Overview

Rise of Augustus (also known simply as Augustus) is a bingo-style strategy game set in ancient Rome. Players are representatives of Emperor Augustus, competing to become Consul by controlling provinces and senators (objectives). A town crier draws mobilization tokens from a bag, and all players simultaneously assign legions to their objective cards. When all spaces on an objective are filled, the player calls “Ave Caesar!” and gains control of that objective along with its special power and victory points.

Components

• 88 objective cards (provinces and senators)
• 48 legion tokens (wooden meeples, 8 per player for up to 6 players)
• 23 mobilization tokens (placed in a cloth bag)
• 12 reward tiles
• 1 cloth bag
• 1 scorepad

Setup

1. Each player receives 7 legions from the supply.
2. Shuffle all 88 objectives and place 5 face-up in the center of the table; remaining objectives form a draw deck.
3. For a first game, deal 3 random objectives to each player. For experienced play, deal 6 objectives to each player, who then selects 3 to keep.
4. Place all 23 mobilization tokens in the cloth bag.
5. Arrange the 12 reward tiles in a row, visible to all players.
6. Choose a starting town crier.

Turn Structure

Each round proceeds as follows:

1. Draw Token: The town crier draws one mobilization token from the bag and announces its symbol.
2. Mobilize Legions: All players simultaneously may place one legion from their supply (or move one already-placed legion) onto a matching symbol space on one of their objective cards.
3. Completion Check: If any player has filled all spaces on an objective, they call “Ave Caesar!” and resolve the completion.
4. Resolve Completion: The completing player returns all legions from that objective to their supply, executes the objective’s special power (if any), checks for and claims any eligible rewards, moves the objective to their controlled area, and selects a new objective from the 5 face-up cards (refilling from the deck).
5. Continue: The town crier draws the next token unless the round ends.

Actions

Place a Legion: Assign one legion from your supply to a matching mobilization symbol on any of your 3 active objective cards.

Move a Legion: Instead of placing a new legion, you may move one already-placed legion from one objective to another, placing it on a matching space.

Joker Token: When a joker token is drawn, each player may mobilize a legion onto any symbol space of their choice. After the joker is resolved, return all 23 tokens to the bag and pass the town crier role to the left.

Objective Powers: Completed objectives may grant ongoing or immediate powers such as gaining extra legions, destroying opponents’ legions, scoring bonuses, producing resources, or protecting against attacks.

Scoring / Victory Conditions

Game End: The game ends when any player controls 7 objectives. Finish the current round so all players resolve simultaneously completed objectives.

Final Scoring:

1. Add points from reward tiles.
2. Add points printed on each controlled objective.
3. Add any bonus points from objective powers.
4. Total all three categories.

The player with the most points wins and claims the title of Consul. Ties are broken by the player controlling the most senator objectives.

Special Rules & Edge Cases

• Simultaneous Completions: If multiple players complete objectives on the same token draw, they resolve in ascending order by objective card number.
• Rewards – Color: Automatically claimed when you are the first player to control 3 objectives of the same color or 1 of each color.
• Rewards – Number: Claimed when you control exactly the number of objectives shown (2-6). You may only hold one number reward; you cannot exchange it for a higher one.
• Rewards – Resource (Gold/Wheat): Claimed by the first player to control an objective producing that resource. Retained as long as you control the most of that resource; lost if another player surpasses you.
• Completed objectives awaiting resolution cannot be targeted by negative effects.
• Once earned, color and number rewards cannot be lost even if objectives are later removed.

Player Reference

Mobilization Symbols: Swords, shields, catapults, chariots, standards, jokers.

Turn flow: Draw token > All players mobilize > Check completions > Resolve “Ave Caesar!” > Claim rewards > Pick new objective > Next token.

Winning: First to 7 objectives triggers end; highest total points wins.