An empire‑building boardgame for 1–6 players where politics is the deadliest weapon of all.
1-6 players age: 14+ DUR: 40 mins/player
You and your rivals are noble families vying to become Primus Inter Pares — First Among Equals — the unimpeachable ruler of the Roman Republic.
But this isn’t a contest of borders and battalions: it's a battle of wits that will test your negotiating skills to their limit.
Whisper softly behind marble columns to bribe senators for political favours, then drag them through the courts for corruption.
Every move you make opens a new space for a deal.
Every deal you strike reshapes the board.
Every alliance is temporary.
When the dust settles, you’ll look back and realise that while you were scheming, bargaining, and quietly backstabbing your way to supremacy… you and your fellow senators conquered an empire along the way.
Expand Rome's empire on an ever-changing map of cards.
CHOOSE 1 OR 2 ACTION CARDS EACH ERA TO DECIDE YOUR FAMILY'S STRATEGY.
ALL PLAYERS CAN DO the chosen ACTION, BUT THE CARD-PLAYER EARNS BONUSES WHICH ARE MORE POWERFUL IF THEY ARE THE ONLY CARD-PLAYER.
sO BE CAREFUL NOT TO FOLLOW THE CROWD,
This card lets you tax the provinces you govern
This card converts your prestige into more permanent victory points, lets you Enact powerful Reforms and opens up provinces to re-election
This card uses the law courts to steal prestige from your political rivals
this is the most common card you will play.
it lets you win prestige by commanding Rome's legions and conquering new territory
these cards don't just let you do Actions - they create a space for you to do deals.
because This game is all about dealmaking:
Raised spare legions through tax? trade them for Political influence.
Trade that influence for votes in the Governor elections...
Or use it to pay someone not to take you to court.
or maybe you keep those legions till the EXpand phase, when you can get a better deal by trading them to a general who really needs them.
Anything is possible and everything is negotiable in this game about backroom deals in the smoke-filled streets of rome
Once a card is fully conquered, you can 'romanise' it, using the Exploit action
to flip the card
A romanised card gives its governors more versatile and powerful options when taxing the province
2 *
=
1 legion
or
1 Prestige
or
1 meople
gain the Extra-Legal card in the final Eras of the game, to go full Game-of-Thrones!
The leader of the game can declare himself Emperor
Other players can attempt to bring him down through assassination or civil war
or you can use your popularity to whip up mobs that attack a political rival's supporters
use daggers & diplomacy
to beat your rivals in ancient Rome
and conquer an empire while you're doing it