Carthage

About this board game

Carthage is a deck-building gladiatorial warfare game for 1–5 players, with play time of approximately 75 minutes. In a hex-based arena, gladiators battle to the death while earning crowd favor, gaining armor, and developing increasingly dangerous tactics.

Each round begins with a combat phase, during which players play action cards and maneuver through the theater. The game blends deck-building, hand management, and ruthless “take-that” combat, making every move a potential turning point in the fight for survival.

Gladiators enter the theater as weak combatants. As their actions gain crowd favor, they can shape their decks into more lethal combinations of damage, armor, and movement. Crowd favor can be spent to build better combat options, lobby the crowd for advantages, or assemble a starting deck around a stronger combination of tactics.

• Deck-building: Develop a personalized set of combat tactics over the course of the game.
• Hex-based movement: Move around the arena while positioning for gladiatorial combat.
• Miniatures: Bring the battling gladiators to the theater table.
• Modular rules: Adjust the game’s complexity, play time, and strategic depth.

With its progressive game experience, Carthage builds toward a vicious crescendo of blood and glory. Players begin with limited capabilities, then use crowd favor and carefully managed hands to create more powerful combat options before only one gladiator remains.