I M P E R I V M

F R O M R E P U B L I C T O E M P I R E

a game by Mike Mollineaux 1 - 3 hr 13+

3-5
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1.0 GAME OVERVIEW 3.0 KEY COMPONENTS & CONCEPTS

Imperium: From Republic to Empire is a game of politics and
intrigue set against the backdrop of the late Roman Republic
(113 B.C. 49 B.C.). Each player controls a faction of
influential Roman Senators who seek to gain power and
influence by competing for elected office, leading Romes
armies to war, administering justice, and expanding the
Republic. Advantages are also gained through less noble
activities involving conspiracy, bribery, and corruption.
The following descriptions provide an explanation of the most
important components and concepts which will aid in
understanding the rules in later sections.
3.1 Senator Cards:
Senator cards represent members of Roman Senatorial families
and their unique characteristics:

Success will require both competition and cooperation as all Family

factions must work together to ensure the stability of Rome.
Failures of the Senate and unmet public demand will increase
civil unrest, leading to revolt. Excessive war involvement will
overextend Romes military resources. Committing more funds
than what is available for financial obligations will bankrupt the
State Treasury. Each of these situations will ensure the fall of
Rome causing all players to lose the game.
The goal for each player will be to leverage available resources
with diplomacy and opportunity to maneuver their faction
toward a victory condition all the while keeping Rome from
civil, military, and financial collapse. In the midst of these
challenges one Senator may gain sufficient prestige as to obtain
Imperium Maius (Supreme Authority) and in so doing become
the First Emperor of Rome.
2.0 GAME COMPONENTS
The following components may be printed from the game files:
Note: Use Scale to Fit rather than Actual Size to print PDFs
on printers that do not offer full-bleed printing.
Game Boards (2)
Senator Cards (36)
Office Cards (7): (4) Praetors; (2) Consuls; (1) Censor
Province/Governor Cards (8)
War Cards (19)
Action Cards (50)
Corruption Markers (12) b.
Consular Experience Markers (18)
Faction Leader Markers (5)
First Player Card (1)
Player Summary Sheets (w/Faction Treasury Screens): 5 c.
Rules Set (1)
The following components will need to be provided separately:
Coins (Talents): 20 tens; 30 fives; 30 ones
Prestige markers: 36 plastic triangular paper clips
Six-sided dice: 3 (2 white dice; 1 black die) e.
Tracking cubes: 10 black cubes (8mm)
Legion cubes: 25 red cubes (8mm)
Gold cubes: 50 yellow cubes (8mm)
Faction Markers: 20 round tokens (4 each of 5 different f.
colors)
1
Name
Ideology
Prestige
Special
Scale
Skill
Contribution
Military Scale
Skill Level
Political Dominance/
Skill Level Mortality
Number
Senator Card
a. Prestige/Contribution Scale: The right side of each card is
a scale used to track the Senators current level of prestige
which fluctuates throughout the game. A paperclip is used
to indicate its current level. A newly drawn Senator will
always start with 2 prestige points. Prestige cannot exceed
12. If it drops below zero, the Senator will resign and be
discarded. To the left of the prestige scale is the
contribution scale which shows the amount of talents he
will contribute to his factions treasury during the Election
Phase [7.2]. The contribution amount is a function of
current prestige (4-7 prestige = 4 talents contributed, etc.).
Military Skill (MS): Indicates the Senators relative level
of military skill from 1 to 6 indicated by the number next
to the helmet icon.
Political Skill (PS): Indicates the Senators relative level
of political skill (from 1 to 6) indicated by the number next
to the pillar icon.
d. Ideology: One of four guiding philosophies held by the
Senator represented by an Arch, Ship, Altar, or Armor.
Dominance/Mortality Number: Number in the bottom of
each card is used to determine the Dominant Consul
[7.3.1.e] and the results of mortality resolutions [12.1].
Special Skill: Some Senators have an icon below their
ideology representing a special skill to aid their faction:
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i. Legate (crossed swords): Indicates that the Senator
may accompany their factions General to war and
increase his armys Attack Strength by the bonus
indicated [10.1.b]. A Legate skill bonus may also be
used directly when assigned as General to a war.
ii. Wealth (coins): Indicates that the Senator provides his
faction with an additional number of talents (money)
as indicated during the Election Phase [7.2].
iii. Orator (scroll): Indicates that the Senator provides an
Argument Strength bonus in the amount indicated for
the faction to which they belong to during Trial
Resolutions [11.2]. An Orator skill bonus may also be
used directly as the Censor or the Accused.
3.2 Office Cards:
Office cards are placed above the Senators card that has been
elected or assigned to that position. Senators elected to these
offices are given specific authorities, responsibilities, and
entitlements. Prestige may be gained or lost depending on the
performance of the Senators assigned to these offices.
Office
Title
Prestige
Gained
(upon
election)
Praetor of
Military
Affairs
Office Cards
There are two Consuls who co-lead Rome through political and
military leadership. They will be primarily responsible for
leading Romes armies to war. The Censor is responsible for
prosecuting corruption charges and ethical violations of other
Senators. Praetors are high officials of the Senate that help
administer the affairs of the Republic. They may either be
Praetor of Military Affairs (indicated by the helmet icon) or of
Political Affairs (indicated by the column icon).
3.3 Province/Governor Cards:
There is one Province Card for each province potentially
controlled by the Republic. Province cards double as office
cards of the Governors assigned to administer the Province.
Like Office Cards, Province Cards are placed above the Senator
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assigned to them. If un-governed, the cards are left in the
Annexed area of the game board.
Province Location of
Name Province
Developed Number of
indicator Legions
(Provincial +
Auxiliary)
Province Card
Each Province Card has an undeveloped side (indicated by
the isolated hills icon) and a developed side (indicated by a
public building icon). The number to the immediate right of the
swords icon (eg. 3) indicates the number of organic Provincial
Legions permanently garrisoned in the province [11.3.b].
Additionally, up to two Auxiliary Legions [3.11.c] may be hired
by the Governor, which each add +1 to a provinces organic
defenses [9.1.3] (eg. 4 and 5). An undeveloped province has
a weaker defense. It is also an economic burden which drains
the State Treasury until it is developed. A Province may be in
one of three dispositions:
a. Annexed: An annexed province is part of the Republic. A
Governor would normally be assigned to oversee it during
the Election Phase. A newly annexed province will begin
undeveloped and will need to be developed before it can
become a self-sustaining Romanized economy.
b. Overrun: An overrun province has been annexed by the
Republic but has been overtaken by a war defeat,
undefended raid, or undefended internal uprising. It cannot
be governed and will create trade disruptions for the
Republic resulting in less tax revenue. Even after the war
is defeated and the province is re-annexed it will need to be
re-developed before it ceases being an economic burden.
c. Non-annexedThe Province has not yet been annexed by
the Republic, but will become annexed after victory is
achieved in a specific war.
The District of Italia does not have a province card, but is
represented on the game board. It is the location of the City of
Rome which holds the Senate, the People of Rome, and all
reserve Expeditionary Legions. It is always considered
developed and annexed and it cannot be overrun except by a
rebel faction marching on Rome [10.3]. It will always contain
five (5) garrisoned Provincial Legions plus any Expeditionary
Legions placed on it. It is important to note that a Legion in
Italia is not the same as a Legion assigned to a war affecting
Italia. Legions assigned to the District of Italia space have no
positive benefit to wars affecting Italia. Legions must be
assigned to an Active War card in order to affect the war [3.4.a]
[3.10.c].
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3.4 War Cards: v. Flame Icon: Indicates that the affected province will
be overrun in a defeat.
Each war card (identified by a Roman numeral on the back)
represents a war or campaign that will be fought in the War vi. Gold Icon (defeat): Represented by a stack of gold
Phase. Each symbol on the card represents information about bricks. Negative number indicates that the State
the war: Treasury will be decreased by this amount in the case
War Name of defeat due to trade disruptions or social upheaval.
War
3.4.1 Emergent & Civil War Cards:
Affected Campaign
Province
There are two types of special war cards: Emergent Wars and
Civil War. Emergent War cards are used to represent a non-
Adequate War historical war which will escalate due to a provinces inability
Force Strength to defend from a raid or uprising [9.2.3.c,e]. They are identified
with a ? on back. The Civil War card will only be used when
War Spoils
a rebel faction attempts to win the game by taking Rome by
Prestige force [10.4]. It is identified with a ! on back.
Adjust. New
Province 3.5 Action Cards:
Annexed
War Action Cards (identified by a column symbol on the back)
Outcomes represent unique political and strategic opportunities to the
Unrest holding faction that can be activated under the specified
Province Adjustment conditions described on each card. Game phase symbol(s) are
Overrun War Card shown on the lower-left corner of each card as a quick reference
to indicate which phase the card may be played or its effects are
a. Affected Province: The name next to the building icon activated. The phase may be referenced from the Player
indicates the province being affected by the war. A second Summary Sheets. Until they are played, action cards may also
province name in brackets will indicate the affected be traded with other players as part of bribes or agreements.
province if the primary province listed has not yet been Once used or attempted, action cards are discarded.
annexed.
3.6 Faction Leader Marker:
b. Adequate force: The number in brackets next to the
crossed swords icon indicates the minimum number of Placed on a Senators card to indicate the leader of a
Legions that must be sent to this war in order to be fought players faction. It is given at the end of the Election
[8.3]. Phase to the Senator with the most prestige in a
faction. A factions leader has specific advantages as well as
c. War Strength: Indicates the strength of the war (1 - 9). liabilities.

d. War Outcomes: The bottom half of the war card indicates
the outcomes of a victory (checkmark), stalemate (equals
sign), or defeat (x) shown to the right of each symbol
[10.1.c].
i. Laurel Wreath: Indicates the amount that a generals
prestige will be adjusted by (positively or negatively)
after victories or stalemates.
ii. Coins Icon (victory): In victory, the general may
receive war spoils equal to the sum of a number and a
die roll, shown under the coins icon.
iii. Building Icon: In some cases, a victory will cause the
annexation of a new (undeveloped) province (shown
under the building icon).
iv. Fist Icon: Indicates the amount that unrest will
increase after stalemates or defeats.
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3.7 Corruption Marker:
Placed on a Senators card to indicate the Senator has
been charged with either minor or major corruption.
A Senator may acquire multiple corruption markers
each round. Minor corruptions (gained from political grafting
or provincial extortion) are indicated using the normal side.
Major corruptions (gained normally through assassination
attempts, assassination plots, or conspiracies) are indicated by
using the side with the !. A minor corruption charge will
allow a Senators to continue performing their duties. If charged
with a major corruption, the Senator is immediately
incarcerated until their trial is held during the Trial Phase [11.0],
during which time they are unable to hold office [7.3] [7.5].
They maintain no value or influence within their faction and are
discounted with respect to persuasion [9.1.4], corruption
[9.1.2], or resource distribution [8.2] [8.5] until acquitted.
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3.8 Consular Experience Marker:
Placed on a Senator card to indicate they have been
previously elected Consul. A Senator is ineligible to
be elected Censor unless he has a consular experience
marker. A Senator may lose this marker by being convicted
during the Trial Phase [11.0].
3.9 First Player Card:
This card, (with the letters S.P.Q.R.) indicates who in the game
is the First Player. For each round, turn-taking begins with the
First Player and continues clockwise. The First Player card is
passed to the left at the end of each round. The First Player
will always roll dice on behalf of Rome.
3.10 Game Board:
There are two game board sections, the Main Board and the
Treasury Board. Both contain various tracking spaces to aid
the Senate in the management of Rome. The Main Board
contains:
a. The Public Games space tracks the number of games
sponsored each round.
b. The Civil Unrest tracker tracks the current level of social
turbulence within the city of Rome.
c. Expeditionary Legion cubes [3.11.a] are tracked by being
placed on the following areas:
i. Populus area: Represents future members of the
Roman Legion within society. The Populus area is
replenished by Legion cubes that are relocated here
after they are lost to war.
ii. Italia area: Represents reserve Expeditionary Legions
that are currently garrisoned in the District of Italia
[3.3] and available to deploy to Active Wars.
iii. Active Wars areas: Four (4) areas (numbered I IV),
below which active war cards are placed to represent
the wars with which the Republic is currently engaged.
Legion cubes assigned to each active war are placed in
the space above each wars card during Legion
allocation [8.5.2] along with faction markers used to
assign Generals to the war [8.4].
d. Overrun Provinces area: Province cards are placed in this
area if they become overrun [3.3.b].
The Treasury Board contains spaces where gold cubes (earned
from the Roman tax revenue) are tracked and applied to fund
proposals during the Senate Phase [8.2.2]. Each grid space may
hold no more than 5 or 2 cubes per space (large; small) which
aids in counting available revenue or funded proposals:
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i. State Treasury: Gold cubes that have been earned as
tax revenue and have not yet been expended.
ii. Bank: Gold cubes that are not currently in use (which
have already been expended or are not yet been earned
as tax revenue) [4.0.b].
iii. Raise Legions: Gold cubes that are being committed
by the Senate to recruit, train, and outfit new
Expeditionary Legions [8.2.2.a].
iv. Public Grain: Gold cubes that are being committed to
purchase grain subsidies for the citizens [8.2.2.b].
3.11 Legions:
A Legion is the basic unit of Romes military force (represented
symbolically by a crossed-swords icon). Each Legion will
modify an attack or defensive strength by of an army by +1.
There are three types of Legions:
a. Expeditionary Legions: Each expeditionary Legion is
represented by a red cube. After being raised from the
Populus, they are garrisoned in Italia [3.10.c.ii] until they
are sent to an Active War [8.3] [8.5.2]. They can be lost as
an outcome of war [10.1.c.i]. Their recruitment and
maintenance must be funded from the State Treasury every
round [8.1.d.i.b] [8.2.2.a]. Rome is limited to commanding
no more than 25 expeditionary Legions at once.
b. Provincial Legions: These Legions are represented by the
number shown to the immediate right of a Province Card
[3.3] and on the Italia District space. They represent the
forces organic to a Province and commanded by its
Governor. Their primary purpose is to protect their
province against raids and insurrection. While they are not
used to fight active wars, they can be used for a Secondary
Defense of an active war [10.1.3.b.i]. There is no cost to
the State Treasury for their maintenance or use.
c. Auxiliary Legions: These are indigenous mercenary forces
that are hired by a Governor to supplement his Provincial
Legions. A Governor may hire up to two (2) Auxiliary
Legions for his province each round [9.1.3]. When hired,
a Provinces total defensive posture is increased to the
number shown in brackets next to its Provincial Legion
number (adding +1 or +2 to the organic force). A cost of 3
talents per Legion are paid out of a factions treasury. The
presence of Auxiliary Legions is represented by the funds
used to hire them which are placed atop the Province Card
that they are defending.
3.12 Player Summary Sheets:
These are quick reference sheets containing commonly
referenced information needed to play the game. The most
important reference tables are the Leadership Effects table
[8.1.d] and War Results table [10.1.c].
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4.0 GAME SETUP
a. Set the game boards in the center of the playing area.
b. Place cubes on the game board as follows:
One black cube on 0 of the Civil Unrest tracker.
15 red cubes on the left side of the Populus area
10 red cubes in the Italia area
All 50 gold cubes on the Bank area on the Treasury
Board (5 cubes in each block).
c. Place all of the following in separate piles above the game
board which will serve as the bank for these items:
Consular Experience markers
Corruption Markers
Talent Coins (in 1, 5, and 10-talent denominations)
Prestige markers (clips)
Remaining unused black tracking cubes
d. Shuffle all Senator Cards and place the deck face down at
the top left of the main game board (shown below).
e. Remove all Action cards with a number at the bottom
greater than the number of players. (Unused cards are
removed from the game.) Shuffle all remaining Action
cards and place the deck face down at the center-left of the
main game board.
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f. With its developed side face up, gather the following
Province Cards into a deck:
Asia
Africa
Gallia
Hispania
Illyricum
Macedonia
Place the remaining Province Cards separately, above the
game board (as they will be used later in the game):
Cyrenaica
Syria
g. Remove all Praetor office cards with a number at the
bottom greater than the number of players. Unused cards
are removed from the game. (A three-player game will not
use Praetor cards.) Shuffle all remaining Praetor cards in
with the Province Card deck and place the combined deck
next to the game board (being sure to keep the province
cards developed-side up).
h. Separate all War cards into decks according to the Roman
numeral on the back of each card (I, II, III, IV, V, ?, and !).
For war cards I-V, shuffle each group having the same
numeral into a separate deck. Once each type is shuffled
and separated, place each deck face down atop the other in
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the following order: V (on the bottom), IV, III, II, then I 5.0 ROUND OVERVIEW
on top. Place this consolidated deck face down at the
bottom-left of the game board. Place the remaining war Imperium is played over a number of rounds until a victory
cards (Emergent Wars and Civil War) above the game condition is met or until all players are defeated by the game.
board next to the unused Province Cards. Each round is made up of six (6) distinct phases consisting of
subtasks which must be followed in order as described below.
i. From the Senator Draw deck, deal the following numbers Each phase will be discussed in detail in sections 7.0 through
of Senators to each player (depending on the number of 12.0:
players:
Three players: 5 Senators 1. Election Phase [7.0]:
Four players: 4 Senators a. Activate Wars [7.1]
Five players: 3 Senators b. Gain Talents [7.2]
c. Elect Major Offices [7.3]
j. Players will indicate two (2) Prestige points attained on d. Change Faction Leadership [7.4]
each Senator card dealt using a Prestige clip [3.1.a]. e. Assign Minor Offices [7.5]
f. Sponsor Games [7.6]
k. Each player will take one (1) Consular Experience marker
and assign it to a Senator Card of their choice within their 2. Senate Phase [8.0]:
faction. a. Resolve Consular Leadership [8.1]
b. Commit Gold [8.2]
l. Each player will take one (1) Faction Leader marker and c. Apply Adequate Force [8.3]
assign it to any Senator Card of their choice in their faction. d. Assign Generals & Legates [8.4]
e. Commit Legions [8.5]
m. From the Action Draw deck, deal one (1) Action card (face
down) to each player. 3. Republic Phase [9.0]:

n. Each faction will take 15 talents from the bank as their A. Faction Initiatives (Each faction, in turn, clockwise
initial faction treasury amount and place it behind their from First Player) [9.1]:
faction treasury screen. They will also take all four faction a. Small Factions Gain Senators [9.1.1]
markers of their chosen color. b. Corruption/Nobility [9.1.2]
c. Hire Auxiliaries [9.1.3]
o. Each faction rolls 2d6. The highest DR will receive the d. Persuade Aligned Senators [9.1.4]
First Player marker and place it at the top of their tableau.
Any players who have tied with the highest DR will roll- B. Republic Initiatives (Performed as a group) [9.2]:
off to determine the First Player. a. Develop Provinces [9.2.1]
b. Persuade New Senators (x2) [9.2.2]
Game setup is now complete. Below is a table explaining the c. Random Events (x2) [9.2.3]
symbols found on the Player Summary Sheets:
4. War Phase [10.0]:
a. Resolve Active Wars [10.1]
Military Skill Affected Province b. Rebellion Decision [10.3]
c. Resolve Civil War (if necessary) [10.4]
Political Skill Legions
Contribution 5. Trial Phase [11.0]:
Prestige amount (talents) a. Censor Selects & Resolves Trials [x3]
[11.1-3]
Civil Unrest Developed Province b. Adjust Unrest [11.4]

Corruption WS War Strength 6. Intersession Phase [12.0]:

a. Resolve Mortality [12.1]
Ideology Overrun Province b. Check Victory Conditions [6.0]
c. Reset Game [12.3]
Faction Talents Legate Bonus Announce Prestige Totals
Pass First Player Card
Gold Orator Bonus Collect Offices
Spent Talents/Gold to Bank
Draw Action Card

6
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6.0 VICTORY & DEFEAT CONDITIONS
6.1 Victory Conditions:
A players faction may be declared victorious under any of the
following conditions:
1. A single Senator within a faction has retained 12 prestige
points by the end of a round [12.2]. Ties among two or
more Senators are broken by the faction with the most
talents.
2. If one faction collectively retains a total of 30 or more
prestige points by the end of a round [12.2]. If more than
one faction has attained 30 or more prestige points, the
faction with the greatest total prestige wins. Ties in
prestige will be broken by the faction with the most talents.
3. At the end of the final round (once Rome has defeated
every war card), the faction with the most faction prestige
among all their Senators is declared the winner. Ties are
broken by the faction with the most talents.
4. During any War Phase, if a rebel faction is victorious in a
Civil War with the Roman State, that faction is
immediately declared the winner [10.4.a].
6.2 Defeat Conditions:
Below lists the conditions upon which all players are
immediately defeated by the game.
1. If the result of the Leadership Effects resolution is a
REVOLT, all Senators are put to the sword [8.1.d.v].
2. If at any point Rome is unable to pay its financial
obligations, the State Treasury is bankrupt and Rome
suffers financial collapse.
3. If at the end of the War Phase there are more than two (2)
Active Wars that remain undefeated [10.2], OR if after new
wars are activated in the Election Phase [7.1.c] there are
more than four (4) active wars, Rome collapses under the
weight of excessive war involvement.
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7.0 ELECTION PHASE
During the Election Phase, the Consuls and the Censor are
elected from among members of the Senate for the current
round. Praetors and provincial Governors are also assigned.
7.1 Activate Wars:
First, any Emergent wars are made active from the previous
round. New wars are then activated for the current round.
a. Any Emergent War cards placed atop the War Draw deck
in the previous round are placed in the left-most available
Active War spaces. 1d6 is then rolled for each Emergent
War card to determine the wars strength:
If DR = 1,2 War Strength is 1
If DR = 3,4 War Strength is 2
If DR = 5,6 War Strength is 3
Place a tracking cube on the Emergent War card to indicate
its resolved war strength.
b. The First Player then rolls 1d6:
If DR is EVEN draw 2 war cards; if ODD draw 1.
Place any drawn cards in the left-most available space
in the Active War area on game board.
c. If after all war cards are activated there are more than
(4) Active Wars, Rome collapses under the weight of
excessive war involvement and all players lose.
7.2 Gain Talents:
Each faction receives from the bank talents equal to the sum of
each Senators contribution amount (2, 4, or 6 talents each)
[3.1.a] plus any wealth bonuses [3.1.f.ii].
7.3 Elect Major Offices:
Elections are then held for the major offices--first for the two
Consul positions followed by the Censor.
7.3.1 Consular Election:
a. First, each player places a faction marker above a Senator
in their faction they wish to nominate. (The greater the MS
and PS of the candidate, the greater the chances for success
during their term if elected.) Nomination is voluntary.
b. Each player may bribe additional votes with talents from
their faction treasury. Each talent applied is equal to one
additional vote. Talents used will be taken from the
players faction treasury and discreetly placed in a closed
hand.
c. When all players are ready, they open their hand to
simultaneously reveal their bribes (which may include a
bluff of zero talents).
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d. Each player announces their votes aloud. Votes for each
factions candidate are equal to the nominees current
prestige plus the amount of bribes applied. The two (2)
candidates with the greatest total of votes are each elected
to the position of Consul, collect their faction marker, and
place a Consul office card above the elected Senator card.
If there is a tie between Senators with the 2nd and 3rd highest
number of votes, it is broken by the Senator having the
highest dominance number [3.1.e].
e. If fewer than two (2) Consuls are elected due to a lack of
voluntary participation in the election, the Senator with the
highest dominance number among those Senators not
already elected is automatically assigned to the office.
f. Once elected, each Consul immediately receives one (1)
additional prestige point and gains a Consular
Experience marker (if not already attained). All players
then relinquish any applied bribes in the bank. Among
elected Consuls, the Dominant Consul will be the one with
the highest dominance number. Their office card should
indicate dominance with a tracking marker. Faction
markers from all candidates are then removed.
7.3.2 Election of Censor:
a. Players that have won a Consular positon in the election
are ineligible to participate in the election of Censor. To
be eligible for Censor, the Senator MUST possess a
Consular Experience marker. The greater the PS and
Prestige of a candidate, the greater the chances of success
during their term.
b. The election process and rules for Censors generally mirror
the Consular Election rules (7.3.1.b-f) (EXCEPT that there
is only one office to be filled).
c. If there are no Senators with consular experience among all
eligible factions, the requirement is temporarily suspended
for the current round and the office of Censor will be
assigned to the Senator within an eligible faction having
the highest dominance number among all eligible factions.
d. In a three-player game, the office of Censor is
automatically claimed by the remaining eligible faction
and assigned to an eligible Senator of their choice within
their faction without the need for election. If no Senator in
the third faction has a Consular Experience marker, refer to
rule (c) above.
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For the Consular Election, Katie, Kevin, Sarah, and Lauren
place faction markers above a Senator within their factions to
indicate their nomination.
Katie selects Rutillius who has (4) prestige points
Kevin selects Tullius who has (3) prestige points
Sarah selects Junius who has (5) prestige points
Lauren selects Caecilius who has (8) prestige points
After discreetly placing talents in their hands from their faction
treasury, they simultaneously open their hand to reveal their
bribes and state their overall vote totals:
Katie adds (4) talents for (8) total votes for Rutillius.
Kevin adds (7) talents for (10) total votes for Tullius.
Sarah adds (7) talents for (12) total votes for Junius.
Lauren adds (3) talents for (11) total votes for Caecilius.
Because they have the greatest number of votes among all
candidates, Junius and Caecilius are each elected Consul, earn
(1) additional prestige point, and take on a Consular
Experience marker. All players place their bribes in the bank.
Because Caecilius dominance number is 53 as compared to
Junius 31, Caecilius becomes the Dominant Consul.
---------
For the Censor Election, as Sarah and Laurens faction have
already gained a major office they are not eligible to participate
in this election.
Katie and Kevin consider those Senators in their faction who
possess a Consular Experience and place a faction marker
above their candidates.
Kevin selects Lutatius who has (4) prestige points
Katie selects Marius who has (4) prestige points
After discreetly placing talents in their hands from their faction
treasury, they simultaneously open their hand to reveal their
bribes and state their overall vote totals:
Katie adds (4) talents for (8) total votes for Lautatius.
Kevin adds (6) talents for (10) total votes for Marius.
Because he has a greater number of votes, Marius is elected to
the positon of Censor and immediately gains (1) prestige points.
All players place their bribes in the bank.
7.4 Change Faction Leadership:
Each faction must now re-assign the Faction Leader marker to
the Senator with the greatest amount of prestige in their
faction. In the case of a tie for highest prestige in a faction,
the player may choose among the tied Senators to assign as
faction leader.
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7.5 Assign Minor Offices:
Next, minor office assignments (Praetors and Governorships)
are distributed among all factions and assigned by each player
to members of their faction.
a. Province and Praetor cards in the Province card deck
[4.0.g] are shuffled by the First Player who then deals them
out to the factions (starting with themselves). A player may
only pass on being dealt a card if the number of cards they
receive is greater than the number of unencumbered
Senators in their faction (not already holding an office).
Important!: While dealing minor office cards, the First
Player should be careful to deal the cards face-up since
the orientation of a Province card describes the current
development status of the Province.
b. Once all minor office cards are dealt, the players may
assign their dealt offices to any unencumbered Senator
within their faction. No Senator may be assigned more
than one office at a time.
c. Any Provinces or Praetor cards that remain unassigned due
to the ineligibility of all factions will be placed off-board.
Unassigned provinces will be ungoverned for the current
round. The effects of each ungoverned Province are:
It will immediately become undeveloped (placed
undeveloped side up) when placed off-board.
The Province will not generate tax revenue and will be
a financial burden to the Republic until re-developed
[8.1.d.i.c].
The Province will be automatically overrun in the
event of a raid or uprising during the Republic Phase
[9.2.3.c,e], potentially causing an Emergent War to
erupt.
7.6 Sponsor Public Games:
Gladiatorial games and circuses (chariot races) have the ability
to placate the population to reduce civil unrest. Games require
sponsorship from a Senator using funds from their factions
treasury. Each faction (starting with the First Player and
working clockwise) may voluntarily sponsor no more than
one game per Senator per round to a maximum of five total
games among all factions). Consuls and the Censor are
ineligible to sponsor games. Sponsorship costs 10 talents per
game which is placed on one of five Public Games spaces on
the board. The player may choose among eligible Senator(s) in
their faction to sponsor the game(s). For each game sponsored
the sponsoring Senator immediately gains (1) prestige point.
After all factions have had an opportunity to sponsor games, the
talents on the game space are counted. Unrest is decreased by
(1) for each game sponsored to a maximum of three games.
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7.7 Office/Leadership Reassignment:
In the event that a Senator dies OR is accused of a major
corruption while holding an office AND the death is NOT as
a result of war or provincial conflict, their office must be
immediately reassigned by the player to a non-office holding
Senator within their faction who meets eligibility requirements.
If the current faction does not have an eligible Senator, the
office is passed to the player to the left who attempts the
reassignment, and so on. In the case of a Censors
reassignment, if every factions Senator is ineligible due to a
lack of consular experience, the requirement is temporarily
suspended for the current round and the office of Censor will
be assigned by the original faction to an unencumbered Senator
with the highest dominance number among other
unencumbered Senators in their faction.
Prestige will not be increased due to re-assignment of major
office. Factions in rebellion are not eligible for reassignment of
offices to their faction. If a Faction Leader dies or is accused
of major corruption, the Faction Leader marker is immediately
placed on another Senator who does not have a major
corruption marker and who otherwise has the greatest amount
of prestige. In a tie among eligible Senators, the player may
choose among those tied.
8.0 SENATE PHASE
During the Senate Phase, the public responds to the Consuls
political leadership and members of the Senate make decisions
related to Romes military and financial resources for the
current round.
8.1 Resolve Consular Leadership:
First, leadership effects are resolved as follows:
a. Add the sum of the PS from each Consul
b. Add to the total PS the DR of a 2d6 roll
c. Subtract from the current level of Civil Unrest
d. Using the Leadership Effects table on the Player Summary
Sheet, reference the Result and apply the associated effects.
Effects include the amount of tax revenue that the Republic
has generated (minus deductions), an adjustment to the
Public Unrest, and the possibility of a Senate mob. Each
effect is resolved as follows:
i. Tax Revenue: Gold cubes are moved from the Bank to
the State Treasury equal to the tax revenue earned by
the Republic as determined by:
a. Base Tax Revenue amount shown from
Leadership Effects table
 I m p e
b. MINUS Army Maintenance Costs. The current
number of Expeditionary Legions is the sum of all
Legion markers found in Italia and those
currently assigned to all Active Wars. The cost to
maintain these forces for the current turn is equal
to 1 gold cube per Legion. Subtract the total
amount from the Tax Revenue amount.
c. MINUS any Loss in Provincial Revenue:
Subtract 5 gold cubes for each overrun or
ungoverned province from Tax Revenue amount.
Note: The amount of gold kept in the State Treasury
cannot exceed the maximum of 50 cubes.
ii. Unrest Adjustment: Adjust Civil Unrest by the amount
shown in this column.
iii. Senate Mob?: If the resulting row has a black dot, the
population has become so exasperated with the
leadership that a mob has broken into the Senate. Each
player will roll 1d6 for each Senator in their faction,
one-at-a-time, from left to right in their tableau.
Where the DR is 1 or 2, that Senator has been
overcome by the mob and is discarded.
iv. Revolt Effect: If the resulting number is ever less
than zero, the effect is REVOLT!. The Roman
People have had enough of the political ineptness
demonstrated by the Senate. They have revolted to
form a government more sympathetic to their
concerns and all players immediately lose.
Civil Unrest is currently at 4. Junius and Caecilius, who had
been elected Consuls have PSs of 2 and 5 respectively. The
First Player rolls 2d6 with a total DR of 6 which is added to
their PS levels resulting in (2 + 5 + 6) = 13. From this sum, the
current Civil Unrest is subtracted (13 4) resulting in 9.
Referencing 9 from the Leadership Effects table (on the
Player Summary Sheet), Rome would gain 27 gold tokens in
Tax Revenue. However, Rome must first subtract Army
Maintenance costs (1 for each of 17 Expeditionary Legions).
Since there are no overrun or ungoverned provinces, provincial
revenue losses are not subtracted. Therefore (27 - 17) = 10 gold
cubes are moved from the bank to the State Treasury and added
to the 24 gold cubes that were already there for a total of (24 +
10 = 34) gold cubes in the State Treasury.
From the table, Civil Unrest is increased by 2 by moving the
marker from 4 to 6.
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8.2 Commit Gold:
Next, all gold from the State Treasury is collected and
distributed among all factions. The amounts of gold distributed
to each faction is based on the relative number of Senators held
by each faction. A factions distribution represents that
factions portion of the State Treasury for which they are
fiscally responsible. Once distributed, each faction will apply
their gold cubes to various proposals which include raising
new legions, the purchase of public grain subsidies, or returning
it back into the State Treasury.
8.2.1 Distribution of Gold to Factions:
First, all gold cubes in the State Treasury and collected and are
distributed according to a cascading set of rules. The First
Player will begin using Rule 1 to distribute as many complete
rounds of resource cubes as possible among all factions. For
Rule 1, a complete round is defined as a proper distribution of
resource cubes to all factions when one cube is given to every
pair of Senators in a faction. Once a complete round cannot
be distributed among all factions, any further distribution is
suspended.
Instead, Rule 2 is then used to distribute as many complete
rounds of the remaining resources as possible. Here a complete
round is made when one resource cube is distributed to all
factions. Once a complete round cannot be distributed among
all factions, any further distribution is suspended.
Instead, Rule 3 is used whereby any remaining resource cubes
are divided evenly between the factions holding the offices of
Consul (with the odd resource given to the Dominant Consul).
In some cases, there are not enough resources remaining to
make distribution for a single round with a specific rule. If this
occurs, the rule is skipped and distribution continues using the
next rule.
The three rules are summarized as follows:
Rule 1: One (1) resource cube is distributed
to each faction for every two (2) Senators in
that faction (rounded down).
1:2
Rule 2: One (1) resource cube is
distributed to each faction.
Rule 3: Remaining resource cubes are
divided evenly between the factions holding
the Consuls. The odd resource is given to
the Dominant Consul.
 I m p e
Laurens faction has (3) Senators; Katies (4); Kevins (5); and
Sarahs (6). All 34 gold cubes are taken from the State Treasury
to be distributed among all factions:
Starting with Rule 1: For the first round
Lauren receives (1) gold cube as she has one two-Senator
set in her faction.
Katie receives (2) gold cubes as she has two two-Senator
sets in her faction.
Kevin receives (2) gold cubes as he has two two-Senator
sets in his faction.
Sarah receives (3) gold cubes as she has three two-Senator
sets in her faction.
A complete round of (8) Legion cubes have thus far been
distributed to all factions. A total of four complete rounds and
performed using Rule 1 which distributes a total of 32 cubes
among all factions. When finished, because there are only (2)
cubes remaining to distribute, another complete round using
Rule 1 is not possible. The 32 gold cubes distributed thus far
are as follows:
Lauren: 4
Katie: 8
Kevin: 8
Sarah: 12
Rule 2: Distribution would normally continue with Rule 2.
However, there are only (2) cubes remaining (as 4 would be
required to distribute a complete round to all four factions).
Therefore, Rule 2 is skipped and Rule 3 is followed.
Rule 3: With the (2) remaining Legion cubes, they are divided
evenly between the factions holding the Consuls.
Lauren receives (1) additional Legion cube.
Sarah receives (1) additional Legion cube.
This completes the distribution of Legion cubes to all factions.
The final distribution total is as follows:
Lauren: 5
Katie: 8
Kevin: 8
Sarah: 13
8.2.2 Factions Apply Gold to Proposals:
Each faction will now apply their allotment of gold cubes
distributed from the State Treasury to various proposals of their
choosing. Starting with the First Player and moving clockwise,
each faction will take turns applying their entire allotment of
gold cubes among all proposals. There are three proposal areas
on the Treasury board upon which gold cubes may be placed:
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a. Raise Legions: Legions will be lost as a result of wars and
disasters. For every (2) gold tokens placed in a block,
(1) new Legion will be raised.
b. Public Grain: The grain dole can be used to gain the
favor of the Roman population and reduce civil unrest. For
every (2) gold tokens placed in a block, Public Unrest is
decreased by (1). For any faction contributing (4) or
more cubes, that Factions Leader gains (1) prestige.
c. State Treasury: Gold tokens may be placed directly back
into the State Treasury to be saved, used to protect against
an unexpected Public Demand during a Random Event roll
[9.2.3.f], or for use in future rounds.
After all factions have applied all gold cubes to proposals:
i. The number of Legions raised is immediately moved from
the Populus area to the Italia area.
ii. The appropriate amount of Public Unrest from grain
subsidies is immediately decreased.
iii. Any gold remaining on proposals due to an incomplete
purchase of a Legions or grain shipment will be returned to
the State Treasury.
As the First Player, Lauren makes the following distribution of
her (5) gold cubes: (4) to Raise Legions; (1) to Public Grain
Katie then distributes her (8) gold as follows: (3) to State
Treasury; (3) to Raise Legions; (2) to Public Grain
Kevin then distributes (8) as follows: (4) to Raise Legions; (4)
to Public Grain
Sarah then distributes her (13) as follows: (12) to State
Treasury; (1) to Public Grain
The total amount of gold allocated per category is: State
Treasury: (15); Raise Legions: (11); Public Grain: (8)
The following effects are now resolved:
Since (11) cubes were applied to raise New Legions, (5)
Legions (at the cost of 2 gold cubes each) are moved from
Populus to Italia. Because one gold cube remained due to
an incomplete purchase in this proposal, it is immediately
returned to the State Treasury.
Four (4) units of grain have been purchased (at the cost of
8 gold cubes). Civil Unrest is immediately decreased by
(4). Kevins Faction Leader also gains (1) prestige by
having contributed (4) gold cubes to the grain dole.
16 gold cubes remain in the State Treasury for savings and
future demands (15 through direct allocation and one being
returned from an incomplete purchase).
 I m p e
8.3 Apply Adequate Force:
Each Active War card must now have adequate force (in the
form of Expeditionary Legions) applied to it before the war it
can be fought [3.4.b]. Some Legions may already exist on an
Active War card due to forces remaining after a stalemate. If
active wars still do not have the minimum number of Legions
required, they must be taken from Italia and applied to the war.
If adequate force can be applied to a war, it must be fought.
If adequate force cannot be applied to all Active Wars, then:
The Dominant Consul must choose one or more Active
Wars (as necessary) to which no Legions will be applied
from Italia AND such that adequate force may be met for
the remaining wars.
The war(s) selected by the Dominant Consul will not be
fought by a sent army. The Governor of the affected
Province will need to make a decision whether to attempt
a Secondary Defense during the War Phase [10.1.3.b.i].
There are 22 expeditionary Legions assigned in Italia. There
are three (3) Active Wars in the current round. From each war
card, the adequate force requirements are as follows:
The Social War requires (4) Legions;
The Jugerthine War requires three (3) Legions; and
an Emergent War requires (1) Legion
As there were no Legions previously assigned to these wars,
adequate forces are moved from Italia to each Active War card
as required (a total of 3 + 4 + 1 = 8 Legions), leaving (22 8 =)
14 free Legions in Italia.
8.4 Assign Generals & Legates:
For all Active Wars where Adequate Force has been applied:
a. The Dominant Consul must first choose one war to act as
General and lead forces into battle. If there are one or
more active wars that affect Italia, the Dominant Consul
must choose among them. Once chosen, the Dominant
Consul will place faction markers on both their Consul
office card and the Active War space of the assigned war
card. (This ensures accountability regarding which
Generals are assigned to which wars).
b. If there is more than one war being fought, the other Consul
must then choose a second war to act as General. If there
any remaining wars that affect Italia, the Consul must
choose among them and designate their assignment with
faction markers.
c. If after both Consuls have assigned themselves to active
wars, active wars still remain, the Dominant Consul must
assign a Senator of their choice to act as General for each
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remaining active war. The Dominant Consul may choose
from among all remaining Senators who have not been
assigned another office. Once chosen, the owning faction
designates their assignment with their faction markers. (If
one faction has more than one Senator assigned as General,
each Senators specific war can be designated using
matching quantities of tracking markers along with their
faction markers.)
d. All Legates that have not already been assigned to an office
must accompany their factions General(s) to war. After
the assignment of Generals has been made, factions may
choose among those wars assigned to their faction each
Legate will support. A faction marker matching the
assigned war is placed on the appropriate Legate. Legates
owned by factions not engaged in war are not eligible to
support a war. Legates assigned to war will be considered
out of Rome during the Republic Phase [9.0].
The Dominant Consul has first choice in selecting a war.
Lauren must choose the Social War since it affects Italia. She
and assigns it to Caecilius using faction markers.
Sarah, holding the other Consul, chooses the Jugerthine War
and assigns it to Junius using faction markers.
Since both Consuls have been assigned to war, the Dominant
Consul chooses Gellius (a member of Kevins faction) to fight
the Emergent War affecting Macedonia. Kevin designates the
war to Gellius using faction markers.
Now that Generals have been assigned, each faction assigns
available Legates from their faction:
Lauren decides to assign Servilius, a Legate in her faction, to
the Social War. Servilius is marked accordingly with a faction
marker.
Kevin decides to assign Domitius, a Legate in his faction, to the
Emergent War who is marked accordingly with a faction
marker.
Sarah does not have any Legates to assist in the Jugerthine War
and cannot make assignment.
8.5 Commit Legions:
The remaining expeditionary Legions in Italia will now be
collected and distributed among all factions according to their
relative amount of senatorial influence. Once distributed, each
faction will apply their entire allotment of Legions between any
Active Wars to be fought and the District of Italia.
8.5.1 Distribution of Legions to Factions:
Distribution of Legions is first performed in exactly the same
manner it was distributed for gold cubes [8.2.1].
 I m p e
Adequate force distributions had left only 14 free Expeditionary
Legions in Italia. Laurens faction contains (3) Senators;
Katies (4); Kevins (5); and Sarahs (6).
Starting with Rule 1:
Lauren receives is given (1) Legion cube as she has one
two-Senators set in her faction.
Katie receives (2) Legion cubes as she has two two-Senator
sets in her faction.
Kevin receives (2) Legion cubes as he has two two-Senator
sets in his faction.
Sarah receives (3) Legion cubes as she has three two-
Senator sets in her faction.
One complete round of (8) Legion cubes has thus far been
distributed to all factions. Because there are only (6) cubes
remaining to distribute, another complete round using Rule 1 is
not possible. Distribution begins again with Rule 2.
Rule 2: Using this rule, one complete round of one Legion per
faction is distributed.
Lauren receives (1) Legion cube
Katie receives (1) Legion cubes
Kevin receives (1) Legion cube
Sarah receives (1) Legion cube
Because there are only (2) cubes remaining after the first round,
there are not enough cubes to distribute a second round using
Rule 2. The remaining cubes are distributed using Rule 3.
Rule 3: With the (2) remaining Legion cubes, they are split
evenly between the factions holding the Consuls.
Lauren receives (1) additional Legion cube.
Sarah receives (1) additional Legion cube.
This completes the distribution of Legion cubes to all factions
with the final distribution total as follows:
Lauren: 3 understand which Senators are Out of Rome and which are In
Katie: 3 Rome. A Senator is Out of Rome if they are:
Kevin: 3
Sarah: 5 A General assigned to lead an army to war,
8.5.2 Factions Apply Legions to Wars:
Starting with the First Player and moving clockwise, each
faction will take turns applying their entire allotment of Legion
cubes of their choosing among:
Any Active War with an Assigned General: Each Legion
applied increases the armys Attack Strength by +1
[10.1.b]. Legions may supplement Legion cubes that
already exist due to adequate force [8.3] or the war having
previously been stalemated [10.1.2]
Italia: Legions applied to Italia have been assigned to stay
in Italia. They will not affect any active wars and can be
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used only to defend against a Civil War or saved to apply
to a war in a later round.
As the First Player, Lauren chooses to place her (3) Legion
cubes on the Active war area holding the Social War card (to
which her Consul is assigned).
Next, of her (3) Legions, Katie chooses to place (2) on the
Jugerthine War and (1) on Italia.
Next, Kevin places his (3) Legions on the Emergent War (to
assist his Proconsul in winning the war).
Lastly, of her (5) Legions Sarah places (1) on the Jugerthine
War, and (4) on Italia.
Given the Legions already added due to Adequate Force
requirements, the number of expeditionary Legions currently
assigned is as follows:
Social War: (4 from adequate force + 3 applied) = 7
Jugerthine War: (3 from adequate force + 3 applied) = 6
Emergent War: (1 from adequate force + 3 applied) = 4
District of Italia: 5 applied
9.0 REPUBLIC PHASE
During the Republic Phase, the members of the Senate
administrate the domestic and provincial affairs of the
Republic. Governors may develop, defend, and exploit their
provinces for financial gain. Senators in Rome engage in
political maneuvering to gain influence within the Senate.
Rome will also respond to random events.
When executing the Republic Phase, it will be important to
a Legate assigned to war, or
a Provincial Governor
Otherwise, the Senator is considered In Rome and is eligible for
persuasion [9.1.4], and subject to the effects of Action Cards
that require Senators to be in Rome.
9.1 Faction Initiatives:
Tasks 9.1.1 through 9.1.4 are Faction Initiatives. Starting with
the First Player, each faction (on their turn) may perform them
in any order (though recommended in the order provided).
Each faction initiative is voluntary. Once one faction has had
an opportunity to perform all initiatives, the next faction
(moving clockwise) is given the same opportunities. This
continues until all factions are finished.
 I m p e
9.1.1 Small Factions Gain Senators:
A faction that has less than three (3) Senators may draw new
Senators and add them to their tableau until the total number of
Senators in their faction reaches three (3). Each new Senator
drawn starts with two (2) prestige points and no consular
experience.
9.1.2 Corruption & Nobility:
Each Governor and each Praetor is eligible to gain additional
talents through corruption. This action is optional for each
eligible Senator in each players faction. Alternatively, a
Praetor may instead choose to attempt to gain nobilitashigh
standing among the members of the Senate through diligent
service to Rome.
9.1.2.1 Corruption Option:
If an eligible Senator chooses to gain talents through the
corruption, the player will roll 1d6 and gain talents depending
on the office held:
o Governors gain talents equal to 4 + DR
o Praetors gain talents equal to their contribution amount +
DR
In exchange for the talents gained, each participating Senator
will gain one minor corruption marker. The player will need to
state which Senator is attempting corruption before rolling.
9.1.2.2 Nobility Option:
A Praetor may attempt to earn the virtue of nobilitas (nobility)
through diligent effort in their service to Rome. This is
attempted by rolling 2d6 and achieving the following:
o Praetor of Military Affairs: DR + MS 14
If successful:
The Praetor gains (1) prestige point
Civil Unrest is decreased by (1).
o Praetor of Political Affairs: DR + PS 14
If successful:
The Praetor gains (1) prestige point
The State Treasury gains (2) gold from the bank.
There is no effect for unsuccessful nobility. A Praetor may not
attempt both corruption and nobility in the same round.
9.1.2.3 Consular Options:
A Consul that has not been assigned to war has the same
opportunities as Praetors to become corrupt or to attempt
nobility. When attempting nobility, the Consul may choose
either their MS or PS to lower unrest or gain gold for the
Treasury, respectively.
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Sarah faction has one Praetor and also one Governor. Sarah
first decides to gain talents through corruption with her
Governor. She rolls 1d6 with a DR of 5. She receives (4 + 5)
= 9 additional talents from the bank and assigns a minor
corruption marker to the Governor.
Next, she decides to attempt nobility with her Praetor of
Political Affairs. The Praetor has a PS of 5. She rolls 2d6 with
a DR of 9. Because 5 + 9 = 14, she has earned nobility and
gains (1) prestige point. The State Treasury also gains (2) gold
from the bank.
9.1.3 Hire Auxiliaries:
In addition to the garrisoned Provincial Legions indicated on
the Province Card, a faction may choose to enhance the
defenses of their province by hiring local mercenary forces
from their faction treasury. Up to two (2) Auxiliaries may be
hired (per Province) for three (3) talents per unit. For every
Auxiliary hired, that Provinces defensive posture is increased
by +1. The player may indicate the total number of Provincial
Legions in a by using the talents to cover the non-applicable
numbers on the Province Card (i.e. cover 3 and 5 to indicate
4 provincial legions), etc.
Provincial defenses are used to protect against a random event
of raids or uprisings. They may not be used to supplement the
Expeditionary Legions that have been assigned to fight an
Active War affecting their Province. However, if the war ends
in defeat of the sent force in the War Phase, the Governor may
choose to perform a Secondary Defense [10.1.3.b.i].
Auxiliaries are not permanent but only remain in effect during
the current round.
Hispania had become undeveloped and currently has (1)
garrisoned provincial Legion assigned [3.11.b]. The governing
faction may place no more than six (6) talents from their
treasury to hire two (2) Auxiliaries for this Province.
If two Auxiliaries are purchased by the faction, Hispanias total
defensive posture is increased to three (3): (1) Provincial
Legion + (2) Auxiliaries.
9.1.4 Persuade Aligned Senators:
A Senator in Rome during the Republic Phase may attempt to
persuade a Senator from another faction to join his faction. If a
faction has no Senators in Rome, they are ineligible to attempt.
A Senator is ineligible to be a target of persuasion if:
They are out of Rome,
They are a Faction Leader, or
A persuasion attempt has already been made on their
faction in the current round.
 I m p e
Persuasion is resolved as follows:
a. The persuading faction uses the Senator in their faction in
Rome with the highest prestige to attempt to persuade a
target Senator (faction markers may be used to indicate the
persuader and target).
b. Both the persuading and target factions may choose to
discretely gather talents from their faction treasuries and
conceal them in a closed hand as a bribe to the target.
The factions reveal their bribe simultaneously.
c. The Attraction Strength of the persuading and target
factions are each determined as the sum of:
Prestige of the Persuading (or Target) Senator
Number of Senators in the Persuading (or Target)
faction with an Ideology matching the Target (to
include the Target; regardless of current location)
Bribe amount of the Persuading (or Target) faction
DIVIDED BY 2 (and rounded down)
The Target faction (ONLY) will then roll 1d6 and
apply the DR.
If the Attraction Strength of the persuading faction is greater,
the target immediately joins the new faction along with any
offices and markers held by the target. Otherwise, the target
remains with their current faction. The bribe talents expended
by the winning faction (those obtaining (or retaining) the target
Senator) are placed in the bank. The faction that has lost the
attraction returns their bribe to their factions treasury.
Katie chooses a persuader from her faction (who is currently in
Rome) and indicates her intention to persuade a target Senator
in Rome belonging to Kevins faction. Katie secretly gathers
10 talents in her closed hand while Kevin secretly gathers 6
talents in his. When ready, both reveal their bribe amounts.
The Attraction Strengths are then determined:
Katies Faction (Persuader):
Prestige: 5
Bribe Amount: 10 talents divided by 2 = 5
Senators in her faction with ideology matching target: 3
Total Attraction Strength: (5 + 5 + 3) = 13
Kevins Faction (Target):
Prestige of the Target Senator: 3
Counter-Bribe Amount: 6 talents divided by 2 = 3
Senators in his faction with ideology matching target: 4
Kevins 1d6 roll: 5
Total Attraction Strength: (3 + 3 + 4 + 5) = 15
Because Kevins Attraction Strength is greater, he retains the
target Senator but must return the 6-talent bribe to the bank.
Katies bribe is returned to her factions treasury.
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9.2 Republic Initiatives:
Tasks 9.2.1 through 9.2.3 are Republic Initiatives which are not
turn-based. The following actions are performed by all factions
in the following order:
9.2.1 Develop Provinces:
Governors must now attempt to develop undeveloped provinces
they govern. Only one attempt per Province may be
made per round. Development is successful by rolling 1d6 and:
DR < PS
If development is successful:
The Governor gains (1) Prestige point
Province card is flipped to its developed side.
If development fails:
State Treasury is immediately decreased by (5) talents
due the economic burden of the undeveloped province.
The Province card remains undeveloped for the round.
9.2.2 Persuade New Senators:
During this initiative, two (2) Senators are drawn from the
Senator Draw deck. All factions are provided an opportunity to
persuade them to join their factions. Persuading new Senators
is similar to the method of persuading aligned Senators:
a. After the first Senator is drawn from the draw deck, all
players are allowed to examine the card.
b. The persuading factions use the Senator in their faction in
Rome with the highest prestige to attempt to persuade the
drawn Senator. (A persuasion attempt is not mandatory.)
c. Each faction may choose to discretely gather talents from
their faction treasuries and conceal them in a closed hand
as a bribe to the new Senator. All participating factions
reveal their bribes simultaneously.
d. The Attraction Strengths of each faction are compared as
determined by the method in [9.1.4.c] above (except that
the target does not roll 1d6).
d. The faction with the greatest Attraction Strength gains the
new Senator. Ties are broken by the Factions Leader
with the highest Dominance Number. The gaining
faction places their bribe into the bank while all other
factions return their bid to their faction treasuries.
e. A total of two (2) Senators are drawn separately and
persuaded per round.
Note: Once the Senator deck is depleted, re-shuffle all
discarded cards to form a new deck, placed face-down.
 I m p e
9.2.3 Random Events:
The First Player rolls 2d6 to determine the random event that
Rome must respond in the current round using the Random
Events table. Two random events must be rolled each round
which are resolved one at a time. Each resulting event will
be resolved in accordance with the instructions below:
a. If DR = 2 Plague in Rome
Civil Unrest is increased by +3.
1d6 is rolled once for each Senator in their faction who
is in Rome.
For every DR of 1 or 2, that Senator is discarded.
b. If DR = 3 or 11 Enemy Surge:
1d6 will be rolled for each non-Emergent Active War
card. Each cards printed war strength will be
modified as follows:
o DR = 1, 2 no change in the war strength
o DR = 3, 4 war strength increased by +1
o DR = 5, 6 war strength increased by +2
One or two tracking cubes may be placed on each war
card to indicate the increase of the war strength above
the cards printed value (+1 per cube).
c. If DR = 5 or 6 Barbarian/Parthian Raid
The First Player rolls 1d6 to determine the affected
province (reference the Affected Province table).
If the affected Province is already affected by an
Active War or is overrun, the raid may be disregarded.
In such cases, a replacement random event roll will
not be required.
If the Province is annexed but ungoverned, it will
automatically become overrun.
To defend against the raid, the Governor of the
affected Province must immediately roll 2d6. The
Province is successfully defended and the Governor
gains (1) Prestige if:
Governor MS + (# of Provincial + Auxiliary
Legions) + DR 13
If successful, the Governor has defended his province
and gains (1) prestige.
If unsuccessful the Governor is killed (discarded), the
province is flipped to its undeveloped side and placed
on Overrun Provinces. An Emergent War card is
taken and the affected province is marked on the left-
side of the card using a clip. The card is then placed
face-up atop the War Draw deck to be activated in the
next round [7.1.b].
d. If DR = 7 Pax Romana: No effect.
e. If DR = 8 or 9 Provincial Uprising
Same instructions as Barbarian/Parthian Raid except
that the Governors PS is used to resolve rather than
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their MS [9.2.3.c]. The Province is successfully
defended and the Governor gains (1) prestige if:
Governor PS + (# of Provincial + Auxiliary
Legions) + DR 13
f. If DR = 4, 10 Public Demands:
First Player rolls 1d6.
Pay to the bank gold cubes equal to [2 + DR] from the
State Treasury.
If total amount cannot be paid, increase Civil Unrest
by remaining gold cubes owed divided by 2 (rounded
up). (Example: DR = 4. Payment is [2 + DR] = 6.
Treasury only has 3 gold remaining. Three (3) gold is
paid. Three (3) gold remains to be paid. Unrest is
increased by (3/2) = 1.5 2 )
g. If DR = 12 Natural Disaster
Civil Unrest is increased by +5.
First Player rolls 1d6.
Pay to the bank gold cubes equal to [6 + DR] from the
State Treasury.
Note: If at any point during the game that expenditures
exceed the State Treasury, Rome is bankrupt and all players
lose! Only Provincial Raids and Uprisings may be rolled
twice in the same round. A second roll of the same result of
any other event will result in no effect.
10.0 WAR PHASE
During the War Phase, all Active Wars are resolved by the
assigned General of each war. Wars may be resolved
simultaneously or in any order.
10.1 Resolve Active Wars:
Each Active War is resolved as follows:
a. Secondary Defense Decision for Unaddressed Wars: Wars
where adequate force was not applied are immediately
resolved as defeats [10.1.3], the Governor must choose
whether to initiate a Secondary Defense [10.1.3b].
b. Determine Attack Strength: The Generals will begin
resolving their assigned wars by rolling 2d6 for each war
to determine the attack strength of the Army assigned to it.
Attack Strength is the sum of:
MS of Assigned General
# of Expeditionary Legions assigned
Legate Bonus
DR
Note: If an assigned General is a Legate, the Legate
bonus still applies.
 I m p e
c. Determine War Result: The War Strength (on the war
card) [3.4.c] is subtracted from the Attack Strength to
determine the War Result:
War Result = Attack Strength War Strength
By referencing the Result column from the War Result
table, the Legions Lost and War Outcome are determined.
i. First, remove the number of Legions from the War
card as indicated on the Legions Lost column and
place them on the left side of the Populus area.
ii. The War Outcome column will then determine
whether the war was a victory (checkmark),
stalemate (equals sign), or defeat (X).
iii. Once determined, the effects are applied as
described on the bottom half of the war card
[3.4.d].
In addition to the effects described on the war card, the
following actions are taken depending on the war result:
10.1.1 War Victory:
a. Overrun Province is Re-Annexed: If previously overrun,
the affected province card is removed from the Overrun
Provinces area and placed below the war cards
(undeveloped-side up) to be added to the other Annexed
Provinces at the end of the round [12.3.e].
b. Victorious General Considers Rebellion: The war card
remains on the Active Wars area until all other wars are
resolved. The victorious General will consider whether to
lead their Legions into rebellion against the Roman State
to initiate a Civil War [10.3].
10.1.2 War Stalemate:
a. Remove Faction Marker used to assign the General
b. War Remains Active: The War Card remains in the Active
Wars area. The surviving Legions stay with the war to
represent the sustained presence of force which may
require reinforcements during the next Senate Phase [8.3].
c. If previously overrun, the affected province stays overrun
10.1.3 War Defeat:
a. Generals and Legates Are Discarded. Assigned Generals
and all assigned Legates have perished in the battle and are
discarded. Remove all faction markers used to make war
assignment.
b. Governor Makes Decision. If the effect is an overrun
province, the Governor of the affected province (if not
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assigned as General) must make a Secondary Defense
decision. The Governor may either:
i. Mount a Secondary Defense and immediately attempt
to resolve the same war using remaining expeditionary
Legions assigned to the war card augmented by any
Provincial and Auxiliary Legions currently assigned to
their Province. War resolution procedures in [10.1.c]
will be used. Secondary Defenses cannot be
performed on wars affecting Italia. In a Secondary
Defense, the Attack Strength is the sum of:
MS of Governor
# of Exped Legions Remaining on War Card
# Provincial & Auxiliary Legions
Legate Bonus
DR
If successful, all victory conditions apply with the
Governor as General. A stalemate result in a
Secondary Defense is treated as a defeat.
ii. Abandon the Province and escape to Rome, resulting
in a minor corruption charge due to their cowardice.
c. War Remains Active: If a Secondary Defense is not
successful or is not performed, all remaining Legions from
the war card retreat to Italia and the war card remains in
the Active Wars area and the cards defeat effects are
applied.
Example #1: During the Senate Phase, Caecilius was
dispatched to Italia to deal with the Social War with (7)
Legions. Servilius, a Legate, was also assigned to the war who
adds +1 to the armys attack strength.
Lauren resolves the war by rolling 2d6. She rolls a sum of 8.
The overall attack strength of Caecilius army is DR (8) + MS
of General (4) + # Legions assigned (7) + Legates Bonus (1) =
20.
The War Result is then determined by subtracting the Wars
Strength from the Attack Strength of the force (20 6) = 14.
Referencing the War Result from the War Results table, a 14
results in a victory with three Legions being lost.
The three Legions are taken from the space above the war card
and placed in the left side of the Populus area. Victory effects
shown on the war card are followed: As victorious General,
Caecilius is awarded 2 prestige points. War spoils are given to
the general from the bank in the amount of 4 + 1d6 DR. The
player rolls 4 and receives (4 + 4) = 8 talents from the bank
to put in their faction treasury. Being victorious, Lauren
considers rebellion while the other wars are resolved.
 I m p e
Example #2: During the Senate Phase, Junius was dispatched
to Africa to deal with the Jugerthine War with six Legions and
with no Legates to assist.
Sarah resolves the war by rolling 2d6. She rolls a dismal sum
of 2. The overall attack strength of Junius army is DR (2) +
MS of Junius (4) + # Legions assigned (6) + Legates Bonus (0)
= 12.
The War Result is determined by subtracting the War Strength
from the Attack Strength of the force (12 5) = 7. Referencing
the War Result from the War Results Table indicates a defeat
with all six Legions lost. The six Legions assigned to this war
are removed and placed on the left side of the Populus area.
Junius is discarded. Since an office of Consul is now
unoccupied, Sarah re-assigns it to Appuleius, a Senator in her
faction currently in Rome.
Before the war cards defeat affects are applied, Papirius, the
Governor of Africa must make a Secondary Defense decision.
He considers his MS (2) and his Provincial Defense which is
currently at (3). Rather than attempt to win the war, he opts to
abandon his province and return to Rome, taking a minor
corruption marker. Civil Unrest is then increased by (3) and the
Africa Province card is turned to its undeveloped side and
placed in the Overrun Provinces area. The Jugerthine War
remains on the board as an Active War with no Legions
assigned.
10.2 Excessive War Involvement:
If after all Active Wars are resolved there are more than
two (2) that remain undefeated, Rome collapses under the
weight of excessive war involvement and all players lose.
10.3 Rebellion Decision:
After all active wars are resolved, a victorious General may
declare their faction in rebellion and march on Rome in an
attempt to win the game through Civil War. Only one faction
may declare themselves a rebel each round. If more than one
victorious General wishes to declare their faction in rebellion,
the option is first given to the victorious General who has the
highest dominance number, followed by the next highest, etc.
When considering rebellion, a General should consider the fact
that all other victorious armies will be returning to Italia to
engage in its defense before the rebelling faction arrives. If the
decision is made to rebel against Rome:
Civil Unrest is immediately increased by (3).
The war that was defeated under the rebel General is
discarded and replaced with the Civil War card. All
Legions that remain after the war victory are now aligned
with the rebel General above the Civil War card.
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Each victorious general who does NOT rebel will move the
remaining expeditionary Legions back to Italia, removes
faction markers, and discards their war card. All returning
Legions, along with the five Legions garrisoned in Italia,
represent the force defending Rome against a rebellion.
10.4 Resolve Civil War:
Civil Wars are resolved by comparing their Attack Strength of
the Roman Army to the Attack Strength of the rebelling force.
The Roman Army will be led by the loyal (non-rebelling)
Consul with the greatest MS and will consist of all Legions
(Expeditionary and Provincial) currently in Italia. The Consul
leading the Roman Army may assign Legates from their
faction. Both armies will roll 2d6 and calculate their attack
strength the same way it is determined for any war [10.1.b]. For
Rome to be declared victorious, their attack strength must
EXCEED that of the Rebellion, otherwise the Rebellion wins.
a. If the Rebel Faction wins the Civil War, the Rebel
Faction wins the game.
b. If the Roman Army wins the Civil War, the following takes
immediate effect:
The Roman Armys General gains +2 Prestige.
All Legions aligned with the rebellion are placed on
the left-side of the Populus area.
All rebelling assets are discarded and returned to the
bank (Senator cards, talents, and action cards).
Presuming the rebelling player wishes to continue playing in
the event of a rebellion loss, they may draw (3) new Senators
and 15 talents from the bank no earlier than the beginning of the
Election Phase in the next round.
After war resolution, two Generals were found victorious:
Caecilius (MS of 4) with Servillius as Legate (bonus of 1)
and five (5) Legions remaining, and
Gellius (MS of 4) with Domitius as assigned Legate (bonus
of 2) and one (1) Legion remaining.
Caecilius (with a dominance number of 53 has the first right
of refusal over Gellius (with a dominance number of 44) to
engage in rebellion. However, Caecilius recognizes that it is
nearly impossible to achieve victory in rebellion against
Appuleius and the Roman Army since Caecilius has a total
attack strength 10 + DR while Appuleius has (after Gellius
Legions and Legates were returned to Italia) a total Attack
Strength 20 + DR. Because of this, Caecilius decides against
rebellion. He returns to Italia victorious with his five Legions.
Gellius, having an attack strength of 7 + DR also decides
against rebellion, returning to Italia with his one remaining
Legion.
 I m p e
11.0 TRIAL PHASE
During the Trial Phase, the Censor has the responsibility to
prosecute corruption charges of the Senate that have occurred
in the current round.
11.1 Censor Selects Trials:
The Censor may select and conduct up to three (3) trials of his
choice among all Senators holding corruption markers (major
or minor). Trials are selected and resolved one-at-a time in any
order. A Censor may not put himself on trial.
11.2 Trial Resolution:
To resolve the trial, the factions having the Censor and the
Accused each roll 1d6. The Argument Strength of both the
Censor and Accused is determined as the sum of:
[+2 If Censor]
PS of Censor and Accused
Prestige of Censor and Accused
Orator bonuses (of Censors and Accuseds faction)
DR
If the Censors Argument Strength exceeds that of the
Accuseds, the conviction is successful. Otherwise, the accused
has been exonerated and the corruption marker is removed from
the Senators card with no further effect.
Note: If the Censor and the Accused are in the same faction
(and if the Orator is not the Accused) any Orators will side with
the Censor when resolving trials.
11.3 Effects of a Successful Conviction
At the end of the Trial Phase, the Censor will gain:
(1) prestige point for each pair of successful low-profile
convictions (where the Accused began the trial with 0-5
prestige points).
(1) prestige point for each successful high-profile
conviction (where the Accused began the trial with 6-12
prestige points).
Under no circumstances will a Censor earn more than
(2) Prestige during a single Trial Phase.
Note: To keep track of successful convictions earned in each
round, recommend that the Censor collect the corruption
marker of each successfully convicted Senator. The marker
should be kept minor corruption side-up to represent a low-
profile conviction and major corruption side up for high-
profile convictions.
For minor corruption convictions, the convicted Senator:
Loses (2) Prestige points
Loses their consular experience and corruption markers
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For major corruption convictions, the convicted Senator is
discarded.
11.4 Adjust Unrest
Excessive Senate corruption agitates the Roman public. After
the final trial is resolved, unrest is adjusted as follows:
a. Determine the sum of:
(1) for each unresolved minor corruption charge and
(2) for each unresolved major corruption charge.
b. From this sum, subtract the following number (depending
on the number of players):
3-player game: 0
4-player game: 1
5-player game: 2
c. Increase unrest by the resulting amount (if the value is
greater than zero).
Remove any remaining corruption markers from all Senators.
Rome enters the Trial Phase with (5) corruption charges: one
(1) major corruption and four (4) minor charges. The Censor,
Marius, decides first resolve the major corruption charge.
The Censor has PS and Prestige of (5) and (5), respectively. He
rolls 1d6 for a DR of (3). He adds his (+2) Censor bonus to
these figures for an Argument Strength of (5 + 5 + 3 + 2) = 15.
The Accused, Livius, has PS and Prestige of (5) and (2),
respectively. He rolls 1d6 for a DR of (5). He also has an
Orator in his faction with a (+2) bonus. The sum of these
figures is (5 + 2 + 5 + 2) = 14.
Because the Censors argument strength exceeds that of the
Accused, Livius is convicted and discarded.
The Censor is successful in the next two minor corruption trials
against one Senator with (4) Prestige points and another with
(6). The Censor earns a total of 2 prestige points from the
convictions of all three trials. ((1) point for the successful low-
profile convictions of a pair of Senators having prestige 0-5 and
(1) point for the successful high-profile conviction of one
Senator with prestige 6-10).
Because of the three-trial limit, two minor corruption markers
remain. For a four-player game, unrest effects are determined
by subtracting (1) from the sum of the minor corruption markers
(2). Civil Unrest is increased by (2 - 1) = 1.
 I m p e
12.0 INTERSESSION PHASE
The Intersession Phase represents the passage of time between
rounds. The Senate is subject to random mortality rolls, victory
conditions are checked, and (if victory conditions are not met)
the game is reset for the next round.
12.1 Resolve Mortality
Senators may randomly die of natural causes. Natural mortality
for the round is resolved as follows:
1. The First Player will first roll 1d6. If DR is odd, mortality
will be rolled only once this round. If DR is even, mortality
will be rolled twice this round.
2. For each mortality roll, the First Player will roll 2d6
consisting of one black die and one white die. After rolling,
the values of the black and white dice will generate a two-
digit number with the black die representing the first digit
and the white die representing the second digit. (Example:
If the black DR = 3 and the white die DR = 1, the result is
the number 31.) The number generated is the mortality
number.
3. The rolled mortality number is then compared to the
dominance numbers of all Senators in play. If there is a
match, that Senator has died and is immediately discarded.
4. If there is no matching number, there are no mortality
effects. (In the case of death due to mortality roll, Office
or Faction Leadership reassignment will not be necessary.)
12.2 Check Victory Conditions [6.0]
12.3 Reset Game for Next Round
If no victory condition was met, the game is reset for the next
round:
a. Each faction, starting with the First Player, announces
their total faction prestige and the prestige of their greatest
Senator.
b. Pass the First Player card to the left.
c. Collect all Major Office cards.
d. Collect all Province and Praetor cards which are currently
assigned, including any newly annexed and recently
liberated Provinces (ensuring that all Province cards
remain face-up) and hand them to the First Player.
e. Move all gold cubes placed on proposals to the bank.
f. Place all talents on Province cards and the Public Games
space into the talent bank.
g. Remove any Enemy Surge markers from active war cards.
h. Starting with the First Player, each faction draws (1) action
card to the three-card hand limit. Players with more than
three cards must at this time discard down to the limit.
Play resumes with the next round at the Election Phase [7.0].
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13.0 DESIGNERS COMMENTARY
Republic of Rome (Avalon Hill, 1990; Valley Games) is a
classic game of political negotiation which continues to have a
substantial and dedicated following 25 years after its initial
release. Most of its appeal stems from the historical detail and
complex interaction between the players and the game itself.
However, the complexity of the game has also lent itself to an
equally complex rule set as well as a rather lengthy tabletop
experience--with a single game sometimes lasting all day or
even multiple days. For those who are willing to navigate the
rather treacherous learning curve, it has been known to provide
a very rich and rewarding experience for those who seek depth,
detail, engagement, and historical accuracy.
The challenge was to see if a game like Republic of Rome could
be re-engineered in order to eliminate the complexity and
excessive time requirements while still retaining most of the
sophistication, mechanics, and feel of the original. Imperium is
the product of nearly two years-worth of effort, the end result
being less of a historical-political simulation and more of a
moderately complex thematic game that aspires to provide
eurogame balance and strategic opportunity.
The most time-consuming phase of RoR is the Senate Phase
which is very procedural and relies on player voting to
determine the outcome of various elections and proposals.
While many consider this the most interesting and compelling
part of the game, it is a barrier to entry for many would-be
players who would prefer simpler resolution mechanic. Instead
of counting votes to determine election results, a modified
blind-bid mechanic is used which still takes into account the
prestige of a candidate and bought votes from a factions
treasury. Governorships (along with Praetors) are minor
offices that are randomly distributed among all factions each
round further eliminating the need for additional elections.
Rather than voting for Senate measures, state resources are
divided among factions based on the size of each faction and
then applied by each faction independently to a limited set of
proposals that include raising legions and purchasing pubic
grain. The same is done with available legions when applied to
active wars. Overall, the theme is retained that a stronger
faction has more influence over the Senates decisions.
With the need for simplicity came a necessary reduction in
detail and historical accuracy. First, limiting the game to the
Late Republic Era eliminated the need for law cards which
allowed consistency in the rules as the game proceeded. Next,
a number of features (many of which I would consider fiddly)
were eliminated, allowing greater emphasis and focus on the
core game mechanics. This included removing such elements
as knights, concession cards (being instead replaced with
Praetor cards), fleets (which are now always assumed), enemy
leaders (now aggregated as enemy surges), veteran status of
legions, statesmen, exiles, dictatorships, and the Pontifex
Maximus. War activation, the sending of forces, and war
resolution have been greatly streamlined as well. With a bit of
historical abstraction, statesmen and senator cards have been
 I m p e
combined. Though they each represent a specific gens, they
carry the military and political skill and ideological traits of
individuals modeled after senatorial class nobles of the era (e.g.
the characteristics of gens Julius is modeled after Gaius Julius
Caesar, etc.). While the concept of senatorial popularity hasnt
been entirely eliminated, it has been combined with influence
into a single variable prestige which can be gained by pleasing
both the Senate and the People of Rome.
A complaint that I have heard suggests that luck overshadows
strategy in RoR. While there some truth to this, I often think of
how often historical outcomes were entirely non-deterministic.
Nevertheless, Imperium attempts to correct for some of this.
One way is that new unaligned senators are not drawn from a
deck, but rather must be persuaded (forcing the player to
manage resources and make trade-off decisions). Assassination
attempts are no longer a murderous free-for-all but require one
of a limited number of special action cards.
This is not to say that Imperium is only an abridged version of
RoR. Unique content and a number of innovative tweaks
have been incorporated, many of which enhance realism and
strategic opportunity. While the office of Praetor has been
added to balance the lack of corruption opportunities (caused
by the removal of concession cards), a player may choose
instead to attempt to earn prestige by improving Rome. The
concept of loyalty was traded for ideologies which were
assigned to Senators based upon historical commitments split
along Optimate and Populare lines. Tax revenue of Rome may
vary from one round to the next depending on the political skill
of the Consuls. Unrest increases with increasing corruption in
the Senate. Special skills (wealth, orator, and Legate bonuses)
can drastically shift the balance of power among factions.
Lastly, I apologize for the lack of color used in the game. While
the low-ink components have mostly to do with the lack of
creativity and time, Id rather like to think of it as a nostalgic
nod to the visually minimalist Avalon Hill games of days past.
;-). This is one of many improvements that Im sure can be
made. Feel free to send me your recommendations as I would
be happy to consider them in future editions.
As always, I would like to thank the Lord Jesus Christ without
whom I would know no peace. I would also like to thank my
wife Jennifer, and our kids, Katie, Kevin, Sarah, and Lauren for
their support, assistance, and patience throughout game
development. As for Imperium, my hope is that it hits a sweet
spot for many who have sought such a game.
Ad Gloriam Romae!
Mike Mollineaux XXIII Maius MMXVI
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14.0 GRAPHICS ATTRIBUTION
Advocate image: http://www.eonimages.com/media/c4e57bb6-3a25-11e0-83b2-
f9ad7be5d16a-catilinarian-conspirators-before-the-roman-senate
Censor Symbol: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:PSF-scroll.png
Clock icon:
https://www.iconfinder.com/icons/326483/access_clock_time_icon#size=128
Coins icon: http://www.iconarchive.com/show/android-icons-by-icons8/Shopping-
Coins-icon.html (with backlink to) https://icons8.com/
Coliseum image: http://etc.usf.edu/clipart/44900/44985/44985_colosseum.htm
James Harvey Robinson Outline of European History Part I (Boston, MA: Ginn and
Company, 1914)
Column icon (back of cards): http://www.iconarchive.com/show/outline-icons-by-
iconsmind/Column-icon.html (backlink to: https://www.iconsmind.com/)
Column icon (political skill symbol): Timur Zima, from the Noun Project:
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pillar_column_icon_(Noun_Project).svg
Conspiracy (Crown image): http://thegraphicsfairy.com/vintage-crown-pearls-image/
Consul Symbol: Public Domain:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lictor#/media/File:Fasces_lictoriae.svg (by F L A N K E R)
Crossed swords icon: http://www.clker.com/clipart-black-crossed-swords.html
False Charges image: Cicero Denouncing Catiline, engraved by B.Barloccini, 1849
Fist icon: Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1682523
Flame icon: http://www.endlessicons.com/free-icons/fire-icon/
Forum of Augustus: Wikipedia, credited to (from By S.B. Platner, The Topography
and Monuments of Ancient Rome(2nd ed.), p. 277, 1911 -
http://www.vroma.org/images/mcmanus_images/forumaug_recondraw.jpg - McManus
Images Index I, May 25 2013 line 68: reconstruction drawing of the Forum of Augustus;
modern (also here for index on VROMA.ORG, CC BY-SA 3.0,
https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=34544286)
Gladius image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Uncrossed_gladius.jpg (by
Rama)
Helmet icon: http://www.freepik.com/free-icon/roman-helmet_770323.htm; Icon made
by Freepik from www.flaticon.com
Hills (Undeveloped) icon:
https://geog491gruber.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/mountains-and-hills1.jpg
Hourglass icon: By Freepik at www.flaticon.com,
http://www.pixempire.com/icon/hourglass-icon-1.html
Influence Peddling image:
http://www.practicatechnical.com/archives/tag/clipart?file=Bible/Symbols/Bag-
Coins.png
Laurel wreath (back of cards):
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Laurel_Wreath.jpg (by N3g4t1v3z3rO)
Laurel wreath (Prestige & Faction Leader symbol):
https://openclipart.org/detail/153649/laurel-wreath
Legionnaire picture (cover): http://jnathanillustration.deviantart.com/art/Roman-
Legion-529372509
Map of Europe:
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:1865_Spruner_Map_of_the_Roman_Empire_u
nder_Constantine_-_Geographicus_-_ImperiumRomanorum-spruner-1865.jpg
Military Alliance icon: http://www.fromoldbooks.org/OldEngland/pages/0085-Roman-
Eagle/
Populus image: The Temples at Baalbek, Syria, B. Schultz
Public Grain image: http://www.xn--42c8ao1akazf5c2be0gsk.com/wp-
content/uploads/2012/11/Ceres.jpg
Judicial Appeal image: http://logos-
vector.com/logo/logos_vector_download_Deusa+Themis_129491.htm
Scroll icon (Orator): http://icons.mysitemyway.com/legacy-icon/023595-black-inlay-
crystal-clear-bubble-icon-culture-scroll-sc2/
Senate picture: Cicero indicts Catiline before the Senate. Painting by H. Schmidt, 1920
Shield icon: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Roman_shield.svg (by Redtony)
Roman Census images: http://www.eonimages.com/-/topics/ancient-world/rome/page/2
Roman Forum Picture:
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Depiction_of_the_Forum_Romanum_(1866).jp
g (by Constant Moyaux)
Roman Standard: http://etc.usf.edu/clipart/1900/1915/romanstandards_1.htm
Roman Temple/Treasury image:
http://etc.usf.edu/clipart/80300/80302/80302_temple.htm
Tactical Advantage image: A Testudo, Wenceslaus Hollar, 17 th Cent.
Tribune icon: Public Domain,
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tiberius_Gracchus.jpg
Voting Coin Icon: Picture from: E.S. Steveley, Greek and Roman Voting and
Elections (1972, London), p. 158 viewed
in http://www.mq.edu.au/pubstatic/research/centres_and_groups/acans/postgraduate_stu
dy/roman_coins_for_mq_students/
War Card background: Public Domain,
https://da.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castor_og_Pollux#/media/File:BattleOfLakeRegillus.jpg
White die icon: http://www.iconarchive.com/show/ios7-icons-by-icons8/Gaming-Dice-
icon.html (backlink to https://icons8.com/)
 I m p e r I v m

15.0 PLAYER NOTES

22
 I m p e r I v m

16.0 INDEX Persuasion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.1.4

Plague . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.2.3.a
1d6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . One 6-sided die Political Skill . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.1.c
2d6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Two 6-sided dice Praetors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.2; 7.5; 9.1.2
Action Cards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.5, 12.3.i Prestige . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.1.a
Activate Wars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.1 Proposals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.2.2
Adequate Force . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.4.b, 8.3 Province . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.3, 4.0.f, 7.5, 9.2.1,
Affected Province . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.4.a 9.2.3.c & e, 10.1.3, 12.3.d
Annexed Province . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.3.a Provincial Development . . . . . . . . . . . 9.2.1
Argument Strength . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11.2 Provincial Legion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.11.b, 9.1.3, 9.2.3.c & e,
Attack Strength . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10.1.b 10.1.3.b.i
Auxiliary Legion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.11.c, 9.1.3, 9.2.3.c & e, PS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . See Political Skill
10.1.3.b.i Public Demands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.2.3.f
Bank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.10.ii, 4.0.b, 12.3.e Public Games . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.10.a, 7.6
Censor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.2, 11.0 Public Grain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.10.iv, 8.2.2.b
Censor Election . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.3.2 Raid (Barbarian/Parthian) . . . . . . . . . . 9.2.3.c
Civil War . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.4.1, 10.3, 10.4 Raise Legions (Proposal) . . . . . . . . . . 3.10.iii, 8.2.2.a
Components (of game) . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.0, 3.0 Random Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.2.3
Consul . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.2 Rebellion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10.3, 10.4
Consular Election . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.3.1 Recruitment (of unaligned Senators) . . 9.2.2
Consular Experience . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.8, 7.3.1.e, 7.3.2.a, 11.3 Republic Phase . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.0
Contribution Scale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.1.a Revolt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.1.d.iv
Conviction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11.2, 11.3 Round Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.0
Corruption . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.7, 9.1.2.1, 11.1, 11.3 Secondary Defense . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10.1.3.b.i
Defeat (war) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10.1.3 Senate Phase . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.0
Defeat Conditions (game) . . . . . . . . . . 6.2 Senator Card . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.1
Developed Province . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.3 Setup (game) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.0
Development (Provincial) . . . . . . . . . . 3.3, 9.2.1 Special Skills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.1.f
Distribution of Resources (to Senate) . 8.2.1, 8.5.1 Stalemate (war) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10.1.2
Dominance/Mortality Number . . . . . . 3.1.e State Treasury . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.10.i, 8.1.d.i, 8.2.2.c
Dominant Consul . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.3.1.e; 8.2.1; 8.3; 8.4.a; 8.5.1 Tax Revenue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.1.d.i
DR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Result of a die/dice roll Trial Phase . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11.0
Election Phase . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.0 Undeveloped Province . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.3
Emergent War . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.4.1, 7.1.b, 9.2.3.c & e Unrest (Civil) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.4.d.iv, 3.10.b, 8.1, 9.2.3.a,
Enemy Surge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.2.3.b 10.1.c, 11.4
Excessive War Involvement . . . . . . . . 7.1.c, 10.2 Uprising (Provincial) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.2.3.e
Expeditionary Legion . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.3, 3.10.c, 3.11.a, 8.1.d.i.b, Victory (war) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10.1.1
8.3, 8.5, 9.1.3, 9.2.3.g, 10.1, Victory Conditions (game) . . . . . . . . . 6.1
10.3, 10.4 War Cards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.4
Faction Leader . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.6, 7.4, 7.7, 9.1.4 War Outcomes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.4.d, 10.1.1-3
First Player . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.9, 4.0.o, 12.3 War Resolution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10.1.a-c
Game Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.10, 4.0.b War Strength . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.4.c, 10.1.c
Governors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.3, 7.5, 9.2.1, 9.2.3.c & e, Wealth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.1.f.ii
10.1.3.b
Ideology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.1.d, 9.1.4
In/Out of Rome . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.0
Intersession Phase . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12.0 Military Skill Affected Province
Italia (District of) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.3, 3.11.b, 8.2.2.i
Leadership Effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.1 Political Skill Legions
Legate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.1.f.i, 8.4, 10.1.b, 10.1.3
Legion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.11 (see different types) Contribution
Prestige amount (talents)
Logistical Disaster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.2.3.g
Major Offices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.2
Military Skill . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.1.b Civil Unrest Developed Province
Mob (Senate) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.1.d.iii
Mortality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12.1 Corruption WS War Strength
MS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . See Military Skill
Nobility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.1.2.2
Ideology Overrun Province
Non-Annexed Province . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.3.c, 4.0.f
Office Cards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.2, 7.3
Office Reassignment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.7 Faction Talents Legate Bonus
Orator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.1.f.iii, 11.2
Overrun (Province) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.3.b, 3.10.d, 9.2.3.c & e, Gold Orator Bonus
10.1.1, 10.1.2, 10.1.3
Overview (of game) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.0
23