Barbarians at the Gates: The Decline and Fall of the Western Roman Empire 337 – 476

About this board game

Barbarians at the Gates: The Decline and Fall of the Western Roman Empire 337–476 is a card-driven game for two players with an approximately 300-minute play time. Set during the final century of the Western Roman Empire, it places the future of Western Europe in the hands of Roman and Barbarian commanders.

The Roman player commands loyal Roman legions and Germanic peoples who have settled peacefully within the Empire. The Barbarian player leads Usurper Emperors and controls the migrations of Germanic peoples pressing against the Roman world. Both sides play cards to activate leaders, move armies, conduct sieges, and shape the changing political and military landscape.

The point-to-point map covers the Western Roman Empire through 11 dioceses, including Gallia Belgica, Caledonia, and Italia Suburbicaria. Locations such as Roma, Massilia, and Nova Carthago are linked by Roman roads, rougher routes in uncivilized territory, and river connections along waterways including the Donau and Rhine.

• Activate leaders such as Aetius, Magnentius, Atilla, and Alaric.
• Bring new Barbarian invasions into play or recruit additional Legions.
• Lead raids across the frontier, settle hostile tribes on Roman soil, or attempt to usurp the Imperial Throne.
• Move through the road network to respond to invasions and fight for glory in battles and sieges.

As Barbarian tribes test the fortified border, the outnumbered Roman Legions must use interior lines and the Empire’s roads to confront threats to Italy, Iberia, and Gaul. From the first Vandal and Frankish migrations through the Gothic invasions, Theodosius I, Attila, and the Huns, Barbarians at the Gates follows a dramatic struggle over whether Roman civilization will endure or Europe will remain in the Dark Ages.