Become the new emperor of Rome in this strategic worker placement game set in 44 BC, Rome. Each turn, you will build structures in different provinces assigned to you through a rotating board. Balance war, politics, trade, and religion while scheming against your rival players.
In Age of Rome, each player is assigned a hero with their respective player board, then are given secret quests and starting resources of Denarii, Followers, Scheme tokens, Legions, and Votes. Then they spend nine rounds competing on a rotating board to earn Glory points.
Each round consists of four phases:
1) Scheme phase: An Event card is revealed and turn order is determined; players activate Schemes in turn order.
2) Building phase: Players build structures in turn order.
3) Action phase: Players take actions by placing Followers in turn order.
4) Income phase: Players receive Income and the Provinces board is adjusted.
Players can earn Glory points in various ways. They may build structures, place Followers to vote and win a majority, send Legions to conquer regions, trade or collect items, or even build a Pantheon. Completed secret quests also earn Glory points. After the 9th round, the game ends. The final score is determined and the player with the most Glory points is declared the new Emperor of Rome.
- half decent game
- interesting little Euro game
- event deck is problematic
- random effects benefit one player and hurt another
- short game with limited rounds to recover
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- it's not even a game it's just like a story
- why is it there this is the game about inventions and this is basically telling me to make cutesy patterns with tiles
- the bane of my freaking life this horrible game
- I just want to feel like right I can do this I can do this
- just design one good game one good game one good mode
- why can't I tell you
- they just made them a lot worse
- it's a red flag to the game is going to suck
References (from this video)
- Multiple buildings each offering a unique action and different ways to score Glory
- Rotating province board adds variability and strategic depth
- Scheme actions provide strategic choices to gain advantages and hinder opponents
- Coliseum interactions create decisive scoring opportunities
- Clear progression toward Glory points and a definitive win condition
- Modular board and event-driven changes promote replayability and planning adaptation
- Complex rules due to many building types and interactions
- Reliance on random event cards can shift strategy unpredictably
- Board rotation can complicate early planning and slow the pace in new play sessions
- Political strategy and empire-building focused on influence, infrastructure, and glory across a contested Roman landscape.
- Ancient Rome, partitioned into four rotating provinces (quadrants) with a central Coliseum motif that anchors scoring opportunities.
- historical simulation with modular board mechanics where control over provinces and buildings drives scoring.
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Area control / zone-based placement — Players place followers in the currently operable province to claim actions, activate buildings, and position for Glory point opportunities.
- Building actions — Five distinct building types each unlock a unique action and contribute to Glory scoring; choosing which buildings to develop creates divergent strategic paths.
- Construction and follower placement — Players construct new buildings and place followers on buildings or in the Coliseum to access actions and influence scoring.
- Glory point economy — Actions and buildings reward Glory points; accumulating Glory is the path to winning the game, with points tracked across rounds.
- Random event cards timing — Event cards drive round-to-round variability, shaping which provinces are active and which strategies are optimal in any given turn.
- Rotating board quadrants — Each round starts with a quadrants/board rotation dictated by a random event card, forcing players to adapt plans as the map's relevance shifts.
- Scheme actions — Special scheme actions offer short-term advantages and bonuses, and can also impede or disrupt opponents when deployed effectively.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- There are five different types of buildings, each offering a different action and a different way to score Glory points.
- Scheme actions to gain advantages and bonuses and impede their opponents.
- Quadrants rotate on every round as dictated by a random event card.
References (from this video)
- Stunning production quality
- Innovative rotating board mechanic
- Comprehensive setup and rule presentation in the video
- Political power, provincial management, empire-building
- Ancient Rome with rotating four-quadrant province board
- Historical/abstract
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Building levels and scoring — Construct level-based buildings in your Province, gaining Glory and population benefits.
- Follower placement and action selection — Players place followers on buildings or the Coliseum to perform actions and score Glory.
- Milestones and follower generation — Reach milestones to gain followers and unlock scoring opportunities.
- Region scoring and tie rules — Score Battle Regions based on legions and banners, with tie-breakers favoring medals.
- Resource management (dinari, trade cards, Pantheon) — Manage currency, trade cards, and Pantheon pieces to gain points via sets and foundations.
- Rotating board with provinces — A four-quadrant province board rotates each round according to event cards to determine where players act.
- Scheme actions and feud markers — Players execute aggressive scheme actions against opponents using markers and card effects.
- Voting and Senate column — Place votes to form majorities in the Senate, earning Glory with bonuses for medals.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- The game has a board depicting four Province quadron which rotates on every round as dictated by a random event card on every round
- The game uses a very Innovative mechanism of a rotating board which serves you the province in which you can operate during a round
- The rotating Province board will be rotating and players will be always operating in the province that is moved in their selected area of the main board
- The game is played over nine rounds