Rome in Crisis

Card game of the Roman Empire in the second half of the third century AD, a fifty-year period during which the average reign of an emperor was a mere 2.5 years. Each player controls a number of imperial candidates whom they try to push to the top position to gain honor and prestige by solving some of Rome's many crises -- invasions by Goths, Persians and Palymrans plus the incessant demands of the populace -- before quickly yielding to the next emperor. In a system reminiscent of King's Breakfast, players draft influence cards which they may later deploy to help them win top jobs in the empire or secretly use against opponents to make existing crises more difficult to handle. To gain power players must commit cards sufficient to outpoll the opposition and solve crises, but must avoid overcommitment that reduces future options and opportunities. In addition, each candidate has a different special ability which must be reckoned with. At the end of play the player with the most prestige points wins.