rome
&
carthage
Jean-René Vernes
Rome & Carthage was created in 1954; it was then published several times around the world. In the game’s first version, the mechanics
were based on a traditional 52-cards deck of cards. The designer of the game is Jean-René Vernes, who invented a famous law in contact bridge,
and is also the co-designer of the game RISK.
Rules
In 300 BC, while Rome is laying the foundations of its empire, the Greek cities join forces under the aegis of Byzantium; Egypt
is attempting to get back to its Pharaoh’s might and the empire of Carthage is threatened. They are all sharpening their
knives, claiming ultimate supremacy in the region. War is looming in the Mediterranean region… The battle begins!
Components
Allocating the armies
Men are awaiting orders!
- 52 cards
- 2 special cards Treason of General
- 2 special cards Popular Sedition
- 1 game board
- 28 armies
(7 armies per Empire: 3 infantrymen, 2 galleys, 1 chariot, 1 elephant)
A player who plays with two Empires (2 or 3-player game) takes
the 14 armies of his Empires.
A player who plays with one Empire (3 or 4-player game) takes
the 7 armies of his Empire.
Allocating the resource cards
Each player plays with an Empire and its capital city:
Wealth flows!
When a player plays with one Empire, he takes the following cards, in his
colour: 0 – 0 – 2 – 4 – 6 – 8 – 10 – 15
Greeks
Byzantium
(Byzance)
Carthaginians
(Carthage)
Egyptians
Alexandria
(Alexandrie)
When a player plays with two Empires, he takes the 13 following cards in
the colour of one of his Empires, and one additional “15” card (in the colour of
his other Empire): 0 – 0 – 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 – 6 – 7 – 8 – 9 -10 – 15 – 15
Romans
(Rome)
Object of the game
The players must occupy simultaneously the two capitals of the opposite
team during a whole turn, or eliminate all their opponent’s armies.
The two Zero cards
of the Greek Empire
Set-up
Forming teams
The “Zero” cards which have not been taken by the players are definitely removed from the game. The remaining cards are carefully shuffled and turned
face down to form a stock.The players are allowed to seek advice from their
partner and to show him their cards.
Two sides confront each other.
The players ally in two teams the following way:
Allocating special cards
United we stand!
you’ll need to be cunning!
4-player game: each player takes an Empire.
Then, the players make two 2-player teams.
Each team takes a Betrayal of General card (1) and a Popular Sedition
card (2), and so does a player who plays two Empires. Those cards are placed
face up in front of the players.
3-player game: a player takes two Empires and plays alone.
Each one of the two other players takes one Empire, and then they form
a team.
2-player game: each player takes two Empires.
The players of a team win together, even if all the armies of one of
the two players have been eliminated.
(1)
2
(2)
Game flow
Note: A player can move two infantrymen from different Empires. It is
not possible to play a “Forced March” against an opponent.
The players choose which one of them plays first. Then, they take turn
playing clockwise.
3. Move one army, or two infantrymen
Straight ahead!
Two first turns: armies positioning
The player who plays two Empires plays as if they formed only one
Empire. During his turn, he moves only one army, from the Empire
he chooses (or two infantrymen, from the same Empire, or from two
different Empires).
The players cannot stop one of their armies in a city occupied by an
allied army. When an army moves by 2 cities or more, it can cross a city
occupied by an allied army (but not by an opponent’s army).
It is not possible to place more than two armies on a city.
General mobilization!
A city can only be occupied by one army. An army must be placed on a
city of the similar colour.
First turn
A player who plays one Empire places 4 armies of his choice. A player
who plays two Empires places 8 armies - 4 armies per Empire.
Second turn
Each player places his 3 remaining armies. A player who plays two Empires places 6 armies – 3 per Empire.
Simple March
march forward!
From the third turn on: beginning of the game
ELEPHANT
GALLEY
INFANTRYMAN
CHARIOT
War declared!
Each player takes turn performing the following actions:
> Drawing a card
> Playing one or two special cards
> Moving an army
> Fighting
On land, from a city to a neighbouring city.
At sea, or along the coasts, from a city to
a neighbouring city.
On land, from a city to a neighbouring city.
You may move one or two infantrymen.
On land, by 1 or 2 adjacent cities. The chariot
moves twice as fast as the other armies.
Forced March
1. Drawing a card
Let the drums sound!
Let’s hope the harvest is good!
A player can perform a Forced March by discarding one or more
card(s) from his hand, for a value of at least 3 points. A Forced
March allows the players to make 2 successive moves with one
army OR 1 simple move with two different armies.
The player draws a card from the stock. He secretly looks at its value
and adds the card to his deck.
In a three-player game, the player who plays alone draws TWO cards.
After this phase, the player can pass or perform one of the following
actions:
A player who moves two infantrymen can move one additional army only
in Forced March.
2. Optionally playing one or two special cards
Traitors may sow discord…
Example 1
The special cards are single-use.
During 3 or 4-player games, a player can use one (or two) special card(s)
even if his partner disagrees.
Popular Sedition
The Popular Sedition card allows a player whose capital city is occupied to destroy the OCCUPYING army (this army is removed from
the game, as in the case of an ordinary defeat) without fighting.
Treason of General
The Treason of General card allows a player to move an OPPONENT’S
army (or two armies in the case of infantrymen) in the same manner as if
the opponent were playing.
The player moves
two infantrymen in simple
march, and the elephant
in forced march.
3
When several fights take simultaneously place in different places,
the attacker chooses which one is played first.
Example 2
Special Advantages
The heaviest units’ charge
can be devastating!
The ELEPHANT doubles the highest card played against the land
armies (not against galleys).
The CHARIOT doubles the weakest card played against all the armies.
The player moves 2 infantrymen in simple march and moves another one in forced march.
Example 3
Elephant: 4 + (2x10)
Total = 24
Chariot: (2x4) + 10
Total = 18
In case of a tie
Nothing is lost to the brave men!
The player moves his galley in forced march.
The fight goes on: each player plays a new card according to the
preceding rules, but only one card, and so on, until one of the players
wins the fight.
4. Fighting,
when a move has lead an army in a city occupied
by an opponent’s army.
Note: The special advantages of the elephant and the chariot do not
apply in case of a tie.
If both players each play a total amount of zero, the fight ends and
the attacker goes back to his previous location. If this city is occupied,
the occupying army also moves backwards (which seldom happens).
In case of a tie, it is not possible for the players to play a spy.
General Case
Let the best win!
Each player involved in the fight chooses TWO CARDS and places
them face down in front of him. Then, the players turn their cards
over simultaneously. The one with the highest score wins the fight. His
opponent’s army is eliminated.
The cards that have been played are taken out of the game, except the
zeros, which the players always take back.
Spies
Infiltrate enemy forces the day
before the fight!
When a player plays “1 and 1” or “2 and 0”, he can watch how many
points his opponent plays. Then, he can either add two more cards
to defeat his opponent, if necessary, or give up.
The combinations “1 and 1” or “2 and 0” are also worth 2 points (or more
when using the Chariot or the Elephant). This is sometimes enough to
defeat one’s opponent.
Example of a fight between 2 infantrymen. Player 2 wins.
Player 1. Total = 0
Note: With “0 and 1”, an Elephant gets a total amount of 2 points
against a land army, but he cannot use a Spy.
If both players play simultaneously a Spy, the fight starts again according to the basic rules, with the players playing two cards each.
Player 2. Total = 12
4
How to win the game
When a player’s capital is occupied, his “2” card allows him to spy
on his opponent.
After a fight in which one or more spies were involved, all the cards are
discarded, even those which were used to spy on the opponent (except
the Zeroes, which the players always get back).
heroes will enter history!
A team (or a player, according to the number of players) wins the game
if one the following conditions is satisfied:
Occupied Capital
• THE TEAM OCCUPIES BOTH HIS OPPONENT’S
(/OPPONENTS’) CAPITALS DURING A WHOLE TURN.
It means that none of the opponents has freed at least one of the two
cities after a whole game turn following the moment when the two
capitals are occupied.
Note: A whole game turn is finished when all the players have played
once after the second capital has been taken.
The capital is the heart of your Empire!
When a player’s capital is occupied by an opponent’s army, this player
can play only one card, in the fights of any of his armies, as long as the
capital is occupied.
4-player game: Only the player whose capital is occupied cannot play
more than one card. His ally can play two cards (except if his capital is
occupied too).
• WHEN THE OPPOSING TEAM HAS NO Army LEFT.
A player who has no army left is eliminated from the game, but if
he had an ally, the game goes on. All the cards of his hand are lost.
The players of a team win together, even if all the armies of a player
have been eliminated.
3-player game: In the team, only the player whose capital is occupied
cannot play more than one card during fights. His ally can play two
cards (except if his capital is occupied too). When one of the capitals of
the player who plays alone is occupied, he cannot play more than one
card during the fights of all the armies of both his Empires.
The game is drawn when one of the players does not want to fight and
when his opponent can neither force him to fight, neither occupy both
his capitals (which seldom happens).
2-player game: When a player’s capital is occupied, he can only play one
card during the fights of all the armies of both his Empires.
When the player plays one card with the Elephant, the value of this
card is doubled against land armies, but if he plays with the Chariot,
its value is not doubled.
The “2” card can be used to form a SPY.
Stock
The resource cards used during fights and forced marches are piled up,
face down. When the stock is exhausted, the cards are carefully shuffled
and form a new stock.
The two “15” cards first played are definitely removed from the game
and put back in the box. The two last “15” played are put in the new
stock after the last “15” in play was played.
The players always take the Zeros back and never put them in the stock.
Tips for beginners
We advise players to hide their cards to their opponents all along the game so as not to give them information about the state of their resources!
Avoid placing a land army on an island. The army
would be stuck during the whole game and could not
be used as reinforcement.
Protecting one’s capital is crucial: place some armies
on the neighbouring cities and harbours so that your
enemy has no direct access.
Your object is to paralyze your opponent by occupying his capital. Reinforcements are quickly necessary, so avoid placing armies too far. Place some
armies along the border with your enemy. When you
need reinforcements, you will not regret it!
5
advanced rules
On equal terms!
Force is nothing without strategy!
2, 3 or 4 players
In the “On equal terms” variant, the teams draw identical resource cards, in a different order.
This variant reduces the amount of chance and offers more strategic games to advanced players.
Preparation
Split the cards of the stock into two equal decks. Shuffle them carefully, and give one of the decks to each team – it forms the team’s stock.
The “15” cards used during the game are definitely taken out of the game; they are not put back into the stock.
Distribution of the Treason of General and Popular Sedition cards
In a team, each player takes one of the special cards. Each player can only play his own special card. If a player is eliminated, his unused special card
is taken out of the game.
Game turn
This variant is played according to the basic rules, except that the players cannot show their cards to their partner.
Rapid conquest
Force your enemy out!
4 players
The “Rapid conquest” variant allows you to play with one of your ally’s army or give him a Resource card. Each battle will be critical coordinate your attacks to establish supremacy over your enemy! This variant is adapted to any kind of player.
Objective
-
Reducing your opponents’ army to 5 armies (among both Empires).
-
Reducing one of your opponent’s army to 3 armies or less, and occupy his ally’s capital during a whole turn.
-
Occupying simultaneously both the opponent’s capitals, in the same conditions as in the basic rules.
OR
OR
6
Game turn
1. Drawing one, two, three, or no card(s)
- A player who has 9 cards or more (his two Zeros and at least 7 cards) does not draw cards.
- A player who has 6, 7, or 8 cards (his two Zeros included) draws 1 card.
- A player who has 5 cards or less (his two Zeros and 3 cards at most) can draw 1 card,
or 2 cards if he passes.
- A player who has only his two Zeros can draw 2 cards, or 3 cards if he passes.
2. Optionally playing the Treason of General card
The two Popular Sedition cards are taken out of the game. Only the Treason of General card can be played, with the approval of the player’s ally.
3. Moving an army or giving one card
The player either moves one or more of his armies, or moves one of his ally’s armies, or gives one card to his ally (in which case he does not move armies).
Moving an army according to the basic rules
OR
Moving an ally’s army. To perform this action, the player must discard one (or several) card(s) from his hand, for a value of at least 3 points. To move
an ally’s army in Forced March, the player must discard cards ONE MORE TIME for a value of at least 3 points. When the army that has just been
moved reaches a city occupied by an opponent’s army, the player who owns the army fights against him. This action is not possible without the approval
of the owner of the armies!
OR
Giving a card to one’s ally. The player does not perform any move. It is possible to give a card to a player who has 9 or more cards.
4. Fighting
The fights take place according to the basic rules.
After a fight, when a player frees his occupied capital, he wins two cards – one that he draws from the stock, and one that he randomly draws from his
opponent’s hand. If he draws one of his opponent’s Zero cards, he gives it back to him (but does not draw another card from his hand).
When a player frees his ally’s occupied capital, he draws a card from the stock at the end of the fight.
Credits
Designer: Jean-René Verne
advanced rules “On equal terms!“: Jean-René Vernes - “Rapid Conquest“: Grosso Modo Editions
Artist: Vincent Dutrait - Photo: Cédric Berte - Publisher: Grosso Modo Editions
Remerciements
Alain, Marinette, Axel, Arnaud et Alexandre Pierru, Guillaume Goujon, Stéphane Gallani,
Bernard Philipon, Docteur Mops, Bruno Faidutti, Lionel, Tanguy, Alexandre, Paul,
Louis-Emmanuel, Arthur and Lucie.
find more about our games on www.gm-editions.fr
7
1. Drawing a card
PLAYER’s AID
In a three-player game, the player who plays alone draws 2 cards.
2. Playing a Treason and/or Sedition card
Popular Sedition
Sedition: destroy an opponent’s army occupying
your capital.
Treason of General
Treason: move an enemy’s army
to an adjacent city (or two armies if infantrymen).
3. Moving an army or pass
It is not possible to place more than one army in a city, except the armies of opposing Empires in case of a fight.
1 Elephant
Moves on land to an adjacent city.
1 Chariot
Moves on land to an adjacent city or the following one
(it is not possible if the first city is occupied by an opponent’s army).
1 Galley
Moves on sea to an adjacent city.
1 or 2 Infantrymen Move on earth to an adjacent city.
Forced March: After your move, you may move an army again, which costs at least 3 points.
4. Fight
Both players play 2 cards. The one with the highest total amount wins.
In case of a tie, the players play a card again (if both total amounts are zero, the attacking army goes back to the city it came from).
Elephant: Doubles the highest card against land armies.
Chariot: Doubles the weakest card against all armies.
Spies: 0+2 or 1+1. The player may play 2 more cards after he has looked at the cards his opponent’s has played.
Occupied capital: During a fight, the player can only play one card. The “2” card is a spy. The chariot does not double the card.