Spartacus Imperator

About this board game

Spartacus Imperator is a two-player, 90-minute game of rebellion and Roman counterattack, set during the three Servile Wars that shook the Roman Empire. Take the role of Spartacus, Tryphon, or Eunus, and fight to establish a kingdom of former slaves—or command Rome as it seeks to restore the Pax Romana.

The slave side must expand quickly by liberating slaves and recruiting warrior tribes including the Gauls, Dacians, Germans, Syrians, and Thracians. Move across Italy, ravage the countryside, pillage cities, and gather the bounty needed to strengthen recruitment and reinforcement before Roman armies close in.

Each season gives every chief between one and four actions, with the number changing throughout the year. Players alternate actions such as moving, recruiting, ravaging, reinforcing, playing historical stratagems, or— for the Roman player—bringing in historical new troops.

• Field battles: choose among four tactical options, with frontline units able to score critical hits while facing greater danger.
• Sieges: fight through different tactical choices, city rerolls, and variable fire and melee phases.
• Command: the best general can provide rerolls in battle, while bounty rewards victories and ravaging.
• Special rules: hidden slave counters, pirate fleet escape attempts, and restrictions on sharing an area with another friendly army.

Dead units cannot immediately be recruited again, and victory conditions can change each year, keeping the struggle unsettled. In Spartacus Imperator, military judgment, timing, and knowledge of war may lead to liberation—or defeat on the cross.