Objective of the Game
The objective of "Conquest of the Empire" is to become the most powerful player by gaining the largest control over the Roman Empire. Players achieve this through strategic expansion, warfare, and political intrigue.
Components of the Game
- Game Board depicting a map of the Roman Empire
- Figures for generals, troops, and fleets
- Coins to represent wealth
- Cards for events and intrigues
- Dice to resolve battles and events
- Fortress, city, and temple markers for infrastructure
- Rulebook
Setup
- Place the Game Board: Set the board in the center of the table.
- Initial Setup: Each player picks a color and places their starting troops, generals, and fleets in their specified provinces.
- Prepare the Cards: Shuffle all deck types separately and place them face down within reach of all players.
- Distribute Coins: Each player receives their starting capital in coins.
- Determine Starting Player: Use a die roll or another random method to decide who plays first.
Gameplay Mechanics
The game is played in Rounds, each consisting of several phases:
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Income Phase: Players collect taxes from their controlled provinces, based on the number of cities and temples they have.
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Movement Phase: Players move their troops and fleets across the board. Movement points are limited, so plan carefully.
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Combat Phase: Battles occur when troops land on the same space. Combat is determined by dice rolls:
- Damage Dice: determine the losses for both sides.
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Players with better equipment or strategy (influenced by cards) receive bonuses.
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Building Phase: Players can construct cities, fortresses, or temples to strengthen their provinces.
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Card Phase: Each player draws one or more cards that have various effects, such as intrigue or reinforcements.
End of the Game
The game ends when a player reaches a certain number of points or a predefined round is completed. Points are defined by controlling provinces, influence, and wealth.
Strategic Tips
- Balance expansion and defense to avoid being overrun.
- Use intrigue cards to weaken opponents or form alliances.
- Resource management: Always ensure sufficient coins for maintaining troops and covering expansion costs.
- Long-term planning: Think several moves ahead, especially when positioning troops and building infrastructure.
