3 Legacy gained for the victory.
(Italia's support drops 1 for losing Africa.)
Support Check Phase -1 support in each of your provinces containing a Rival Emperor, active barbarians and/or an enemy army in the capital.
If Emperor, -1 support to Italia if a Pretender or Rival Emperor is on the map.
Mob removes Governor in Galatia.
Expand Pretender Empire Phase Provinces you govern with a support level of 3+ adjacent to your Pretender Empire join it.
N/A
Gain Legacy Phase Gain Legacy for governed provinces, improvements and being Emperor or Pretender.
4 Legacy gained: 2 Provinces governed; 2 Improvements.
Buy/Trash Cards Phase You may discard cards from your hand before buying/trashing cards.
Finished, with four political points generated by support in provinces governed.
End of Turn Phase Flip inactive barbarians in your provinces to their active sides.
N/A
Add one Mob counter to each of your provinces with Mobs.
Take Actions Phase Play cards from your hand and spend influence points to perform any combination of actions in any order you wish.
You may choose the same action multiple times, if you can afford to pay the necessary influence points.
Barbarians wiped out, automatic victory, no need to reroll. Militia dies and one legion is reduced and immediately retrained. Increase influence to 4 with Ardashir death. With the last point, attack Barbarians in Britannia.
Geth, roll 2d6h2 for Britannia's Legions
Geth, roll 3d6h4 for Franks invaders.
That's a Loss. 2 barbarians die, the last one remains. 2 legions wounded (They go out of the capital and immediately back in since no one stop them). Play Blue 3. Recruit last Barbarian in Britannia in Britannian Army (Next time I'll play smart and do that before attacking...) Play red 2. Retrain a Legion In Britannia and a Legion in Macedonia. Place Castra on Syrian Army. Play blue 1. Use my 4 blue point in Galatia automatically taking it. New governor, Mob automatically goes away. Play Yellow 4. Encrease influence in Galatia and Macedonia to 2 with 2 yellow points each. I have 10 political points, I pick Pretorian Guard, Tribute and discard last 1 blue. Should be 8 points of provinces and 4 of Battle (that should have been 8 if I was smart...) @stever777
Support Check Phase -1 support in each of your provinces containing a Rival Emperor, active barbarians and/or an enemy army in the capital.
If Emperor, -1 support to Italia if a Pretender or Rival Emperor is on the map.
N/A
Expand Pretender Empire Phase Provinces you govern with a support level of 3+ adjacent to your Pretender Empire join it.
N/A
Gain Legacy Phase Gain Legacy for governed provinces, improvements and being Emperor or Pretender.
8 Legacy gained: 4 Provinces governed; 4 Improvements.
Buy/Trash Cards Phase You may discard cards from your hand before buying/trashing cards.
Finished, with ten political points generated by support in provinces governed.
End of Turn Phase Flip inactive barbarians in your provinces to their active sides.
N/A
Add one Mob counter to each of your provinces with Mobs.
Take Actions Phase Play cards from your hand and spend influence points to perform any combination of actions in any order you wish.
You may choose the same action multiple times, if you can afford to pay the necessary influence points.
Support Check Phase -1 support in each of your provinces containing a Rival Emperor, active barbarians and/or an enemy army in the capital.
If Emperor, -1 support to Italia if a Pretender or Rival Emperor is on the map.
N/A
Expand Pretender Empire Phase Provinces you govern with a support level of 3+ adjacent to your Pretender Empire join it.
N/A
Gain Legacy Phase Gain Legacy for governed provinces, improvements and being Emperor or Pretender.
8 Legacy gained: 3 Provinces governed; 3 support in Italia; 2 Improvements.
1 Turn of Being Emperor.
Diocletian, Latin in full Gaius Aurelius Valerius Diocletianus, original name Diocles (born 245 ce, Salonae?, Dalmatia [now Solin, Croatia]—died 316, Salonae), Roman emperor (284–305 ce), who restored efficient government to the empire after the near anarchy of the 3rd century. His reorganization of the fiscal, administrative, and military machinery of the empire laid the foundation for the Byzantine Empire in the East and temporarily shored up the decaying empire in the West. His reign is also noted for the last great persecution of the Christians.
I still think there's a good basis for a game here, but it feels like 80% of the focus is on barbarian management rather than moving against the other players. Italia and being emperor/pretender should be the main focus of the game, but it's only secondary to making sure you regularly clean your gutters of barbarians. The player who held the emperor title for 2/3rds of the game shouldn't come in 3rd place and 13 points behind the one who held it for less than half as long.
I would also like to claim that it's totally not at all my fault I did so terrible! Okay, not the best plays, but a random barbarian invasion just happened to have occurred on the single worst possible turn in the game where I didn't have the hand to deal with it, losing the territory, failing to take over another territory because of rolling a 1 for governor, and never recovering from that because if you don't keep pace with everyone else grabbing 3 & 4 cards, you're out of the game.
(I still think the Castra and Flanking events should be swapped on the 2 & 3 red cards, or something that doesn't give a such a huge advantage to the defender. Then the blue events should be buffed because blue points are by far the least useful while the blue 4 event if by far the most useless)
One thing I missed: I've been getting the rules to mobs wrong this whole time. I always thought they decreased support by being present just like barbarians, but they don't do anything except multiply and they only affect control if they equal the support level. That makes the amphitheater way better than I thought since mobs have zero effect as long as your support is at least 2.
Basilicas still suck. You either occupy Italia with an army that guarantees the vote, or you don't take it at all.
Agree with almost all here, (except your play was just appalling).
:P
It's a very good game, esp for GMT Games, but not great. A good amount of luck involved.
Gonna put it on the back-burner for now. Need a holiday break.
Thinking of running Star Trek Ascendancy, which I really like.
I was really surprised that I scored that high given that I had been trailing (by 10+) for almost the entire game, but I guess there can be huge swing turns, 40% of my non-bonus points came from the last 2 turns
Mobs aren't totally pointless (but yes amphitheatres are pretty good), they still decrease your points available to buy/trash
The game definitely does seem like "cull the barbarians simulator" - that last turn I got more from fighting a few random barbarians than I did for being emperor, which seems a little weird
I guess being Emperor raises a red flag and everyone attacks you instead of the most dangerous player My mistake to take it early probably, but still had a chance for the 2nd place.
Mobs aren't totally pointless (but yes amphitheatres are pretty good), they still decrease your points available to buy/trash
The game definitely does seem like "cull the barbarians simulator" - that last turn I got more from fighting a few random barbarians than I did for being emperor, which seems a little weird
Not only that, but you won by "poaching" barbarians from another player! Barbarians are so far into the primary means of victory points that they go from threats to gold rush.
Posts
(Italia's support drops 1 for losing Africa.)
Support Check Phase
-1 support in each of your provinces containing a Rival Emperor, active barbarians and/or an enemy army in the capital.
If Emperor, -1 support to Italia if a Pretender or Rival Emperor is on the map.
Mob removes Governor in Galatia.
Expand Pretender Empire Phase
Provinces you govern with a support level of 3+ adjacent to your Pretender Empire join it.
N/A
Gain Legacy Phase
Gain Legacy for governed provinces, improvements and being Emperor or Pretender.
4 Legacy gained: 2 Provinces governed; 2 Improvements.
Buy/Trash Cards Phase
You may discard cards from your hand before buying/trashing cards.
Finished, with four political points generated by support in provinces governed.
End of Turn Phase
Flip inactive barbarians in your provinces to their active sides.
N/A
Add one Mob counter to each of your provinces with Mobs.
N/A
Refill your hand to five cards.
Done.
The Black Hole of Cygnus X-1
Upkeep Phase
All Quaestor and Castra markers in provinces you govern are removed.
Done.
Crisis Phase
Roll 2d6 on Crisis Table and resolve the result.
Geth, roll 2d6 for Crisis Phase
The Black Hole of Cygnus X-1
Geth, roll 1d6 for Invasion Check
Geth, roll 1d6 for Path
The first die is considered the black die.
The Black Hole of Cygnus X-1
MILITARY CARDS FOR PURCHASE
SENATE CARDS FOR PURCHASE
POPULACE CARDS FOR PURCHASE
The Franks do not invade.
Good Auguries is active.
Take Actions Phase
Play cards from your hand and spend influence points to perform any combination of actions in any order you wish.
You may choose the same action multiple times, if you can afford to pay the necessary influence points.
@Preda
The Black Hole of Cygnus X-1
Geth, roll 2d6h2 for Preda's Legions
Geth, roll 1d6h4 for Preda's Militia
Geth, roll 3d6h4 for Ardashir & friend
Geth, roll 2d6h2 for Britannia's Legions
Geth, roll 3d6h4 for Franks invaders.
@stever777
Support Check Phase
-1 support in each of your provinces containing a Rival Emperor, active barbarians and/or an enemy army in the capital.
If Emperor, -1 support to Italia if a Pretender or Rival Emperor is on the map.
N/A
Expand Pretender Empire Phase
Provinces you govern with a support level of 3+ adjacent to your Pretender Empire join it.
N/A
Gain Legacy Phase
Gain Legacy for governed provinces, improvements and being Emperor or Pretender.
8 Legacy gained: 4 Provinces governed; 4 Improvements.
Buy/Trash Cards Phase
You may discard cards from your hand before buying/trashing cards.
Finished, with ten political points generated by support in provinces governed.
End of Turn Phase
Flip inactive barbarians in your provinces to their active sides.
N/A
Add one Mob counter to each of your provinces with Mobs.
N/A
Refill your hand to five cards.
Done.
The Black Hole of Cygnus X-1
Upkeep Phase
All Quaestor and Castra markers in provinces you govern are removed.
Done.
Crisis Phase
Roll 2d6 on Crisis Table and resolve the result.
Geth, roll 2d6 for Crisis Phase
The Black Hole of Cygnus X-1
Geth, roll 1d6 for Invasion Check
Geth, roll 1d6 for Path
The first die is considered the black die.
The Black Hole of Cygnus X-1
MILITARY CARDS FOR PURCHASE
SENATE CARDS FOR PURCHASE
POPULACE CARDS FOR PURCHASE
3 Nomads invade Africa & 1 invades Hispania.
Good Auguries is active.
Take Actions Phase
Play cards from your hand and spend influence points to perform any combination of actions in any order you wish.
You may choose the same action multiple times, if you can afford to pay the necessary influence points.
@Phyphor
The Black Hole of Cygnus X-1
Armies do not have to leave the capital to attack. It's more of a political status than a physical location.
The Black Hole of Cygnus X-1
Place governor in hispania. Success on non-1
Geth roll 1d6
Geth roll 2d6h2 for rome
Geth roll 1d6h4 for barba
Armies have to leave the capital when they lose a battle.
The Black Hole of Cygnus X-1
The Black Hole of Cygnus X-1
8 mil points left
Syria army -> pannonia (3). Battle (4)
Geth roll 1d6h2 for legion
Geth roll 1d6h4 for damaged legion
Geth roll 1d6h4 for barbs
Geth roll 3d6h2 for rome
Geth roll 2d6h4 for barbs
The Black Hole of Cygnus X-1
Battle (1)
Move for 3 (4)
Battle (5)
Move for 2 (7)
Reinforce (8)
Battle (9)
Support Check Phase
-1 support in each of your provinces containing a Rival Emperor, active barbarians and/or an enemy army in the capital.
If Emperor, -1 support to Italia if a Pretender or Rival Emperor is on the map.
N/A
Expand Pretender Empire Phase
Provinces you govern with a support level of 3+ adjacent to your Pretender Empire join it.
N/A
Gain Legacy Phase
Gain Legacy for governed provinces, improvements and being Emperor or Pretender.
8 Legacy gained: 3 Provinces governed; 3 support in Italia; 2 Improvements.
1 Turn of Being Emperor.
The Black Hole of Cygnus X-1
Final Legacy Points
Daemonis 58 + 10 = 68
MrBody 53 + 0 = 53
Preda 69 + 0 = 69
Phyphor 75 + 6 = 81
All Hail Emperor Phyphor for holding the Empire together until Diocletian arrived to get it back on track!
Congrats, Phyphor!
GG, all.
Final map
The Black Hole of Cygnus X-1
You actually won that by wiping them out.
The Black Hole of Cygnus X-1
I still think there's a good basis for a game here, but it feels like 80% of the focus is on barbarian management rather than moving against the other players. Italia and being emperor/pretender should be the main focus of the game, but it's only secondary to making sure you regularly clean your gutters of barbarians. The player who held the emperor title for 2/3rds of the game shouldn't come in 3rd place and 13 points behind the one who held it for less than half as long.
I would also like to claim that it's totally not at all my fault I did so terrible! Okay, not the best plays, but a random barbarian invasion just happened to have occurred on the single worst possible turn in the game where I didn't have the hand to deal with it, losing the territory, failing to take over another territory because of rolling a 1 for governor, and never recovering from that because if you don't keep pace with everyone else grabbing 3 & 4 cards, you're out of the game.
(I still think the Castra and Flanking events should be swapped on the 2 & 3 red cards, or something that doesn't give a such a huge advantage to the defender. Then the blue events should be buffed because blue points are by far the least useful while the blue 4 event if by far the most useless)
One thing I missed: I've been getting the rules to mobs wrong this whole time. I always thought they decreased support by being present just like barbarians, but they don't do anything except multiply and they only affect control if they equal the support level. That makes the amphitheater way better than I thought since mobs have zero effect as long as your support is at least 2.
Basilicas still suck. You either occupy Italia with an army that guarantees the vote, or you don't take it at all.
:P
It's a very good game, esp for GMT Games, but not great. A good amount of luck involved.
Gonna put it on the back-burner for now. Need a holiday break.
Thinking of running Star Trek Ascendancy, which I really like.
The Black Hole of Cygnus X-1
Oh right, forgot about that
The game definitely does seem like "cull the barbarians simulator" - that last turn I got more from fighting a few random barbarians than I did for being emperor, which seems a little weird
I guess being Emperor raises a red flag and everyone attacks you instead of the most dangerous player My mistake to take it early probably, but still had a chance for the 2nd place.
Not only that, but you won by "poaching" barbarians from another player! Barbarians are so far into the primary means of victory points that they go from threats to gold rush.