Tiberius Claudius Nero's father was lucky to escape execution by Octavian Caesar after the siege of Perusia in 40 BC. His parents took the infant Tiberius and fled from the blood-chilling vengeance of the future Emperor Augustus. As they made their perilous escape from Italy nobody gave a dried fig for the boy's prospects. So how could he possibly have become Augustus' heir and successor?

It is 11BC and the succession plans of Roman Emperor Caesar Augustus have suffered a calamity: his trusted friend, son-in-law and Heir-apparent, Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa, has died suddenly. There is a vacuum into which several talented men wish to step. Although they don’t yet know it, all of Augustus’s male heirs are also destined to die before him, and the man who succeeds in replacing Agrippa at Augustus’s right hand will ultimately become the Emperor of Rome, the most powerful man in the World.

The players take the roles of real Roman Noblemen, each having recently finished a term as Consul of Rome. This, plus ambition, qualifies them for the most prestigious jobs in the service of Augustus and the Empire.

Each of the 8 turns represents 3 years. In each turn Augustus asks the Nobles to do 6 jobs. The 6 jobs are depicted by Career Cards. The Nobles will use their influence with Augustus to get the first choice of the jobs. The jobs will help the Nobles in several areas that any Roman Noble must be seen to excel at, in order to rise above their fellows. They do this by placing cubes into the boxes of the main board as prescribed by the Career Cards. Those boxes include commanding Rome's Legions, Conquering new provinces, Governing the existing one, serving the gods of the State religion, helping Augustus in Rome, and hopefully being permitted to ride at Augustus' side through the Forum in a Triumph. Each Noble will try to marry into Augustus's family. And with the right collection of cubes a Noble can also be adopted as Augustus's Son.

—description from the publisher

Games