Kings of Rome
Kings of Rome is a game about the beginnings of Rome and the Roman monarchy, from its inception to the 6th century BC. You can play either the multiplayer or solitaire games with this module.
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. On the other hand, chits drawn from the Non-Roman container reveal with the Non-Roman side up. The chits dragged from the containers are drawn out randomly. When searching, a right-click menu permits the extraction of specific chits. On the toolbar each container has a button to transfer one chit from that container to the other. For end of turn actions, the Non-Roman container conveniently contains a toolbar button to exchange two chits between the containers.
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. Invoke 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. This command prepares the containers as appropriate for the current turn.
Battle
Battles are fought on the Battle map. The toolbar has 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.
Titus Tatius and Rex Vicarius
Both the Sabinian Rape and the Tatius counters have right-click helper commands. Depending on which container the Sabinian Rape counter came from, you can update the Roman container with chits from the General Pool or place Tatius along with his Sabinian Army in Rome. If you choose to make Tatius Rex Vicarius, the Sabinian troops with him automatically go to the Non-Roman container. Assign him Roman troops from those available in Rome.
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.
Change Visible Army 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 Change Visible Army toolbar button [F7] changes which pieces are topmost. The command is global and affects the entire map. However, this only changes your view, not of the other players. This feature proves to be very useful when switching roles between active and inactive players.
Searching and the General Pool
In some situations, it is necessary to find a specific type of counter. The stacks in the General Pool and the containers have commands to select a specific counter in the right-click menu. If searching on the back side of the counters, from the right-click menu first select the Non-Roman Side command, before Draw Specific Cards.
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 detect your active 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.
When the First General turns to the Non-Roman side, select the Become Non-Roman right-click command. This ensures that thereafter the leader correctly stacks with Non-Roman troops.
Turn Marker
Just as in the solitaire version, a right-click command on the turn marker repopulates the chit container on specific turns. The menu is only enabled on those set turns as per the rulebook. The command only runs once per game for any particular spot on the turn track before being disabled for the remainder of the game. This prevents an accidental double click from corrupting the chit container contents.
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. Gens dragged from the cup are drawn out randomly.
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. Any gain 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 started by Pierre Bulle.