe that’s the next video :)

[@KeyboardAbhishek]

Incredibly fantastic tutorial - unrelated question, do you have a BGG handle? Would love to see your game ratings!

[@JackBaur85]

Are you also making a video about solo mode? (Let's Pay?)

[@wicaksonoadi1035]

Pete, do you recommend Oath for playing exclusively solo? I'm a big fan of Mage Knight, Gloomhaven, Root, but still on the fence with this one.

[@ModernTablegamer]

Hi my solo playing friend! I can't speak too much to the solo variant of this one yet since I haven't dug too deep into it, but I have a hard time seeing how it can capture the politics and backstabbing that can exist in the multiplayer. I could be wrong and I'll let you know once I dig in.

[@rpiazza72]

I would add here if you recall Root had a solo variant which was not great. The solo version that came from a community member was vastly superior and adopted as an official product and made Root solo a satisfying experience. I don’t believe the in box solo variant will be worth it, Cole Wehrle is a designer whose wheel house is multiplayer interaction. When his games have great solo modules it’s when a third party comes along and designs it. So right now Oath solo no, but history says down the road someone else will likely produce one.

[@giacomobreschi2316]

Hello, so if i want target only a relic, my enemy pawn must be on my territory and he'll add warbands (+1 for each one) that he has on his board, isn't it? Thanks

[@mabo1628]

Dear Pete, does it work also for 2 players? Greets for Berlin /Germany, Mark

[@icecold1805]

29:19 correct me if I am wrong: but here you did the calculations wrong didn't you? 2 warbands in the field, one on each targeted site + 3 warbands on the player mat, as the player pawn is on a targeted site thereby his personal guards were also part of the defence, means 5 warbands total. 2 should have died, 3 stayed in the player mat, yes?.

[@riotvale]

Guess who was directly responsible for my purchase of Oath today :) ?

[@ModernTablegamer]

Ha! Oh no, am I an enabler?

[@MrSomebunny]

Good review, but it’d be more clear if you change the wording a bit to be more concrete. For example, when you say things like “an exile can take the Chancellors oath-keeper title by meeting the requirement we just spoke from the oath-keeper goal.” (At 2:51) Phrases like that leave room for ambiguity. Can multiple people fulfill the goal at the same time? Does that mean since I’m the last person to fulfill the goal, I claim the oath keeper title? And what do you mean by “can take”? Is there a time in which I would be better off not taking the oath keeper title, electing to leave the title with someone else even though I still fulfill the goal? I personally understand that what you meant was “I claim the oath keeper title if I fulfill the conditions of the oath better than anyone else,” but that ambiguous phrasing pops up a few times in this review and may leave some less experienced board gamers confused. Still a good review though!

[@ModernTablegamer]

Thanks MrSomebunny. Appreciate the detailed feedback.

[@Botanica_Gaming]

How to play requires a whole video. How to win is a different set of videos all together. Not that I would look them up. That's part of the fun. Trying to figure that out.

[@jackskellingtonsora]

Damn, this is like the stereotype of the overly complicated and confusing board game with too many rules that don't make sense that turns people off from the hobby altogether.

[@Turgon86]

But its not, thankfully

[@chaosexhaust7533]

Let me guess, you're not even part of the hobby? And no, Monopoly and Snakes & Ladders do not count. There's this game though called Tic Tac Toe. It might slightly be too complicated for you, but I think you can handle it. 😊

[@jackskellingtonsora]

@@chaosexhaust7533 Damn. Gaslight, gatekeep, girlboss much? No, I've been playing board games for over a decade, but thanks for trying.

[@chaosexhaust7533]

@@jackskellingtonsora Good for you. But again, Snakes & Ladders do not count. 😂