Overview

Conquest of the Empire places players in the embattled provinces of Rome in the 2nd century A.D. Each player is a contending Caesar whose mission is to rally generals to victory over all other Caesars. Players must lead legions of infantry, cavalry, and catapults into new territories. The reward for conquering a territory is an increase in tribute funds used to purchase new pieces. The object is to become the new Emperor of Rome by eliminating all other contending Caesars.

Components

• 1 extra-large gameboard (Roman Empire)
• 1 token board
• 1 reference card
• 1 plastic parts tray
• 1 instruction booklet
• 2 dice
• Per color (6 colors): 1 Caesar, 6 generals, 10 infantry (silver), 5 cavalry (gold), 6 galleys, 5 catapults (gold), 5 cities (ivory), 3 walls (ivory), 5 short roads (ivory), 7 long roads (ivory), money tokens

Setup

1. Place the gameboard on a large flat surface.
2. Choose countries: The 6 provinces containing red 10s are Home Provinces (Macedonia, Galatia, Egyptus, Hispania, Italia, Numidia).
3. Starting setup depends on player count (2-6 players use different Home Provinces).
4. Each player chooses a color, takes 1 Caesar, 6 generals, 4 silver infantry units, and 1 fortified city.
5. Place your Caesar, generals, and fortified city in your Home Province.
6. Place a control marker of your color on the Tribute Scale.

Turn Structure

Each turn follows a 6-part action sequence:

1. Movement
2. Combat (and Retreat Option)
3. Winning a Battle
4. Collect Tribute
5. Destroy Cities
6. Purchase New Pieces / Inflation / Place New Pieces

Actions

Movement:

• Caesars have movement capability of 2 territories per turn.
• Generals have movement capability of 2 territories per turn.
• Infantry can only be moved one adjacent territory per turn.
• Cavalry has movement capability of 2 territories per turn.
• Catapults are all gold and have movement capability of 1 territory per turn.
• Galleys can be placed for 25 talents on sea zones and move per the reference card.
• A legion needs a leader (Caesar or general) to move into adjacent territory.

Combat:

• Each catapult or fortified city gives its owner a +1 on the die roll in combat.
• To calculate combat advantage: each player adds up the number of catapults on their side. If the defender has a fortified city, it counts as an additional +1.
• The side with the larger total has the combat advantage (subtract the smaller from the larger).
• Combat continues until all combat units on either the attacker’s side or defender’s side have been eliminated, or until the attacker retreats.

Roads and Cities:

• Cities cost 30 talents (normal pre-inflationary cost). Fortified cities cost 25 talents for fortification.
• Cities contribute 5 talents per city owned each turn to the tribute.
• Roads connect cities and allow travel between them in one movement.

Scoring / Victory Conditions

• The game is won by eliminating all opposing Caesars from the game.
• Your most important piece is your Caesar. If you lose it, you are out of the game.
• Protect your Caesar by surrounding it with enough combat units.
• Player alliances are encouraged but non-binding.

Special Rules & Edge Cases

• A Caesar or general must be present in a province to order combat units.
• Cities and fortified cities are considered leaders within a province but cannot be moved.
• Generals captured in battle can be eliminated or held for ransom.
• Galleys can be placed for sea movement; naval battles follow special combat rules.
• Inflation occurs during the game, increasing costs.

Player Reference

Combat Chart:

Combat Advantage	Infantry	Cavalry Land	Cavalry Sea	Catapult	Galley
No advantage	4+	3+	4+	3+	3+
+1 Advantage	3+	3+	3+	3+	3+
+2 Advantage	2+	2+	3+	No Roll	3+
+3 Advantage	No Roll	No Roll	No Roll	No Roll	No Roll

• Caesar: movement 2, most important piece
• General: movement 2, required to lead legions
• Infantry: movement 1
• Cavalry: movement 2
• Catapult: movement 1, +1 combat advantage