Carta Imperia: Rise of Rome
Carta Imperia: Rise of Rome Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
List of Components
- 11 Double Sided Map Tiles of the Roman Empire
- 6 sets of 5 Action Cards labelled I-V
- 1 Double Sided Primus / Emperor Tile
- 6 Sets of 8 Governor Bust Meeples
- 6 Campaign Standards
- 51 Double Sided Prestige Coins
- 20 Legions of Rome meeples (purple) and 20 Allied Legion meeples (the Legion meeple marked V = 5 Legions; the plain Legion meeple = 1)
- 1 Legions of Rome Card
- 3 Sacked Rome Markers
- 6 Double-Sided Thumb Tokens
- 1 Sand timer
- 1 Mules of Marius Tile
- 6 Start Cards
- 42 Draft Event Cards
- 14 Historical Event Cards
- 12 Legacy Cards (6 Major & 6 Minor)
- 12 Early Republic Combat/Omens Cards
- 12 Late Republic Combat Cards
- 3 Beware the Ides Cards
- 2 sets of 3 Court Case Cards
- 3 Double-sided Quick Ref Cards
- 1 Purple First Player Meeple
- 1 punchboard Reforms Table
- 1 Rule Book
- 1 Solo/2-Player Addendum
Introduction
You are the head of a leading 'Familia' in the Roman Republic using daggers & diplomacy to claw your way to the top and become the most prestigious family in Rome.
Play Actions to add Busts to your Familia, appoint them as Governors to Provinces you have conquered or stolen in an Election. Tax your Provinces for extra Legions, Governor Busts or Prestige. But be careful that those behind you don't stab you in the back!
The Familia with the most Prestige + Status + Emporia + Legacy Points at the end of the final Era wins the game.
If Rome is ever Sacked 3 times, Rome falls and everyone loses.
For a 'How to Play' video and comprehensive examples of play in both video and text formats, scan the QR code or go online to https://www.guntowergames.com/carta-egs. When you see the QR code, it means that there is an example online.
Dealmaking
At its heart, this is a game about dealmaking. Almost everything in this game is legitimate currency. You can sell your Dignitas, your Allied or Private Legions, your Governorships and Busts, control of your Reforms, your Draft Events Cards - you can make promises of future favours and sell your support in elections or military campaigns...
But just like real life, no deal in this game is binding. They are a matter of honour, and whether your word is your bond or not worth the breath you uttered it with is entirely up to you - just don't be surprised to find a dagger in your back if you break your word too often.
So you are encouraged to do deals as much and as imaginatively as you can. That's what this game is all about - the ever-shifting agreements and alliances that made up the realpolitik of the Roman Republic.
Remember: These components cannot be used for dealmaking: Legacy Cards, Auctoritas, Legions of Rome.
Optional Timer Rule
If you feel that dealmaking is slowing down the game, you can use the Sand Timer to speed things up. At any point during a negotiation, any Player can 'Call Time' by placing the timer on the table, signifying that they are ready to decide on whatever action is being negotiated.
Once you have Called Time, you cannot alter the deal you have offered in any way: it is frozen until the deal is made.
At this point, all other players have 30 seconds to agree on a deal before the Vote is called.
Setting Up the Game
Choose a Scenario to play from pages 29 - 31 of this Rulebook, or follow the Setup Procedure for the Full Game on Page 32.
For your first game, we recommend playing Scenario I: Rise of the Republic.
Events Draft
At the start of the game, Players are dealt a number of cards from the Draft Events Deck (4 for the Early Republic, 4 for the Late Republic and 7 for the Full Game).
Select 1 Event and pass the rest to the next player on your left. Do this as many times as the number of cards you start with.
These represent historical events or personalities that affected the Roman Republic at key moments in its history, which can be used to trip up your opponents or give you an advantage in the Era they specify.
Players can play any number of Draft Events at any time they are eligible, to alter the game in some way.
A player can also trade away any of their Draft Events in their dealmaking negotiations.
You cannot force another player to reveal their Events after they have been drafted.
Legacy Cards
At the start of the game, Players are dealt 2 cards from the Legacy Deck: 1 Major Legacy and 1 Minor Legacy.
These are kept secret from other players until the end of the game. They mark what your Familia is striving to be remembered for in history and will score extra Prestige at the end of the game if you achieve the card's conditions.
You can score only 1 of your Legacy Cards at the end of the game, so choose wisely!
Primus Inter Pares
The Primus Inter Pares is 'First Among Equals' in the Roman Republic - the most influential politician in Rome.
It is awarded to whoever has most Prestige at the end of the Era, along with the Purple Meeple First Player Marker.
This makes them First Player in the Era and they get to choose who breaks ties, unless a rule or a card states otherwise.
The Primus also decides which way round the table play progresses this Era. Place the Primus Card to the left or right of your play area to denote this.
This is known as Primus Order.
Primus Inter Pares card text: "Give this card to the player with most Prestige at the end of the Era. This makes you First Player and enables you to choose who breaks ties when the game does not specify. The Primus decides which way play goes round the table."
Prestige
Prestige is both the currency and the Victory Points of the game. It comes in 2 forms: Dignitas & Auctoritas.
Dignitas is ephemeral: it is won & lost by dealmaking, lawsuits and conquering or taxing territory. 1x Dignitas = 1x Prestige.
Auctoritas is more permanent. It is gained through Taxation in the eXploit Phase, by using Emporia to convert Dignitas into Auctoritas during the eXec Phase, by enacting popular Reforms or by engaging in high-risk political actions.
Auctoritas accrues a higher Prestige value the more of it you have.
1x Auctoritas = 1 Prestige; 2x Auctoritas = 3 Prestige.
The large number on the Auctoritas coin shows the total Prestige value of the coin. The small number in the disc at the base of the wreath shows the amount of Auctoritas it represents.
When instructed to lose or spend 'Prestige', you can choose whether to pay it in Dignitas, Auctoritas, or a mixture of the two. However, when told to spend 'Dignitas' or 'Auctoritas', you must use only the currency specified.
Converting Dignitas into Auctoritas
When you convert Dignitas into Auctoritas, flip the silver-sided coin to its golden purple-wreathed Auctoritas side.
If you have more than one Auctoritas you should swap two 1x Auctoritas coins for a 2x Auctoritas coin to help keep track of your actual Prestige total.
Sequence of Play
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Place new Map Tiles & draw cards from the Historical Event Deck until an Event with the current Era number (Era #) is drawn.
Add a number of purple Legions to the Legions of Rome equal to the current Era #. (Example: In Era 4, add 4 Legions)
In the solo or two player 'Dealmaking' variant: Each NPC Senator Consults the Omens to determine their Inheritance.
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All Players secretly choose Actions:
- In a 1-4 player game, each player chooses 2 Actions.
- In a 5-6 player game, each player chooses 1 Action each.
In the solo or two player 'Dealmaking' variant: Each NPC Senator randomly chooses 2 Action Cards.
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Actions are revealed & played out, one by one, in Order of Action #.
Starting with the eXploit action, any players who chose this action simultaneously reveal their eXploit card and resolve its effects. Continue this through each of the Action cards as follows:
eXploit -> eXec -> eXtort -> eXpand -> eXtra-Legal (Era VI & VII only)
Do not reveal the next Action Card until all previous Cards have been resolved. Skip any action steps if no corresponding cards were played. (Example: If no player plays an eXec card, skip that step.)
Certain Action Cards allow All Players to resolve an action, despite not playing the card themselves.
The term 'Card Player(s)' refers only to those who have chosen the Action Card that is currently being resolved.
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Compare Prestige, to determine who is 'Primus inter Pares' next Era.
The Player(s) in last place each receive 1 Dignitas.
Historical Events
At the start of each Era, draw cards one at a time from the Historical Events Deck until you draw a card with that Era's number on it. Then immediately apply the effects stated on the Event Card drawn to the Map.
Reshuffle all cards with Era numbers that have not yet happened back into the Deck at the start of each Era.
Once an Era has passed, discard all revealed cards with Era numbers less than the current Era when drawn (unless playing the 'Challenging Game', see below).
Rebellions
If a Province 'Rebels', lie its Governor Bust on its side to show that the province cannot be taxed in the eXploit phase - but it can still be subject to an election in the eXec phase.
The exception to this is Era II, when the Etruscans or Samnites can rebel without preventing Taxation.
If the rebellion is not defeated by the end of the current Era, return the Governor to their Familia's Reserve and the Region must now be reconquered.
If Rome's Italian Allies rebel during the Social War in Era VI, count ALL Shields, including any Legionary Shield drawn from the Combat Deck as + Strength to the Rebels, NOT to Rome!
Challenging Game
For a more challenging game: Add the Era I 'Battle of Lake Regillus' card to the deck. Keep drawing Historical Event cards until you have revealed 2 cards with an Era number that match the current or previous Era. Play both of these cards.
Map Tiles
The Map Tiles form a map of the Mediterranean, which slowly builds up through each Era played in the game.
At the start of each Era, draw all Map Tiles bearing the current Era # from the deck and place them where indicated on the table (or Scrollmap if you have one).
The borders of each Map Tile are colour-coded to indicate which tile they should be laid against. Also note that Tile VIIb: Cyrenaica slightly overlays Card IV: Carthage/Africa Proconsularis, altering its configuration.
Keep drawing tiles until one with a different Era # is drawn - place this face up on top of the Map Tile deck for next time.
Emporia & Auctoritas
An Emporium is a large trading metropolis which enables the Familiae of Rome to convert their hard-won Dignitas into more secure Auctoritas. They appear on various Map Tiles.
When anyone plays the eXec Action, all Players can convert 1 Dignitas into 1 Auctoritas for each friendly Emporium on the map.
An Emporium is 'friendly' if it is either in a neutral area (coloured as shown on the map) or is Governed by a Bust of your colour.
Rome is always a neutral Emporium, friendly to and controlled by all players.
In Era IV, Massilia appears as a neutral Emporium on the Era IV Map Tile. It remains a neutral Emporium accessible to all Players until this Map Tile is Romanised, when it comes under the control of the Governor of Hispania.
Regional Icons
The Icons on the Map Tiles represent troops defending each Region.
Shields form the garrison of each region. The number of Shields = the region's Combat Strength.
They also determine what resources can be Taxed from it as a Province.
Shield types: Roman Legions, Phalanx, Barbarians, Auxilia.
The Icons below only take effect when a General is marching on campaign against a region with any of these icons. (See p.20 & 21)
Naval Ports (see Naval Supremacy p.20): These icons either allow your Legions to march across seas or doubles the defence of an invaded region if you don't have access to a friendly Naval Port. (They also play a role in Civil Wars p.27)
If the target region for a campaign contains an icon for Elephants or Cataphracts, make a Thumb Flip before drawing a combat card (see p.21).
- Elephants: Thumb up: -2 from Region's Strength. Thumb down: You lose 2 Legions.
- Cataphracts: Thumb up: No change to strength. Thumb down: +4 to Region's Strength.
Neutral Territory
Mountains, Desert and Regions coloured beige are Neutral Territory which is too poor to be conquered.
If the Region contains Barbarians it can still be invaded for the Dignitas of military glory, but the Barbarians remain in place and cannot be eradicated.
Rome
Rome is a shared Region in Italy friendly to all Roman Players. It cannot be controlled by a Governor, except in a Civil War.
It contains a neutral Emporium which belongs to all Roman Players and can be used freely by all of them. When Italy is Romanised, Rome becomes part of the Province of Italia, but its emporium still remains neutral to all Romans.
Every time 'Rome is Sacked' as the result of an Historical Event, place a 'Sacked' Marker on the Army of Rome. All Players lose 1 Auctoritas. If you do not have any Auctoritas, lose 1 Dignitas.
Sacking represents an embarrassing defeat which threatens to destabilise the status quo of Rome. It does not necessarily mean that the city has been ransacked by its enemies.
If Rome is Sacked 3 times, the Roman Republic collapses and everyone loses the game!
Action Cards
After new Map Tiles are laid & the Era's Historical Event is drawn, Players secretly select what Actions to play this Era.
In a game with 1-4 players each player selects 2 Action Cards to play. In a 5 or 6 player game each player selects 1 Action Card to play.
Once all Players have chosen their Action Cards, reveal each Action in numerical order, one at a time. That Action is played out in full by all players before the next Action is revealed.
Some Actions have an All Players section, which can be done by every Player when that Action is revealed.
If order of play is important, play of each card starts with the Primus, and continues round the table in Primus Order. Otherwise, players can carry out the Action simultaneously.
Order of Actions
I. eXploit
- Governors can Romanise conquered Map Tiles.
- All Players can Tax 1 Province.
- Card Players can Tax up to 3 Provinces.
II. eXec
- All Players can Adopt new Governor Busts, Convert Dignitas into Auctoritas or Enact a Reform.
- Card Players can do 2 of these Actions once each.
Then each Card Player MUST Nominate a Province for re-election, if one is available.
III. eXtort
- The Card Player can Prosecute or Impeach another player. Only 1 Prosecute or Impeach attempt can be carried out on the same target player each Era. (Example: If Player 1 Prosecutes player 2, then Player 3 cannot Prosecute or Impeach Player 2).
- The Primus can 'Beware the Ides' to protect himself against Impeachment or Assassination, but this does not protect him from Prosecution.
IV. eXpand
- In reverse order of Prestige, appoint Generals & share out the Legions of Rome.
- Each General can march on Campaign twice during the eXpand Phase, and each places their Campaign Standard one campaign at a time.
V. eXtra-Legal (Era VI onwards)
- The Primus can declare himself Emperor.
- Card Players can Cross the Rubicon to start a Civil War, or engage in Mob Rule to take down a rival's Prestige or attempt to Assassinate the Primus.
I. eXploit
The eXploit Action lets you Tax Provinces containing your Governors for resources. If Rome has conquered all the Provinces on a Map Tile, it can also Romanise that Map Tile to make its provinces more lucrative.
Taxation
*eXploit card text: "Then all Players TAX provinces. Card Players can Tax 3 provinces. All other Players Tax 1 province.
- 1 Roman Legion shield converts to 1 Legion
- 2 Barbarian shields convert to 1 Allied Legion
- 2 Phalanx shields convert to 1 Allied Legion or 1 Governor Bust
- 2 Auxilia shields convert to 1 Allied Legion or 1 Auctoritas or 1 Governor Bust (Round up)"*
You can Tax a Province containing your Governor Bust for Allied Legions, Auctoritas or extra Governor Busts, based on the conversion rate given on the eXploit Action card.
If you played eXploit, you can Tax up to 3 Provinces. If you did not play eXploit, you can only Tax 1 province.
Romanisation
eXploit card text: "Card Players can Romanise. Cost: 1 Prestige per player playing this card (max cost = 3 Prestige). Flip over any 1 fully conquered card containing a region you control & place its Governors back on their province. If a province now has multiple Governors, they are expelled in favour of the Governor of your choice & their owners gain 1 Auctoritas per Governor returned to their reserve."
At the start of the eXploit Phase, players of the eXploit Action can pay to Romanise any Map Tile where all the Regions on the card are controlled by Roman Governors. This makes its provinces more lucrative to Tax and increases its endgame VP Status.
You do not have to conquer Sardinia to Romanise the Era I Map Tile.
When a Map Tile is 'Romanised', flip it onto its purple side and place all Governor Busts onto the area they previously occupied.
If there is more than 1 Governor in the newly revealed Province, the player who Romanised the card decides who becomes the new Governor. Any other Busts displaced by this action gain 1 Auctoritas in compensation.
You are encouraged to do deals to decide who goes & who stays!
II. eXec
The eXec Card contains a series of Executive Actions that enable you to build a game engine for your Familia. Then every player of the eXec Action must nominate a Province for re-election, which opens up a space for political horse-trading as the most lucrative Provinces have a chance to change hands.
All Players each have the opportunity to do one Executive Action. Card Players can do 2, but cannot perform the same Action twice.
eXec card text: "All Players can either: Convert 1 Dignitas into 1 Auctoritas per Emporium you have access to, OR Pay 1 Prestige per Bust you already have in play to Adopt another Bust into your Familia, OR Enact a Reform. Card Players can do 2 of these."
Converting Auctoritas
You can Convert 1 Dignitas into 1 Auctoritas for every friendly Emporium on the Map (see Emporia & Auctoritas p.10).
Flip the Dignitas coin to its purple-wreathed Auctoritas side and exchange them for higher denomination coins to keep track of your Prestige (see Prestige p.7).
Adopting New Governors
You can Adopt a new Governor Bust into your Familia by paying 1 Prestige for every Governor Bust you currently have on the board or in your Reserve. (eg. if you start the game with a Governor in Etruria and 2 Busts in your Reserve, it will cost you 3 Prestige to Adopt a new Governor Bust).
Take a new Governor Bust from your Stock and place it into your Reserve. Governors in your Reserve are available to be deployed onto the Map. Governors in your Stock must be Adopted or recruited through Taxation to place them into your Reserve.
Whenever you are instructed to 'Place' or 'Lose' a Bust, take a Bust & place it where instructed (Into your Stock if told to 'Lose' it).
If you do not have a Bust in your Reserve when 'Placing', you can take a Bust from any Province you control & move it to the new Province instead. The Province you abandoned immediately rebels, declaring its independence, and must be reconquered, unless the Province has been Romanised, at which point it is left empty until the next Governorship Election is triggered, when it must be the first Province nominated for election.
Reforms
Reforms are the Tech Tree of Carta Imperia: Rise of Rome. Once unlocked, they can be used by every player, but grant additional kudos to the Familia which Enacted the Reform.
Reforms are presented on the Reform Tablet in 3 separate rows: Military Reforms, Administrative Reforms and Political Reforms. You must Enact the leftmost available Reform in any row by paying the cost at the top of its column, before you can Enact the next Reform in the row.
Place a Bust of your colour, from your Reserve onto the Reform you have Enacted to record that your Familia was responsible for the Reform. If you do not have a spare Bust in your Reserve, you cannot Enact a Reform.
Once a Reform has been Enacted, anyone can use it by paying 1 Auctoritas to the Enactor's Familia. The Enactor of the Reform can use it for free (though must still pay the Dignitas cost of the Lex Sacrata in later Eras).
Each Player can only use each available Reform once per Era.
If there is a dispute about the order of who uses the Reform, it is decided in Primus Order.
(Note: the Reform Tablet itself, with each Reform's cost and effect, is a separate punchboard component; the rulebook shows it only as a thumbnail image whose text is not legible.)
Reform Clarifications
Pilum & Professional Army: You must pay to use these Reforms before flipping a Combat Card on Campaign.
Manipular Formation: You can wait until you have seen the results of the Combat Card before using this Reform.
Aedile: A thumbs-up result gives the Aedile 5 Dignitas & the Dignitas that they spent on the Games is refunded to them.
Lex Sacrata: Using this Reform once it's Enacted is free in Era II (Era #2-2=0). Only one Candidate can use the power of Veto in each individual Election, decided in Primus Order. Once the Election has been Vetoed, it cannot be Vetoed again.
Lex Hortensia: Only one Candidate can exploit the Plebeian Assembly in each individual Election, decided in Primus Order.
Lex Plautia Papiria: If this law is enacted before the Social War card is drawn, its enactor gains 6 Auctoritas for preventing the Social War if the Event is drawn. If it is Enacted after the Social War has been drawn, its Enactor gains half the Auctoritas (rounded down) for retrospectively addressing the grievances of Rome's allied 'Citizens without the Vote' after the war.
Elections
After all players have taken their action(s), each eXec Card Player MUST spend 1 Prestige to Nominate a Province for Election.
Throughout this entire process, Players are encouraged to talk to each other and negotiate deals to gain political advantage. This dealmaking is completely freeform and has no formal structure (other than the optional Timer Rule). You can make as many offers as you like to as many people as you like, and can chop and change that offer as you roll with the circumstances (this can even involve bribing someone [not] to Nominate a specific Province). You should only conduct the Election after all deals have been done, or the Timer has been invoked.
In Primus Order, follow these steps for each Election:
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Nominate a Province containing a Governor for re-Election:
- You cannot Nominate a Province that has already been Nominated this Era.
- If a player has 0 Prestige, they must still Nominate a Province at zero cost.
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In Primus Order, each player can opt to place a Governor from their Reserve into the contested Province to stand for election.
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Each Player declares how many votes they have and can do deals for support from other Players: Your Prestige = your votes from your Clients. Prestige is 'counted' but not 'spent'. Ie. The votes you cast are not lost to you, but are simply tallied up.
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In Primus Order, each player can opt to place their Standard onto the Lex Hortensia, if Enacted. This is first come: first served. Once the Reform has been used in this election, it cannot be used again until the next election is triggered.
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Conduct the Election: a. Each player votes for a candidate: you do not have to vote for your own candidate and you can abstain. You cannot split your votes. b. Count up the votes. c. Play any Event Cards that would affect the Vote. d. In Primus Order, each loser of the Election has the option to move their Standard to the Lex Sacrata if it's been Enacted. This enables them to Veto the result. e. If the result is Vetoed, the winner of the election is removed and the remaining candidates repeat Step 5 in a new Election but the Lex Sacrata cannot be activated again in this new Election.
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Finally, the candidate with most votes is installed as Governor.
III. eXtort
The eXtort Action allows you to bring a Law Suit against a rival Familia.
You can Prosecute someone to steal their Dignitas; Impeach the Primus to reduce their Auctoritas; and the Primus can protect themselves against Impeachment or Assassination by declaring Beware the Ides.
In all cases, the premise of this game is that a case will rarely go to court. The Defendant is strongly encouraged to do a deal with their Prosecutor or other players to head the case off at the pass. After all, it is better to bribe people with some Dignitas than to lose even more Prestige if you lose the case. Make a deal - it's the Roman way.
In all cases, if you go to court or do a deal to settle out of court, that ends the Litigator's eXtort Action and the Defendant can neither be Prosecuted nor Impeached again during this eXtort Phase.
Prosecute
Prosecution is a civil case in which the Prosecutor is trying to steal Dignitas from the Defendant. If the case goes to court, you play out a game of Rock/Paper/Scissors using the Court Cards, in which ties are weighted a certain way depending on which card was played.
Court Cards: Bribery beats Evidence (Defendant wins ties if 2 Bribery cards are played). Evidence beats Oratory (Prosecutor wins ties if 2 Evidence cards are played). Oratory beats Bribery (Prosecutor wins ties if 2 Oratory cards are played).
If the Prosecutor wins: They steal Dignitas from the Defendant equal to the Era #.
If the Defendant wins: The Prosecutor loses 1 Dignitas.
All Dignitas losses are doubled in a game that ends in Era IV.
Impeach
Impeachment is a judicial process designed to reduce the Auctoritas of an overmighty Primus (or any overmighty Player if the Quaestor Reform is invoked). If it goes to court, the Senate convenes to try a case against the Primus, in which each Player (including the Primus) gets 1 vote.
Place your Thumb Token in the palm of your hand, either showing the thumbs down side to Impeach the Primus, or thumbs up to Acquit the Primus.
- Thumbs Down: Impeach the Primus! They have too much Auctoritas and smell funny!
- Thumbs Up: Protect the Primus! They paid me to say this!
Once a player has decided their vote, they close their fist over the token and hold it out with their thumb sticking out horizontally. When everyone has done this, all players make the gesture that matches their vote, (Thumbs up or down) and then opens their palm to confirm the way they voted.
If the majority vote Thumbs Down: the Primus is Impeached and loses the Era # in Auctoritas. The successful Impeacher (The player of the Action Card) gains 1 Dignitas per Thumbs Down vote cast (doubled if ending in Era IV).
Beware the Ides
If the Primus suspects they may be Impeached or Assassinated this Era, they can play the eXtort Action Card to Beware the Ides.
This costs them 1 Prestige for every eXtort Action played in the current Era and prevents them from being Impeached. It also also reduces their chances of Assassination.
Beware the Ides does not protect the Primus from being Prosecuted.
IV. eXpand
During the eXpand Phase, Rome's Generals invade neighbouring regions to conquer them for Rome. This is the most common way for Roman politicians to earn Dignitas through military glory and gain new territory to Govern, but it comes with some risk.
The eXpand Phase is played out in reverse order of Prestige, with the least Prestigious Player going first. In a tie, the Primus decides who goes first.
Each player who plays the eXpand Action becomes a General of Rome and gets to place 2 Campaign Standards which play out as follows:
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Generals share out Legions from the Legions of Rome card: a. In reverse order of Prestige, deal out Rome's Legions to each General one at a time. b. Players can now offer any Allied Legions under their control to any General (including their own). They are encouraged to do deals in return for their Legions (eg. "I'll give you 1 Legion for 1 Dignitas"). Generals cannot trade away the Legions of Rome.
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March on Campaign a. Each General has the chance to place 2 Campaign Standards during the Campaign Phase. In Reverse Order, each General places a Campaign Standard on the Region or Historical Event Card they plan to invade.
- Generals cannot invade Neutral or Roman territory. They can only invade Regions/Cards that contain foreign Shields.
- Generals can opt not to place their Standard, except against Historical Event Cards that force a placement choice (eg. Brennus or Hannibal). The FIRST Campaign Standard must be placed on this card, unless it can be placed in Rome (where it takes no part in the campaign). If playing the 'Challenging' game and 2 of these cards are drawn, each General decides which card to place his first Standard on. For more information on Hannibal see p.30.
- Generals who opt not to place their Standard lose 1 Dignitas for dereliction of duty.
- AFTER the first Campaign Season has been fully played out, Generals with surviving Legions can place their Standard a second time. This is done in the same order as the first Campaign, even if the Generals' Prestige values have altered.
- Generals with no Legions remaining under their command cannot place a Standard. b. Generals can only invade a region that is adjacent to Roman territory, unless they have access to a Naval Icon (see Naval Supremacy below). Generals can invade a land region that lies beyond this (like Lusitani in Era IV), but the invasion will only take place if the region they have to pass through is defeated earlier in the Era (eg. To invade Lusitani, Carthago Nova must be defeated by an earlier Standard). If the intervening Region is not defeated, the invasion is cancelled with no loss of Dignitas. c. Generals can invade the same Region & will combine forces if they do so. The first General to place their Standard becomes the Commanding General. As ever, you are encouraged to do deals with one another to get the forces you need to succeed. However, if you do not strike a deal, the Spoils of War will be shared out evenly as described on p.21.
Naval Supremacy
If the target Province of an invasion has a Naval Icon, it does not have to be adjacent to be invaded, but its defence is doubled unless the invading General's Familia either has a Governor in an area containing a Naval Icon or can trace an overland route to the Region via Roman or Neutral territory.
Players are encouraged to do deals for access to their Naval Icons (eg. "I'll let you use my Navy if you give me half your Dignitas from the campaign.")
If Italia has been Romanised and the General has no other access to a naval icon, the Foreign Power's Naval Defence is not doubled. Instead Rome invades with -1 Strength (Rome's inherent navy in the early Eras of this game was significantly weaker than its neighbours and it relied heavily on allied fleets for support).
How to Fight a Campaign
To successfully invade a Region, the General(s) must at least equal the Strength of the Region:
- The Strength of a Region is the number of Shield icons in the Region.
- The Strength of a Roman General is the number of Legions under their command. The General must commit all of their Legions, unless they play a Tactical Reserve card which lets them hold some of their White Legions back.
- Draw 1 Combat Card from the Early Republic Deck in Eras II-IV and the Late Republic Deck in Eras V-VII: If it contains an Icon that matches the shield(s) on the Region (or Historical Event Card), add it to the Defending force. If it contains a Legionary shield, add 1 Strength to Rome unless an Historical Event Card tells you not to.
- Generals can play relevant Event Cards to aid themselves. Note that any type of 'Great General' +(Legionary shield) card can be played after the Combat Card is drawn to alter the result and adds temporary Strength to Rome's army, it does not add physical Legions.
- Elephants & Cataphracts randomly affect the result and are calculated before the Combat Card is drawn (see p.11).
If you fail to equal the Region's Shields: The invasion fails - all casualties are doubled and all defeated Generals make a Thumb Flip. If their flip results in a 'thumbs down' then that Player loses a Governor Bust as their General is killed in battle.
If you equal the Region's Shields: The invasion succeeds - Gain the Spoils of War (see below) but take casualties as if it had failed.
If you exceed the Region's Shields: the Invasion succeeds - Gain the Spoils of War.
The Spoils of War
Install a Governor: When Rome wins a Campaign, the Commanding General has first option to Place a Governor Bust from their Reserve into the defeated Province and take control of it. If they do not, the next General involved in the battle may place the Governor and so on.
If no-one takes control, the Region is defeated but unconquered and remains hostile to Rome. Players can do a deal to install the Governor of a Player who did not take part in the campaign, in order to conquer it for Rome.
Gain Dignitas: All Generals on a victorious Campaign share out 1 Dignitas per defeated Shield Icon on both the Map & ALL cards that match the Map or Historical Event card. Unless a deal was made, this is shared out one at a time, starting with the first General who did not install the Governor and cycling through all involved, in reverse order of Prestige.
If a deal was made any Dignitas agreed must be taken only from the portion allocated to the Generals involved in the deal, not the full Dignitas reward.
Casualties
By default, an invading Roman army automatically loses 1 Legion. In addition look at the Combat Card that was drawn:
- If its shield icon matches the icon(s) on the invaded Region (or associated Historical Event card), lose +1 Legion per matching shield.
- If the shield icon is Roman (Legionary), lose +1 Legion for winning with brute force.
- All losses are doubled if the Campaign fails!
The Commanding General decides who loses Legions, but the General(s) they nominate decides which Legions to lose. If you lost the Campaign, all Generals involved flip a Thumb Token to see if they are killed in the rout (lose 1 Governor Bust). All lost Legions are returned to the supply.
Ending the Campaign
At the end of each Era, ALL surviving Allied Legions go home to their Provinces and are returned to the supply.
All surviving Purple Legions are returned to the Army of Rome card.
When the Mules of Marius come into play in Era VI, Allied Legions become Private Legions, which can be retained by their Generals at the end of the Era by paying 1 Auctoritas to keep all of their Private Legions in service. This is also true of any Legions purchased using the Professional Army Reform in any Era (place them on your Start Card to separate them from Allied Legions).
The 2 Private Legions on the Gens Claudii Start Card can be freely retained by their owning Player throughout the whole game, as long as they are not lost as casualties on Campaign (when they are lost permanently).
V. eXtra-Legal
In Era VI, the Mules of Marius is a global Reform that gives each Player a new card: the eXtra-Legal Action.
This fundamentally changes the nature of Rome's internal power struggles, enabling the Primus to declare himself Emperor, but exposing him to Assassination and Civil War, as rampaging Mobs of political supporters fight battles on the streets of Rome.
eXtra-Legal card text: "Either: Imperator - Primus only: Declare yourself Emperor (see rules p.23). Or: Mob Rule - Use your Dignitas to attack another Familia's Prestige (see rules p.23). Or: Cross the Rubicon - Pay 1 Prestige to declare War on Rome. This triggers a Civil War campaign which is played out at the end of the Era (see rules p.25). Or: Assassinate - Foment a plot to Assassinate the Primus/Emperor (see rules p.24)."
Imperator
From Era VI onwards, the Primus can play the eXtra-Legal card to declare themselves Emperor.
They must be the Primus and must play the eXtra-Legal card to take the Imperator Action - They cannot declare themselves Emperor if they have not personally played Imperator this Era or if someone else is the Primus.
When the Primus declares themselves Emperor, they take the Primus Inter Pares card and flip it to its Emperor side. From then on, they remain Primus even if they have less Prestige than other players, and will remain Emperor until they are deposed and killed either by Assassination or Civil War.
Emperor card text: "Flip the Primus card to this side when you declare yourself Emperor. The Emperor retains all the privileges of the Primus. If you are Emperor at the end of the game, gain +5 Status. If you Govern Rome as Emperor gain an additional +5 Status."
Whoever is Emperor at the end of the game earns +5 Status as endgame VPs. If the Emperor's Familia also controls the Governorship of Italia (i.e. Rome), they gain an additional +5 Status.
Mob Rule
Mob Rule turns your Dignitas into armed mobs of supporters rampaging through the streets of Rome, engaging in street fights with rival gangs to reduce your rivals' influence through political violence.
The player of the Action is the Attacker and nominates a rival Familia to send their Mob against. Both sides secretly choose an amount of Dignitas to commit to the street fight: this is their Mob's Strength and cannot be more than the Era #.
The Attacker draws 1 Early Republic Combat Card for each Dignitas in their Mob and resolves the following effects:
- Barbarian shield: Defender loses Dignitas = the number of Barbarian shields drawn.
- Phalanx shield: Attacker loses Dignitas = the number of Phalanx shields drawn.
- Legionary shield: The Mob with the least Strength loses 1 Auctoritas. Attacker wins ties.
If your Mob doesn't have enough Dignitas to take all your losses, the remaining casualties must be taken in Auctoritas. If you lose any amount of Auctoritas, flip a Thumb Token: thumbs down = Lose a Bust. Any excess losses are void.
Assassinate
An Assassination attempt can only be made from Era VI onwards and can only be declared against the Primus or Emperor.
To declare an Assassination attempt, play the eXtra-Legal Action and call for support from other Players. Now all Players secretly declare their support (or otherwise) by holding their Thumb Marker out in their fist, then revealing it on their palm to either look on with interest (thumbs up) or join the plot (thumbs down).
Now draw a 'Beware the Ides' card. This tells you how many 'Thumb Flips' must be made by each of the Plotters to make the Assassination attempt. This is determined by the number of Plotters, as specified on the 'Beware the Ides' card. The Ringleader is the one who declared the Assassination attempt:
Each Plotter now flips a Thumb Token the number times specified on the card.
(Example Beware the Ides card, as legible: "1 Plotter flips 3 coins; 2 Plotters each flip 2; 3+ Plotters flip 1 coin & the Ringleader flips 2. ... The Ringleader becomes Primus. Price of Failure: Civil War". Cards vary; follow the card drawn.)
If the Target declared the 'Beware the Ides' action during the eXtort Phase, convert 1 'thumbs down' from the total into a 'thumbs up'.
The attempt succeeds if the total number of 'thumbs down' flipped equals or exceeds the Target Number on the card.
The Assassination Target loses 1 Bust, along with Auctoritas equal to the Era #. If the target has a Governor in Rome, they must lose that Bust and replace it with a Bust from the Ringleader, otherwise the target chooses which bust to lose.
If the attempt fails, the Plotters must pay the 'Price of Failure' as detailed on the 'Beware the Ides' card.
The attempt may also trigger other consequences which are detailed at the bottom of the card.
As with all other Actions in this game, the protagonists are encouraged to talk to the potential plotters and offer them deals to either join the plot or abandon it at the crucial moment. Players can be turned either way right up to the point at which any Player makes a Thumb Flip. At that point, they are committed.
Cross the Rubicon
In Eras VI & VII, Roman politicians can Cross the Rubicon by playing the eXtra-Legal Action and declaring war on Rome. This triggers an additional phase at the end of the Era, in which Rome's leading Families must choose sides in the upcoming Civil War, described below.
Civil War
The Civil War is fought out at the end of the Era in which it was declared, after all foreign campaigns have been conducted.
During a Civil War, competing Families:
- Raise their Standard, Appoint a General & declare for a Faction.
- Raise Armies.
- March on Campaign & Fight Battles.
Raising the Standard
Starting with the most prestigious player who Crossed the Rubicon, each Roman Familia may opt to place a Standard onto one of the Provinces containing a Governor Bust of its colour. This is where it 'Raises its Standard'.
If you have a Roman General Event Card, you may play it now to increase the Generalship of your army (see below).
If a Familia does not have any Governors but played eXpand during the Era, it can Raise its Standard in the Region where its General last campaigned, but can not raise any extra Legions from it (see Raising an Army).
At this point, players can declare alliances with one another and form a 'Faction'. They must agree between themselves which Player is the Faction Leader. Each Familia in the Faction Raises its Standard in a separate Province.
If a Familia does not control any Generals or Governors, it cannot Raise its Standard and does not take part in the Civil War.
Generalship
Civil War armies have a 'Generalship' of 0, but certain Event Cards can increase their Generalship by up to 4.
Each Familia can place 1 General in command of its army. You must play this card when Raising your Standard.
(Example Event card: Era VII Caesar - Cost: 1 Auctoritas - Add +4 (Legionary shield) to your Army in any campaign in Gaul or Civil War campaign this Era.)
Raising an Army
Anyone who played eXpand this Era retains control of any Legions of Rome that survived the Campaign Phase under their command. To these, they add any Private Legions under their control along with the strength of any Reforms or Event Cards they play.
Add a number of Legions equal to the Shield Icons in the Province where they 'Raised their Standard'.
- If these are Auxilia (red) shields: add Private Legions; if they are Roman Legion (purple) shields, add Legions of Rome to your Army.
- If these are Barbarian (blue) or Phalanx shields, add half their number as Private Legions (round up).
- If the Province has Elephants or Cataphracts, you can opt to make a Thumb Flip to add/subtract their Strength in any battle they fight (players are not required to do this if they'd rather not take the risk).
Campaigns and Battles
To win a Civil War, Players must defeat the Primus or (if the Primus was not engaged in battle) control Rome by installing a Governor into Italia.
During the war, each Player gets to make one single Campaign Move. In this Move, they can opt either to March or Fortify.
Starting with the Army that has the fewest Legions and going up in order of Army size, the Army's commander Declares whether they are Marching to Combine their forces with an allied Army or Province in the same Faction, Marching to Engage an enemy Faction's Province or forces, or Fortifying their current position. This Order of March is recalculated every time 2 Armies combine and any Player in that Army who has not yet made a move can opt to Move the combined force on their turn, but each Player only gets one single Campaign Move in the war.
As always, Players' decisions can be affected by dealmaking. You can make an offer to a rival (or ally) at any point during the process, and Players can switch Factions at any point before a Combat Card is drawn in Battle.
Marching on Campaign
When Marching, trace the most direct available route between the Marching Army and its target:
- If this intersects with a region containing an enemy Standard, the enemy has the option of Intercepting the marching Army and engaging it in Battle.
- If it crosses the sea, the Army is vulnerable to Naval Interception (see Battle).
Fortify
A Player who opts to Fortify their current position lays their Standard on its side to signify that they are not moving and can add +3 Strength to their Army in any Battle fought in the territory they have fortified.
This bonus is lost if their Army moves out of the fortified Region. It is not lost if reinforced by forces moving into the Region.
Battle
In a Civil War, a Battle is fought any time a Marching Army is Intercepted or Engages an enemy Province or Standard.
The Marching Army is always the Attacker. Its opponent is always the Defender, regardless of whether it Intercepted the Marching Army or not.
If the Attacker came overseas, before calculating the Battle Strength of each force, compare the total number of Naval Icons that each Faction controls on the entire map: If the Defender's Navy outnumbers the Attacker's, subtract the difference from the Attacker's Strength as Naval Interception. Rome's Navy = 1 Icon.
Both Armies count up their Battle Strength:
- Legions of Rome = Strength 2; Private Legions = Strength 1.
- The Attacking Army subtracts Naval Interception from its total, if relevant.
- A Defending Province without an Army Standard protecting it has 1 Strength for every shield in the Province but this Strength is halved (rounded down) if it is not Romanised.
- Add the Generalship of ALL Generals involved in the Battle to the Strength of their army.
Each Army in a battle draws a Late Republic Combat Card and adds any Shields drawn to its Strength, regardless of their colour:
- If the Card says 'Barbarians': add the Generalship of its Commander to the Army's Strength again.
- If the Card says 'Military Disaster': double the Strength of the enemy Army.
The Faction Leader Commands the Army in battle: if they are not present, give Command to the most prestigious General present. This General gets a number of Redraws equal to their Generalship and must either accept the result of the Redraw or draw again if they have any Redraws left. If they redraw a 'Barbarians' or 'Military Disaster', count this as a Military Disaster (as seen above) and they cannot redraw any further.
The Army with the highest Strength wins the Battle (Attacker wins ties):
- The winner of the battle loses a number of Legions equal to the Shields drawn by the loser, and can replace the Governor of a defeated Province with one from their Faction. If they defeated the Primus, their Faction Leader instantly becomes the new Primus, even if he was not Commanding the battle. If the Army was Intercepted, it can now complete its Move.
- The loser loses a number of Legions equal to the difference in Strength of the 2 Armies + the Shields drawn by the Winner. In addition, each General in the defeated Army makes a Thumb Flip: thumbs down = lose a Governor Bust & 1 Auctoritas. If any Legions survive, its Standard(s) retreat to the nearest friendly Province if it has one, otherwise it surrenders and is removed from the war (this does not destroy its remaining Legions).
Winning the War
The winner of the last Battle involving the Primus wins the war! If the Primus did not fight any battles, the Governor in control of Rome wins.
The victorious Faction Leader becomes Primus at the end of the war and can opt to declare himself Emperor. If the victorious Faction Leader was killed in Battle: award the Primus to the most prestigious Familia in the game but they cannot declare themselves Emperor.
The losers of the Civil War lose Dignitas equal to the casualties they lost in the war. If they do not have enough, they must lose the remainder in Auctoritas.
Game End & Victory
Each Scenario of the game sets an Era to play to. At the end of that Era, the Familia with the most Prestige + Status + Legacy Points wins the game. Remember you only score 1 of your Legacy cards.
- 1 Dignitas / Auctoritas = 1 Prestige; every 2 Auctoritas = 3 Prestige.
- A Governor gains 1 Status per Shield in a Un-Romanised Province. A Governor gains 2 Status per Shield in a Romanised Province.
- A Governor gains Status for Emporia under their control equal to the Number of Emporia squared (eg. 2 Emporia = 2x2 = 4 Status). Rome is technically under everyone's control.
- Each Reform held gains 1/2/3/4 Status, based on its place in the row.
- The Emperor gains 5 Status + 5 more if their Familia Governs Rome.
Auctoritas wins ties. If 2 or 3 players are still tied, they form a Duovirate or Triumvirate that jointly wins the game. If 4 or more players tie, the Roman Republic survives & everybody 'wins'.
Scenarios
A Full Game of Carta Imperia: Rise of Rome runs from Eras I-VII and can take upwards of 3+ hours to complete - depending on how much time is eaten up by the dealmaking that forms the heart of the game.
To play the Full Game, follow the Setup procedure (Full Game Setup, below).
For Players who do not have that much time to spare, there are 2 scenarios here which distil the essence of the game into a much shorter package.
Scenario I: Rise of the Republic
Short Game: Eras I-IV. Duration: c.90 Minutes.
This scenario charts the rise of the Roman Republic after its rebellion against its Etruscan kings to its defeat of Carthage in the Punic Wars, which established Rome as the dominant Superpower in the Mediterranean.
It is a semi-cooperative dealfest which can be played out in between 60-90 minutes, depending on how long you take in dealmaking negotiations. It focuses on the core mechanics that empower every game of Carta Imperia: Rise of Rome, and as such it forms a good introduction to the game.
Setup
Follow the Full Game Setup procedure, with the following adjustments:
- Use only the Map Tiles for Era I-IV in this scenario. Separate the 'Era II, Era III, Era IV' and 'Any Era' cards from all decks and use only these. (Printed as such in the source.) 2-3. Follow as per standard Setup.
- Remove the Era IV card 'Philip Supports Carthage' from the Historical Event Deck. Shuffle the Historical Event Deck & the Early Republic Combat Deck and place them face down near the Map Tiles Deck. The Late Republic Combat Deck and the 'Beware the Ides' Deck play no part in this scenario. 5-8. Follow as per standard Setup.
- Remove all Era V-VII cards from the Draft Events Deck and deal 4 cards to each player. Then conduct the Events Draft.
Changes to eXtort
In this scenario, the Prestige Rewards and Penalties for eXtort are doubled.
Hannibal
The Era IV Historical Event in this Scenario is always the Hannibalic War (remove 'Era IV: Philip Supports Carthage' from the deck). This triggers an invasion of Italy by Hannibal Barca during the Campaign Phase of Era IV. Historically, Hannibal spent 15 years campaigning in Italy, where he never lost a battle on Italian soil but ultimately failed to defeat Rome. These rules evoke that campaign.
If no-one plays eXpand in Era IV, Hannibal automatically defeats Rome and everybody loses!
Era IV Hannibalic War card text (as legible): "Hannibal invades Italy with [2 Phalanx shields, 4 Barbarian shields, Elephants]. Each General must use their first Standard to fight a battle vs Hannibal and only a max. of 2 Generals can combine forces against him. If Hannibal is outnumbered he Ambushes you: keep drawing Combat Cards until you draw a Legionary shield and add all enemy shields to Hannibal's Strength."
Anyone who does play eXpand in Era IV must place their first Standard on the Hannibalic War card and fight a battle against him.
Note that Playing Fabian Tactics to avoid fighting Hannibal still uses up a Campaign Standard of the Familia that plays it and counts as opposing Hannibal - so if only one Player goes up against Hannibal using Fabian Tactics, Rome does not lose the war.
Generals can combine forces against Hannibal, but only a maximum of 2 Generals can team up against him at any one time (eg. If 3 Players play eXpand, only 2 can pair up against Hannibal - the third must fight him alone!)
If Hannibal is outnumbered he will automatically Ambush the Roman forces: Shuffle the Early Republic Combat Deck and reveal cards from it until a Legionary shield is drawn.
- Add ALL Phalanx & Barbarian shields drawn to Hannibal's total.
- You do not add the Legionary shield drawn to Rome's total, but you do lose +1 Legion.
You can use the Tactical Reserve Event to hold back Legions from this calculation and prevent an Ambush from being triggered.
Each battle that Hannibal wins adds a Sacked Marker to Rome, denoting the erosion of Rome's dominance in Italy caused by the invasion.
Hannibal's forces are not reduced by losing a battle. He is deemed to have mustered reinforcements from the locals and fights each Roman force mustered against him with the same army.
Scenario II: Fall of the Republic
Short Game: Eras V-VII. Duration: 2+ Hours.
As Rome's Senators struggle to come to terms with the empire they have conquered, the institutions of the Republic begin to crumble. The reforms they enact to help control the empire expose deep fault lines in the bedrock of the Republic, exploited by warlords such as Marius and Sulla; whose bitter rivalry paves the way for the unconstitutional power-grabs of Julius Caesar and his successors that bring the Republic to its knees.
This scenario is a much more cut-throat political deathmatch which takes about 2 hours to complete and focuses on eXtra-Legal game elements that appear in the Late Game such as Civil Wars, Mob Rule and Assassination!
Setup
Follow the Full Game Setup procedure with these adjustments:
-
Construct the map using all the Map Tiles from Era I through to Era IV.
-
Do not give players any Dignitas with their starting resources. This will be determined in Step 3 below. Also do not deal out Start Cards.
-
Randomly determine Player Order. Players then take turns each placing a Bust from their Stock until a total of 12 Busts have been placed. You can:
- Place a Governor Bust on a Province: it can only be placed on a Region that is adjacent to Rome or to an already Governed Province. It can only be placed 'overseas' if all of Italy is Governed, and you can only place it into the lowest Status available Region that can currently be reached.
- Romanise a Map Tile: If the Map Tile is fully occupied by Governors, you can spend your Bust to Romanise the card in the usual way. Sardinia does not have to be Governed for Italy to be Romanised.
- Enact a Reform: Place the Bust on the next available Reform slot. No-one can enact a 2 Auctoritas Reform. (In the Solo/2-player Dealmaking game, NPCs will do this if the only Provinces currently available have 2 Shields or less)
Once all Busts have been placed, Players with Governorships gain 1 Dignitas per shield on their Provinces. If you have no Governors, take 5 Dignitas. Players can then use available Emporia to convert their Dignitas into Auctoritas up to 3 times. 4-7. Follow as per standard Setup.
-
Break Primus ties in favour of the Governor of 1) Italia, 2) Carthage/Africa Proconsularis. Allocate it randomly if no-one Governs these.
-
Deal 2 Legacy Cards as usual. Remove all Era II-IV Cards from the Draft Events Deck and deal 4 cards to each Player. Then conduct the Events Draft.
Full Game Setup
Eras I-VII. Duration: 2-3 Hours.
-
Arrange the Map Deck in numerical order, with Era I at the top & The Parthian Empire at the bottom below Era VII a&b. Place it on one side of the table. Draw Map Tile Era I and place it with its 'Romanised' side face down in the centre of the table. If you are using the Cloth Scrollmap, place the card in the Era I slot.
-
Give each player a set of Action Cards numbered I-IV, along with the starting pieces of their colour including:
- 1 Thumb Token
- 5 Dignitas
- 1 Standard in the Player's Reserve Area
- 2 Governor Busts in the Player's Reserve Area
- 6 Governor Busts in the Stock on one side of the table
Place Action Card V, 'eXtra Legal' to one side: it will be added later in the game.
-
Shuffle the 6 Start Cards and deal 1 to each Player. Players place a Governor Bust from their stock onto any Province they gain from the cards.
-
Shuffle the Historical Event Deck, the 2 Combat Decks & the 'Beware the Ides' Deck and place them face down in easy reach of all players.
-
Place the 2 Court Case Decks within easy reach of all Players.
-
Place 6 Purple Legions onto the 'Legions of Rome' card and place it near to Era I. Leave enough space to put a Map Tile above Era I. Place all remaining purple & white Legion meeples in a communal stock pile beside this card.
-
Place the 3 'Rome Sacked' Markers near this card.
-
Give the 'Primus inter Pares' tile along with the purple First Player meeple to the player with the most Prestige: if Prestige is equal, give it to the Governor of Etruria, Samnium or Volscii in that order. The Primus will be the First Player in Era I of the game.
For shorter scenarios see Scenarios above.
Solo & 2-Player Addenda
(Transcribed from the separate 5-page "Solo & 2-Player Addenda" booklet that comes with the game.)
There are 2 ways of playing Carta Imperia: Rise of Rome Solo:
The Historical Variant puts you in charge of 3 Familiae, who all work together in a race to extend the empire in time with its historical expansion. You play this as a fully co-operative game, in which you choose 6 Actions per Era to share between the Familiae (max. 2 different Actions per Familia) and can share resources between them at a cost of 1 Dignitas per Legion or Bust, paid to the donor by the recipient. They can only share Dignitas by playing eXtort and 'settling' for up to Era # Dignitas, and must share the Dignitas rewards of conquest equally.
If, at the end of Era VII, Rome controls ALL the conquerable regions that could get converted to Purple Provinces if Romanised, you win the game (you do not have to Romanise them to win). For a more difficult game, reduce the number of Actions you can share out each Era and/or play the 'Challenging Game' (see Rules p.9).
The Dealmaking Variant can be played Solo or 2-Player and uses the Early Republic Combat Deck as an Omens Deck which determines how the Non-Player Character (NPC) Senators respond to any Deal offered them by the Player(s).
The game is played like a normal game, with 2 NPC Senators in a Solo game and 1 NPC Senator in a 2-Player game. When the Cards and main Rule Book refer to 'Players', this also refers to NPCs unless these Addenda state otherwise. In these Addenda, Human Players are referred to as 'Players'.
Setup
Setup both Players & NPC Senators in the usual fashion (see Full Game Setup), but only Players are dealt Draft Events and Legacy Cards. Deal each Player 2 Draft Events face down, then deal them a Hand of cards equal to the number of Eras in the game to conduct an Events Draft with. So each Player ends with Era # of drafted cards +2 secret Events Cards to play with. It should go without saying that when playing Solo, you do not conduct a draft.
At the start of each Era (Dealmaking Variant only):
- Shuffle the Omens Deck and draw an Omen Card for each NPC Senator to give them their Inheritance.
- Players secretly choose 2 Action Cards.
- Draw NPC Actions: Shuffle all the NPC Action Cards together and draw 2 cards: these are the Actions they will trigger in this Era.
(Step numbering as printed; there is no step 2 in the source.)
NPC Inheritance (Dealmaking Variant only)
At the start of each Era, deal each NPC 1 Omen Card and resolve its effect:
- Legionary shield: The NPC raises 2 Allied Legions and adds them to their Reserve.
- Phalanx shield: The NPC adopts a Governor Bust and adds it to their Reserve.
- Barbarian shield: The NPC keeps drawing until it does not draw a Barbarian shield and Inherits Dignitas equal to the number of Barbarian shields drawn.
Dealmaking with an NPC Senator
Deals with NPCs are evaluated by calculating their "Thumbs" (thumbs up / thumbs down):
- Each point of Dignitas you offer / demand is worth 1 thumbs up / thumbs down.
- Each Legion you offer is worth 1 thumbs up, but only if the NPC Senator has selected the eXpand Action in this Era.
- Each Governor Bust you offer is worth the cost the NPC would have to pay to buy a new Bust minus the number of Busts already in the NPC's Reserve. (Positive values are thumbs up; negative values are thumbs down.)
- Any Governorship you offer / demand is worth +/- its current endgame status in thumbs up / thumbs down.
- If the NPC is the front-runner in an Election, subtract the current endgame status of the Province being contested from your Deal, unless you are offering to support them.
- If the Deal would tip the balance in a campaign, add the Dignitas the NPC would earn from winning the campaign as thumbs up.
Subtract the number of thumbs down from the number of thumbs up to calculate the total value of your Deal. (The higher the value, the more likely the NPC is to take the deal.)
Example: NPC Rufus needs help to invade the Volsci (worth 2 Barbarian shields). You offer to join him with your 2 Legions, but in return you want the Dignitas reward from the campaign and he can have the Governorship. So the Thumbs Value of your Deal is: +2 (Governorship Status of Volsci) +2 (the number of Legions you are bringing to the fight) -2 (minimum Dignitas reward for defeating the Volsci, which he's giving to you) = Thumbs Value of 2.
Consult the Omens
Now Determine the Attitude of the NPC Senator towards you:
- If the Senator has Era # more Prestige than you, they are SUPERIOR and count only Phalanx shields when Consulting the Omens (see below).
- If the Senator has less Prestige than you, they are COMPLIANT and count only Barbarian shields when Consulting the Omens.
- If you are the Primus, NPCs are HOSTILE and count all Shields drawn (including Legionary shields) when Consulting the Omens.
- Otherwise they are WARY and count both Phalanx and Barbarian shields when Consulting Omens.
Once you have Determined their Attitude, the NPC will Consult the Omens by shuffling the Omens Deck and revealing cards from it until a Legionary shield is drawn. Remember to only count the shields that reflect the NPC's attitude.
The NPC will Take the Deal if the Omens counted are less than or equal to the Thumbs Value of the Offer made. You MUST honour any deal you make with an NPC.
In a 2-player game, both players simultaneously make an Offer as a blind bid by holding out the items they are offering in their fist (if offering a Governorship, use your Standard to mark this). If making a Demand, use Dignitas coins from the supply to mark how much you are asking for.
The NPC makes a deal with the player who Offers the most or Demands the least - but only if the Omens approve the offer when consulted (flip a Thumb Token to break ties).
Example: NPC Rufus has a Thumbs Value of 2 in the Deal you offered him for your support against the Volsci in Era II. He shuffles the Omens Deck and draws Phalanx, Barbarian, Barbarian, Legionary:
- If he has 2 or more Prestige more than you, he is Superior and takes the Deal because the Omens drew 1 Phalanx shield, which is less than the Thumbs Value of the Offer.
- If he has less Prestige than you, he is Compliant and takes the Deal because the Omens drew 2 Barbarian shields, which is equal to the Thumbs Value of the Offer.
- If he has 1 more Prestige than you, he is Wary and rejects the Deal because the Omens drew 3 (Phalanx + 2 Barbarian), which is more than the Thumbs Value of the Offer.
- If you are the Primus, he is Hostile and rejects the Deal because the Omens drew 4 Shields, which is more than the Thumbs Value of the Offer.
NPC Action Summary (Dealmaking Variant)
After the NPCs have drawn their Action Cards, reveal them and work through the priorities below when the Action they have chosen is triggered.
If the NPC draws a card they cannot use, they default to playing eXpand or eXtort, in that order of priority.
If at any time an NPC has an equal choice to make, they will make the choice which disadvantages the leading Player most.
NPC eXploit
NPCs will always tax the most lucrative Provinces they control, and follow these priorities:
- First Romanise the most lucrative Map Tile they control if possible - remove the rival Governor with the most prestige unless they make a Deal not to.
- If they have less than 2 Governor Busts in their Reserve, Tax for 1 Bust.
- If their other card Action Card is eXpand or eXtra-Legal, Tax for Legions.
- Tax for Auctoritas if possible, otherwise take Legions.
NPC eXec
- If the NPC has less than 2 Governor Busts in their Reserve, buy 1 Bust.
- Convert Dignitas into Auctoritas.
- If the NPC can afford a Reform, Enact the available Reform which is furthest to the left then nearest to the top of the chart (i.e. Left topmost).
When triggering an Election, the NPC will Nominate the highest value Province that they do not Govern for Election and will put their Bust into the running:
- If Shield numbers are equal: Legionary shields have a higher value than Auxilia shields, which are higher than Phalanx shields, which are higher than Barbarian shields.
- If still tied, they will Nominate a) the Province owned by the most prestigious Player, b) the Province closest to being Romanised c) If still tied, flip a Thumb Token. They are always open to bribes...
NPCs will stand for Election if they have a spare Governor and the value of the Province up for Election is equal to or greater than the value of any Province they could conquer if they've played eXpand this Era.
If they are the front runner in the Election, they subtract the current endgame status of the Province from any Deal asking for their NPC votes; otherwise they are open to a Deal, but only if they are certain not to be Vetoed by the Lex Sacrata Reform.
NPCs who are not standing will vote for the NPC with the lowest Prestige unless they make a Deal not to, or if that NPC Vetoed them from this post (at which point they will abstain). They will only vote for a Player who makes a Deal for their votes.
Reforms: NPCs will use the Lex Hortensia to increase their votes if it would win them the Election, but will not do so if they are likely to be Vetoed. They will only use the Lex Sacrata to Veto if their candidate comes second AND the (pre-dealmaking) electoral maths means they would win the ensuing runoff.
Example: NPC Rufus plays eXec and has to Nominate a Province for Election. He has a choice between Gallia (3 Barbarian shields), Etruria (2 Phalanx), Samnium (3 Barbarian) and Volsci (2 Barbarian), which he currently Governs:
- He rejects Volsci because he Governs it.
- He rejects Etruria because it has fewer Shields than Gallia & Samnium.
- He now has to choose between Gallia & Samnium which both have 3 Barbarian shields:
- He will select the Province that is Governed by the rival with most Prestige.
- If his rivals' Prestige is equal, he will select Gallia, because Gallia can be Romanised next turn, but Samnium currently cannot (Italy is not fully conquered).
NPC eXtort
- If the NPC is the Primus, they will Beware the Ides if either:
- They have Era # Auctoritas or more and any rival has chosen eXtort.
- eXtra-Legal has been chosen by any NPC or Player this Era. (Although the NPC is not yet technically aware of the last two actions chosen by any Players, they generally pay closer attention to the advice of soothsayers than Julius Caesar...)
- If a Player is the Primus AND that player has Auctoritas greater than or equal to the Era #, the NPC will opt to Impeach them instead of Prosecuting. All NPCs will vote thumbs down for Impeachment unless they make a Deal not to.
- Usually, the NPC will Prosecute the Senator with the most Dignitas that can still be targeted. This can be either a Player or an NPC.
NPCs are open to Deals to avoid going to court against Players. They will always take other NPCs to court, and randomly draw a Court Card.
NPC eXpand
- An NPC General will invade: a. Any Historical Event that would Sack Rome or make them lose a Province. b. The highest value Region their forces can outnumber which has not been invaded already (Elephants count as +2 to the Region in this calculation): if tied, Phalanx regions are higher value than Barbarian regions, otherwise choose the tied region that is closest to Rome.
- If they cannot do this, they will instead:
a. Ask for support from the lowest-Prestige general still uncommitted who can help them achieve the odds they need to secure a successful campaign:
- NPCs will support other NPCs if they do not have a viable alternative target that would earn them higher Prestige.
- NPCs will split the Dignitas won evenly between them, and the Commanding General will take the Governorship if they can.
- Players can Offer a Deal to change the parameters of this arrangement with an NPC asking for their support - the Dignitas value of the campaign can be Offered/Demanded as part of that deal. b. Attempt to buy Allied Legions from NPCs/Players at a cost of 1 Dignitas per Legion.
- NPCs will only sell Legions if they have not chosen eXpand. They will never sell Legions in Era VII of the game.
- The NPC General will only pay for a Professional Army Reform if they cannot gain the Legions they need any other way.
- If the General cannot make a deal, they will: a. Join the General who has invaded the highest-value region so far in this campaign. b. Invade the weakest region available that they can at least equal. c. Ultimately if nothing else can be achieved, the NPC will refuse to campaign and offer their Allied Legions for sale (except in Era VII).
NPC eXtra-Legal
- If the NPC is the Primus, they will declare themselves Emperor.
- If someone else is Emperor and... a. The NPC has fewer Legions than the Emperor, the NPC will attempt to Assassinate the Emperor. b. The NPC has more Legions than the Emperor, they will Cross the Rubicon.
- Otherwise, use Mob Rule on the Senator with the most Prestige. An NPC will always deploy the biggest Mob they can muster.
If Assassinate is played, an NPC will automatically join the plot if they:
- Have fewer Legions than the Primus.
- Have more Legions but did not play eXtra-Legal this Era.
In a Civil War, all NPCs will ally as one Faction against the Primus, unless they take a Deal not to. An NPC Primus is open to any Deal with a Player that will enable the NPC to outnumber their rivals.
Players decide what any NPC in their Faction does on his Campaign Move.
An independent NPC will March to Engage the Primus if they outnumber him. If they do not, they will: a. March to Combine with the strongest member of their Faction. b. Fortify Rome if they occupy it. c. March to Invade the most valuable Rival Province they can outnumber with the Legions they command.
In the final Era of the game, no NPC will make a Deal that would result in them holding less Prestige than their closest rival.
NPCs Using Reforms
An NPC will always use a Reform they Enacted, if relevant.
They will only pay for another Senator's Reform if using that Reform would swing the result of the event in question in favour of the NPC. If faced with a choice of options the NPC will pay the Reforming Senator with the lowest Prestige.
They will pay for the Lex Sacrata only if they are the second-placed losing candidate in an Election and have a chance of winning the runoff.