All roads literally start from Rome, and players score based on the number of their color soldiers that lead back to Rome. On a player’s turn, they place down their color of soldiers to build a road. And best of all, the game is also fun, which probably is more important than playtime. The amount of games that are good at 5 AND don’t eat up an entire day of players time is probably less than most people have fingers, but Caesar’s Empire manages it. The more you play it, the faster it can actually get, to the point that the game deserves a spot in most collections for that alone. This is a game that accommodates 5 players and is done within 60 minutes, give or take a few extra minutes on your first ever playthrough. I had enjoyed the comics and Rome too much to pass on it, so I immediately ordered a copy, and found one of the most fun, but thematically perplexing, games I’ve ever encountered.Ĭaesar’s shadow looms can you build the best roads? All Roads Do Actually Lead to Rome, It’s Not Just a Phase Mom!Ĭaesar’s Empire is a competitive route laying game for 2-5 players, and plays within an hour, even at 5. But, sure enough, while browsing new game releases I saw the iconic face of Goscinny and Uderzo’s rendition of Caesar, staring down at a map, with the “Asterix” logo in the bottom corner of the box. I was honestly shocked that there are so few Asterix themed board games, and even doubly shocked by the sudden appearance of Caesar’s Empire from designer Matthieu Podevin and published by Holy Grail Games, two names I have honestly never heard of before. I’m also an avid fan of comics, having grown up reading them and spending a huge chunk of my personal career path writing about and studying graphic fiction from across the globe, so I’ve always had a special place in my heart for Asterix, the French comics by René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo (with the caveat beforehand that yes, quite a lot of these comics have aged very poorly, for anyone who is about to ask).

I actually own more games set in ancient Rome than I do any other setting, without getting technical about ‘sci-fi’ or ‘fantasy’. Ancient Rome is one of my favorite periods of history, and is a surefire way to make me interested in any product you’re producing.

Forge of empire review