Byzantio

About this board game

Byzantio is a game of medieval intrigue for 2–4 players, with an approximately 60-minute play time. Set in 1025, it places players at the head of powerful Byzantine dynasties competing to determine who will inherit the imperial throne.

After Emperor Basileios II dies without an heir, four factions vie for influence. The Comnenid and Phocas houses represent provincial military aristocracies, while the Dukes and Angels represent urban, secular aristocracies. None is willing to surrender the throne to another, so the families agree that the successor will be the one supported by the greatest number of the empire’s wealthiest cities.

Each family secretly selects seven imperial cities it wants to control. Players then use a range of actions to advance their plans and challenge their rivals:

• Commandment and Garrison to strengthen influence
• Diplomacy and Trade to build connections and wealth
• Exile, Espionage, and Corruption to disrupt competing ambitions

The result is a secretive struggle of shifting influence, as each dynasty works to secure the cities that can support its favored successor. Victory goes to the family whose chosen heir gains the strongest backing from the empire’s wealthiest urban centers.

Byzantio also includes Nekken, a fantasy-themed implementation using the same materials and a different map printed on the reverse side of the board. In this setting, four ancient tribes scatter across the continent after a volcano destroys their capital. Players lead their tribes, move across the map, explore, establish glorious cities, and betray allies while competing to become ruler of the new society.

With two settings in one box, Byzantio offers a choice between Byzantine succession politics and a fantasy struggle for survival and prestige.