The short version. Empty Cities is the work of Cez Krol. It is an unpublished game heading for publication, so it is not free to print, copy or pass on: all rights are reserved. Playing it here online is free for now, provided as it is, and may change. Everything except the tutorial needs an account, and accounts are for ages 13 and over.
Empty Cities was designed by Cez Krol, who is its author and sole owner. That covers the game's design and rules, the rulebook text, the board and token artwork, this website and the software that runs it.
© 2026 Cez Krol. All rights reserved. Empty Cities™ is a trademark of Cez Krol.
Empty Cities is a commercial project in development, intended for publication. Nothing on this site is offered into the public domain, and no part of it is free to reuse.
Being able to see something here is not permission to take it. No licence, of any kind, is granted to anybody by this site. In particular you may not:
Printable files exist, but they are not published. They are supplied individually to invited playtesters and to prospective publishers, for the sole purpose of playing the game and reporting back. If you were sent them, print only what your own session needs and do not pass them on. They may be changed or withdrawn at any time.
Two things need no permission, and both are actively encouraged:
For anything else, ask. Publishing, retail editions, translation, licensing and partnerships are all open to discussion at [email protected].
The game at emptycities.com is free to play at the moment and is provided as it is. There is no uptime promise, no guarantee that a game in progress will finish, and no guarantee that your account, your record or a table will survive a change to the site. Features may be added, altered or removed. The service may close.
Empty Cities is being built to be sold. A published edition is the goal, and there may in future be a crowdfunding campaign, a retail edition, paid components, or paid features on this site. Playing now does not entitle you to any of it, and does not oblige you to buy anything. If any part of the site ever stops being free, that will be said plainly before it happens, not slipped into a policy.
Please do not attempt to break it: no automated play, no scraping, no attacking the server, no trying to reach other people's accounts, and no working around the rate limits. Every move is checked on the server, so tampering with the page will not gain you anything except a broken game.
Accounts are for people aged 13 or over. The tutorial needs no account and is open to anybody. Everything else here needs one: a single game against the computer, the daily map, and playing other people. The printed game suits players from about age 10 and needs nothing from anybody.
Email about the game is a separate matter, and that one is for ages 16 and over. Playing is covered by this agreement between you and the author; promotional email is not, it happens only because you asked for it, and the age at which a person can ask for it themselves is 16 in several countries including Poland. So the box that turns it on says so, and leaving it unticked changes nothing whatsoever about the game.
Use an email address you control. One account per person. Pick a nickname that is not abusive, not impersonating somebody, and not advertising. Table talk is limited to a fixed list of phrases, so there is nothing to moderate there, but a nickname or a piece of feedback that is abusive, or an account being used to harass somebody, will be removed without notice.
Feedback, ratings and bug reports you send stay yours. By sending them you allow Cez Krol to read them, act on them, and use them to develop and promote the game, including quoting them without your name attached. If you would rather not be quoted even anonymously, say so in the message and that will be respected.
The game, the files and the site come with no warranty of any kind, to the fullest extent the law allows. Cez Krol is not liable for any loss arising from using them, including lost data, a lost game, or a printer that made a mess of a board panel.
Nothing here removes rights you have by law that cannot be removed by agreement. If you are a consumer, the mandatory consumer protections of the country you live in still apply.
These terms are governed by the law of Poland, and the courts of Poland have jurisdiction, except where the law of the country you live in gives you the right to bring a claim locally, which it may well do if you are a consumer in the EEA or the UK.
These terms carry a version, shown at the top of this page. If they change in a way that matters to players with accounts, you will be asked to accept the new version the next time you sign in. Continuing to use the site after a change means you accept it.
Cez Krol, author and owner of Empty Cities. [email protected]. A postal address is available on request.