History of the Roman Empire

About this board game

History of the Roman Empire is a 2–4-player board game for approximately 180 minutes, covering Rome’s rise and fall across seven turns from 60 BC to 476 AD.

Each player controls one Roman faction and one group of Barbarian peoples. Roman factions can be eliminated, but a player’s Barbarian group cannot, ensuring that everyone remains involved throughout the game. Players may also gain control of minor kingdoms by playing event cards.

The map spans the Mediterranean and part of Asia Minor. Players decide where to deploy Roman legions, mobilize Barbarian armies, and establish new Roman cities, forts, and fortresses. Roman factions spend victory points on recruiting legions and constructing defenses, while Barbarian peoples mobilize a number of armies determined by their identity.

• Seven game turns tracing the period from the first Triumvirate to Romulus Augustus
• Up to four players, with every player controlling both Romans and Barbarians
• Forty-two Roman Emperors and Pretenders, plus 34 Barbarian peoples and minor kingdoms
• Forty-five random cards that create different situations from game to game

Control of every area in a color is worth many more victory points, encouraging players to build their own small empires while disrupting the plans of their rivals. Meanwhile, powerful peoples such as the Goths and Huns can threaten control of the map.

The Emperor of each Roman faction changes every turn, as do the Barbarian peoples controlled by players. With Romans fighting Barbarians, Romans fighting one another, and Barbarians clashing with other Barbarians, History of the Roman Empire delivers a flavorful, deliberately non-strictly-historic contest. After the seventh turn, players total their victory points to determine whether Rome has risen to glory—or been overwhelmed.