Rome Burns!
Rome is burning, assemble your crew and fight for what’s left. Rome Burns! You are a patrician, a senator, an eques or some other shadowy figure, using your money and influence to gain favor, manipulate and control. Deploy your caterva from the shadows, use them to fight for what’s left of a smoldering Rome. "Rome Burns!" uses a bidding system with a dwindling pool of resources to represent the chaotic struggle for power in a collapsing Roman society. Players are encouraged to think like cunning Roman figures, deploying their gangs ("caterva") to seize valuable assets in the midst of chaos. Combat, the core mechanic of the game, relies on a blind bidding system where players wager coins from a limited personal supply ("crumena"). This forces strategic resource management. Thematically, this dwindling resource pool emphasizes the scarcity and competition for survival in a collapsing Rome. Victory hinges not just on eliminating opponents, but on strategically outmaneuvering them to capture objectives. Players secretly pledge to secure specific objectives, adding a layer of intrigue and deception. This reflects the political cunning and opportunism that characterized Roman society. The game's setting, a burning Rome littered with obstacles, further reinforces the themes of chaos and desperation.
Special thanks to Malev and everyone over at the Rules of Carnage Discord. The one-box wargame challenge was not only a fun challenge but a great opportunity to try to design something I might never have tried. This game is very much still in development. I have some ideas to add more elite units, supernatural elements, and more. I am open to any and all feedback. I appreciate you taking a look at my game. I hope you enjoy it.
8/12/2025- Updated the fire token to use new assets.
1/14/2025- Updated document to feature more beta rules, including a prayer action and two new factions.
8/5/2025- Fixed minor issues and added new art done by the original invisible
