Lest Darkness Fall: Rome in Crisis is a strategic level wargame covering the third century crisis that beset the Mediterranean region and its environs. One player leads the Roman Empire and its client states, while the other commands an amalgamation of Rome's main enemies: barbarian Germanic tribes, Parthia, Palmyra and rebel forces from within the Roman world itself. The second player is generally on the offensive, trying to invade, loot and occupy core Roman territory, or perhaps reach the city of Rome itself, in order to win. The Roman player wins by by finally maintaining the territorial integrity of the empire against the invaders.