Kings of Rome

Kings of Rome is a game about the Roman Monarchy from the birth of Rome to the 6th century BC. The game can be played solitaire or multiplayer.

Solitaire Scenario

The solitaire scenario begins with garrisons randomly distributed on the map, and Romulus with his army just outside of Rome. The two chit containers are populated and all initial preparation is complete. Play can start with the Chits Extraction Phase.

Join the game as any side. Side selection in the solitaire game is irrelevant. Choose your favorite Curia.

Chit Containers

The solitaire game has Roman and Non-Roman chit containers. Chits drawn from the Roman container onto the map unmask Roman side up. Conversely, chits drawn from the Non-Roman container appear with the Non-Roman side up. The chits dragged out from the containers are drawn out randomly. A right-click menu permits extraction of specific chits. On the toolbar each container has a button to transfer a chit from one to the other. For added convenience during the end of turn phase, the Non-Roman container also has a toolbar button to swap two chits with the other container.

Turn Marker

The right-click menu of the Turn Marker automates the preparation of the chit containers at the start of each Kingdom. The commands are enabled only when the turn marker is on the appropriate square.

The command to Redeploy Non-Roman units (Rule 7.3) returns Non-Roman units to the container. Use this command at the end of the last turn of a Kingdom's period.

The New King command removes the current king from the map and places the new king in Rome. The command prepares the containers as appropriate for the current turn.

Battle

Battles are fought on the Battle map. The toolbar contains a button to randomly choose the Non-Roman tactics. The player should obviously choose the Roman tactics first. Die rolling and tracking of the battle markers is left to the player.

Victory and Influence Points

Tracking of Victory Points is somewhat automated. Deleting Captivi does increment the VP marker. VP gained from other events must be managed manually. There is no automation for the Influence Points (IP) marker.

Swap Layers Button [F7]

As armies converge on disputed towns, a hex can become quite crowded. To keep armies separate, Roman units won't stack with Non-Roman units and neither one stacks with a garrison. Often units above can obscure the ones below. The Swap Layers toolbar button [F7] changes which pieces are topmost. The command is global and affects the entire map, however this only changes your view of the map, not of the other players. This is very useful when switching roles between active and inactive players.

Multiplayer

Players must choose the appropriate multiplayer scenario for the number of players in the game. The number of players dictate which Curiae make up a side. The number of players and the occupied offices in Rome further determine the active player or players. Chits are drawn from the cup Roman side up or down, depending on whether the drawing player is active or inactive respectively.

For the game to determine your active/inactive status, either one of your Gens or your Curia marker must occupy an office in Rome, such as the Rex Romae space for the King.

Like the solitaire scenario, play begins with garrisons randomly distributed on the map. Romulus with his army is on the outskirts of Rome. The chit container is populated and all initial preparation is complete. Play can start with the revealing of the first General. Find the first General in Rome at the bottom of his army's stack. No peeking until sides are set.

Note: To move the General to the top, double click the stack to open it, select the bottommost counter and press up arrow.

Turn Marker

Just as in the solitaire version, a right-click command on the turn marker repopulates the chit container on certain turns. The menu is only enabled on those set turns as per the rulebook. The command, on those specific game turns, can be executed once per game and is thereafter disabled.

Rogatio

Rogatio has a separate cup. All eligible players drag their preferred Gens candidate into the cup. Someone then pulls them out one by one. The order is random.

Battle and Tactics

Fighting battles is mostly self-explanatory, however the features of the tactics markers may not be readily apparent. The tactics markers have a right-click command to mask them. When deciding on your tactics first mask the counter, then choose you tactics using the Flip command. The Mask command, like Flip is a toggle. A small battle marker appears in the top left corner when the counter is masked to the other players. Both players concurrently unmask after decisions have been finalized.

Captivi and Influence Points

Captivi counters have a right-click Score IP command. This scores IP for the player who clicks on it. The IP Marker is advanced and the Captivi return to the appropriate start area. Gains or loss of IP due to other actions must be managed manually.

Enjoy the Game!

This is Ray Lament's heavily modified version of the Vassal Module originally created by Pierre Bulle.

http://cyber.bubulle.pagesperso-orange.fr