David Amata Tim Pazdziorny Ryan Breton Jordan Sellers

Pax Romana 1
Table of Contents:
! Title Page Page 1
! Table of Contents Page 2
! Abstract Page 3
! Context Page 3
! History/Antecedents Page 4
! Target Audience Page 4 5
! Narrative Page 5 8
! Illustrations Page 9 13
! Mechanics Page 14 16
! Detailed Setup and Rules Page 17 24
! Skill Page 25
! Chance Page 25
! Gameplay Balance Considerations Page 26 27
! Tagline Page 27
! Walkthrough of Gameplay Page 28 29
! Expected Development Cost and ROI Page 30 31
! Development Timeline Page 32 34
! Similar Games' Units / Profits Page 35
! Example Images of Prototype Page 36 38
! Glossary of Game Specific Terms Page 39 - 40
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Abstract:
Pax Romana is a strategic conquest based board game set in Ancient Roman Empire in 300 A.D
during the rule of Constantine. You and up to three other players act as upcoming power brokers from
the four corners of the empire all vying for control of Roman using both the resources of diplomatic
influence and military might. The game is played with a specifically designed hexagonal grid game
board, player pieces, resource tokens, an event deck, a growth deck, and a six sided die. Each player
takes turns moving about the trying to control as much territory as possible and gaining control of cities
like Carthage, Sparta, Milan, and more for special bonus that enhance your characters power. Once the
board is in control or the event deck runs out, the player with the largest dominion wins.
Context:
Rome is in flux. The barbarians from the north press down against the capital, the Persians from
the East seek a military resurgence, and the rise of the followers of Christ look to dismantle Rome from
within. With upheaval comes opportunity, a chance for lowly senator, tradesman, warlord, or chieftain
to upset the old order to gain control of the eternal city. The one who succeeds will have overcome the
forces of time and nature who lay traps at every turn. The road to power is paved with bad intentions.
Will you use the might of your army to seize control or spy and manipulate the masses into giving to
you. Just maybe the right answer lies somewhere in between. The choice is yours to make in Pax
Romana.
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History/Antecedents:
The gameplay draws inspiration from the strategic game risk. The world is informed and
primarily based in history. While we are deeply focused on 300 A.D. as a setting, the past and future of
Rome informs the events that occur in our game. Mainly, events like the Punic Wars, Jewish-Roman
Wars, the Edict of Milan, and the invasion of the Goths from the north, interest us a great deal in setting
the stage for the game. It is hard to make a story about Roman politics without being influenced by
Shakespeare with his great play Julius Caesar. Aesthetically, our visuals are influenced by Roman set
movies like the Gladiator and the Eagle. Outside of Roman influence, the TV Show House of Cards
informs the political side of the gameplay to enable ruthless acts of pragmatic domination. In terms of
gameplay, we draw inspiration from strategy games like Risk and Civilization. An important distinction
between those games and ours is that Civilization and Risk both feature recharging resources whereas
our game utilizes a fixed resource system. We made this distinction to make the choices of the player to
have greater consequence and impact. Our game is unique, in the way that you can use diplomacy and
military resources to gain territory.
Target Audience:
We are targeting an older demographic for this game because of its higher complexity in game
rules and more historical focus. In terms of age range, we would say that anyone 13 years and up would
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be well equipped to play this game. However because the more you know of Roman history, the more
you will enjoy Pax Romana, the game is better catered to young and older adults with an interest in
history and strategy. We hoping to find a niche that appreciates our attempt to both meld the tactics
from strategic war games with more diplomatic means to better give the player an experience of how
real power was gained in the ancient and maybe even the modern world.
Our game appeals to Achievers the most because the game has a focus on gaining as much
territory and power as possible but it does provide strong outlets for other types of players. Killers will
enjoy the game for the competitive aspect of defeating your opponents as well as the capability to go to
war with them to take their territory. Explorers will enjoy seeking new strategies for victory because
our gameplay provides ample opportunity for experimentation. Socializers will enjoy the local aspect
of playing the game together. The gameplay allows for alliances and communication between players
to achieve their goals together at least temporarily.
Narrative:
The year is 312 A.D. In the amphitheater of Rome is the crowned emperor, who sits upon the
throne that rules the known world. Fresh from his victories in Britannia, and emboldened by the words
In Hoc Signo Vinces, thought to be spoken by God, meaning You will conquer. Constantine feels a
quiet confidence in his reign, blind to the corruption that has undermined the empire for a hundred
years. Only about one ago the Peace of Rome was thought be eternal, but now it seems that everyone
has their chance at a piece of Rome. To the north, the Barbarian tribes hound at the borders of the
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capital stripping it of its security, town by town. To the south, the unpredictability of the desert winds
make settlements untenable. To the east, the Persian Empire ruled by the nimble Shapur II looms large
as a constant threat. Within Rome itself, the rise of the followers of Christ have undermined the divine
authority of the Emperor as the god of Rome, and with Constantine's victory attributed to the Christian
God, their influence will grow. Yet, the largest threat may only be in the hands of a few. A senator, a
chieftain, a tradesman, and a warlord, driven by endless bounds of vengeance and ambition will either
bring Rome to its knees, or destroy each other in the process.
Cassius Ragnar, the bastard son of a Barbarian
chieftain and a Roman noblewomen, seeks redemption
for his family's name. He lives in Lyon, the birthplace of
Caracalla the former Emperor of Rome and Cassius'
grandfather. He feels the throne of Rome is his birthright,
and has spent his entire life overcoming his lowly
upbringing to prove it. In his mind, the keys to Rome are
through the force of an army stomping through the city
streets. He has amassed a small military force, mostly
converted barbarians who seek a secure future.
Cassius is not skilled in the way of diplomacy, but he
sees through the silver tongues of the senators and
merchants to achieve his ends. The son of Lyon will
rise again, or die trying.
Academus Vicarian, the envoy of Adrianople,
serves as a senator within the Roman forum. Even
though he was a child of noble birth, the community
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around him did not expect much of him. He had to constantly prove his abilities to become respected. A
cautious man, he will wait in the shadows for many years to strike at the hint of an opportunity. His
prudence in decision making has earned him the respect of his allies, and the scorn of his rivals. He
senses that his station in Adrianople is more of an exile than an honor. He is sure he was placed here to
keep him from realizing his goals. Like everyone in the senate, he wouldn't hesitate to stab the emperor,
if it meant he could take his place. If only it was that easy. No, he must find a way to spread his
influence throughout Asia Minor through diplomacy and manipulation to gain the jewel of the Italian
Peninsula. To Academus, sweet words with a firmly held dagger behind your back will get you
everywhere.
Simon Cyrenaica is a tradesmen, from Cyrene, who worked
his way up from nothing to develop a trading company in
raw materials. It is the nature of business to seek rapid
expansion, and with Rome the opportunity is endless.
Simon knows how to show both a public face, and private
one as he deals both out in the open and on the black-
market to escape the Imperial taxes. Constantine's various
wars have put the financial burden of the empire on the tradesman. If there is something that Simon
cannot accept, it is something that is bad for business. He will use his mercenary army to rule the land
and seas, and eliminate the obstacle of Constantines regime. He believes the jingle of gold coin can
silence any words.
Gala Syphax is a Numidian warlord, from Hippo, and a recent convert to Christianity. He
converted to Christianity after he was saved by a traveling hermit, called Anthony, after a vicious battle
between two tribes. He was the only survivor of the battle, and Anthony told him it was a sign from
God that he was graced with a special destiny. Using his skills of war he would cleanse the false gods
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of Rome, one battle at a time. Gala commands the
respect of his men who see him as divinely blessed. It
is said that wherever Gala's forces march, baptisms
follow. For what he lacks in diplomacy, he makes up
for in charisma and this allows him to win battles
before they are fought. He seeks to convert the whole
of Rome to the true faith and will gladly become yet
another martyr if necessary.
The world of Pax Romana is treacherous and unpredictable. An invasion is just as likely to
happen as Mt.Vesuvius erupting once again. Sail the seas to cross the the islands of Greece. Brave the
desert of Africa and Proconsularis. Live out the lives of legendary leaders and carve out your own place
in history. In Pax Romana, territory is power and your ability to grow will determine your success or
failure. It is not enough to use brute force, clever strategy and a dose of luck is needed to overcome
your adversaries. In Pax Romana, all the treachery, strategy, and diplomacy of the real Roman history is
mirrored through the lens of the game. The players assume the roles of Gala, Simon, Cassius, and
Academus to tip the balance of power and conquer the whole of the Roman emperor. This only possible
through clever use of both military might and diplomatic influence. Wars are never won easily, and
likewise the players must manage their resources smartly to defeat their opponents. Choose your
character, grow your territory, and take your piece of Rome.

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Illustrations:
The Illustrations required for Pax Romana consists of event cards, growth cards, city cards,
game box art, and the game board itself. We are focusing on a Roman style of illustration and design in
Pax Romana. Thus, red borders, text, and outlines are utilized, as most people associate the color red
with Rome. Another distinctive feature of Roman art is the use of marble architecture, so the art will
undoubtedly feature architecture upon completion. Already, the event and growth card templates
feature Roman style pillars which appear in front of the specific event pictures.
Event and Growth Cards:
The event and growth cards both begin with a Roman style template which presents the type of
card at the top, either Event or Growth, with the subtype, such as instant or passive, below the
descriptive picture. These images are accentuated with decorative roman pillars to carry the theme of
the time period. Directly below this is the descriptive text for the card, which explains the event or
growth in period appropriate wording. Nestled below that text is the translation of the descriptive text
into game terms and effects. Separating these two blocks of descriptive text is a wall of Roman
battlements, allowing for theming within the card as well. The event card features a gradient of tan to
gold to grey, while the growth features a gradient of predominantly green. These color schemes are
symbolic, as a tan/yellow scheme leads the mind to think of action, green is often associated with
growth. In addition to these templates, each growth and event card will feature art on the back, and a
large descriptor heading, allowing for easy distinction between type by the players while the cards are
face down.
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Event Template: Growth Template:

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Event Example: City Card Example:
Game Board:
The game board is a compilation of hexagons positioned in order to be a close replica of the
landscape of the area surrounding the Mediterranean Sea circa 312 A.D. Each of these hexagons is
colored depending on their respective influence or military characteristics, blue for influence red for
military. The hexagons, also called territories, also contain a number which corresponds to its
difficulty to capture. Following the Roman art style, the game board will be bordered in red and gold,
and most likely feature Roman architecture as an accent to the map.
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Prototype Game Board Mark I:
Prototype Game Board Mark II:
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Box Art:
The box art for Pax Romana will be composed of primarily a large image, with the title Pax
Romana and an accentuation phrase or slogan for the game. Box art will continue on the sides, most
likely with more accentuation and a logo image of the title, so that those playing the board game can
easily identify it while it sits on a shelf. An initial image for main box art exists:
Prototype Box Art:
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Mechanics:
Space
The game space is a board that represents the majority of the Holy Roman Empires influence.
The area is split into a grid of hexagons. As the players play the game, they move from their starting
city and capture territory surrounding their area. Their territory can expand out across the land area of
the map but not into the Mediterranean Sea.
Objects, Attributes, and States
Every spot on the board that isnt water is a territory that has several attributes. associated with
it. First, whether it is captured territory or neutral territory, represented by a colored token which tracks
which player controls that area. The color of the territory itself denotes whether it is a (blue)Political
territory or a (red)Military territory. Finally, there is a point value associated with each territory that
denotes how difficult it is to capture. Capturing neutral territory is done by rolling a die. Matching or
beating the value gives the land right to you and Military/Influence points equal to the value of that
territory. Taking territory from an opponent requires spending the associated points of a territory.
By capturing a neutral territory, that player gains a number of points that they keep track of on a
sheet of paper. Those points can be spent by taking territory from a player, or by activating certain
special abilities on event cards. Taking territory from an opponent does not increase your points.
Some spots on the board are city peices, they cannot be directly captured, but if the six surrounding
spots are captured by a single player, that player takes control of the city. Cities have special abilities
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associated with them. When captured by a player they give a capture bonus that allows players to.
Cities also offer passive bonuses that are in effect at all times, and timed bonuses that occur every few
turns.
The last objects in our game are cards. Cards are divided up into two decks. The Growth deck is
rarely drawn from, but its cards are for the purposes of gaining territory quickly and easily. All the
cards in the growth deck are desirable. The Event deck is about throwing a wrench into the basic game.
The cards in the Event deck are generally unpredictable, but they have much more possibilities to form
relationships with the other players.
Actions
At the start of a players turn, if the player controls any cities with counter bonuses, now is the
time to decrement them. If a city counter reaches zero the citys passive effect occurs. The counter is
then reset to the value specified on each city card. Some Instant cards that have lasting effects. If any
have counters on them, those are decremented, and if the count reaches zero, the card is removed from
the game.
The player draws a card from the event deck and reads the text on the card. Instant cards must
activate immediately before that player continues their turn. Keep cards are held by the player until
they choose to activate them. Effect cards are kept by the player, but they only activate when the player
tries to perform a specific action. Once cards have been used up, they are removed from the game.
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Now the player has the ability to perform actions, up to five a turn. If the player chooses to
acquire neutral territory, they must declare which spots they are rolling for. Whether five are chosen at
once or one is chosen before each roll is up to the player, but a declaration must be made. Each roll
counts as an action. If a player chooses to take territory from another player, the attacking player must
be sure that they have enough points to do so, and then may go ahead and spend the associated points
of the territories to gain control. Each Territory captured this way uses up an action. Finally, crossing
the Mediterranean sea can only occur when a number of criteria are met. First the player must have
territory that is a port, designated by yellow lines attached to territories on the board. Second, the player
has to roll to match or beat the difficulty associated with the waterway, each roll costs an action. Once
successful, the player must roll to capture the port territory on the other side of the waterway
Once all actions of a player have been used up this players turn is over and the next players turn
begins. If there are no event cards left, the game is over.

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Detailed Setup and Rules (2 to 4 Players)
Setup:
1. Take Out and Unfold Map with the colored side face up.
2. Shuffle and place the Event Card Deck to side face down in the center of the map where it says
Italy (E facing Up).
3. Shuffle and Place Growth Card Deck to side of the map facing down( G facing Up)
4. Place City Cards to the side facing up.
5. Hand everyone a piece of paper and pencil to keep track of resource points.
6. Take out the large die and the boxed set of smaller dice and place these to the side along with
the City Cards and Growth deck.
7. Everyone rolls the large die. The Person with the highest roll gets to pick their starting location
based on a selection of starter cities.
8. The four cities that the players can choose from are: Hippo, Lyon, Adrianople, and Cyrene.
9. Each of these cities have an associated color:
1. Hippo = Orange
2. Lyon = Green
3. Adrianople = Purple
4. Cyrene = Brown
10. Based on the players chosen city hand out the appropriate colored hex marker pieces to
each player.
11. Look through the city card deck and handout each city card to the players chosen
starter cities.
12. On the city card of your chosen city will be numbers associated with that cities
associated military and influence resource values. Using your piece of paper and pencil each
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person writes down his or her starting military and influence points. It is important to keep track
of these values over the course of the game as they will be used throughout the game.
13. Using your colored hex markers, place 6 markers on the 6 hex spaces surrounding your
starter city. These six spaces make up the starting territory you control in which you are allowed
to move.
14. Whoever had the highest roll, is the person whose turn is first and then the turns go
clockwise from there.
15. See each of the individual sections for information pertaining to rules, mechanics, and
the purpose of the game pieces to begin the game.
Turn Progression:
1. Upkeep your citiess passive counters and cards with lasting effect counters.
2. Draw an Event card. Activate instant cards drawn
3. Spend your five points however you see fit,
Either
" Roll the large 6 sided die to capture Neutral Territory
" Roll the large 6 sided die to cross a waterway.
" Spend points to capture enemy territory
4. End Turn
Event Cards:
" Event Cards are drawn once at the start of each players individual turn.
" They are described by flavor text and their effects are listed underneath.
" Event Cards come in two varieties:
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" Instant
" Keep
" Instant cards are events in which the effect of which occur immediately sometimes over the
course of several turns marked by a counter die.
" Keep cards are Event Cards in which the player holds on until a designated moment listed on
the card in which the effect is activated.
" Unless specifically listed Keep on the card, it should be assumed that the card is listed for
instant activation.
" The event card deck is made up of about 100 cards. When the last event card is drawn after 25
rounds. The game is over and the players territory space are tallied for a winner.
Territory:
" The game board is made up of many red and blue hex spaces. These are the areas you are
allowed to move over the course of the game.
" The way you move in Pax Romana is by capturing the hex spaces adjacent to your territory
allowing you to expand into new areas of the map..
" The objective of this game is gain control of as many of these spaces by the end of 25 rounds
(Round = everyone has completed an individual turn).
" Everyone starts with the 6 territory spaces surrounding your starting city.
" Each of these hex territory spaces are labeled with an associated color and number value from 1
to 6 that corresponds with their affinity and capture value.
" Spaces colored red are military focused and the spaces colored blue are influence focused.
" The numbers correspond to the value necessary to capture when neutral.
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" When a space is neutral it does not have colored marker on top of it and can be captured when it
is adjacent to your controlled territory through a roll of the large die by spending of a turns
action point.
" The associated number value of a neutral territory is the minimum value the die roll needed for
capture.
" When successful in capturing a neutral territory, you also gain the associated amount of points
according to its color (Red = Military, Blue = Influence) and get to place a colored hex marker
on top of that space to show that it is now under your control.
" Controlled spaces will have an opposing players marker on top of it and can captured through
the spending of accrued military points through the use of the Quartermasters Provisions at the
start of a turn.
" Spent points are lost and not gained by the opposing player. When you capture controlled
territory you take their marker off and place your colored hex marker in its place. Territory
spaces you gain from opposing players do not grant the point bonuses like neutral spaces.
Instead, you only gain that territory space.
" Territory you are attempting to capture must be declared before using an action point during
your turn.
" Territory spaces also surround cities marked by purple. To capture cities, capture the six
surrounding space around that city. (See Cities for their purpose, benefits, and rules)
" Certain territory spaces are connected by a yellow line that signify a waterway that allow you to
expand your territory across bodies of water. (See Waterways for how to cross, and their rules)
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Use of the large die and smaller dice:
" The large die is used in each turn for the use of capturing neutral territory spaces, event card
effects, and in deciding ties.
" The box of smaller dice are used for keeping track of counter values for the effects of City
Passive Bonuses, Event Cards, and Growth Cards.
" They are placed in the space provided on the associated card.
" The value on the smaller dice corresponds to the amount of turns that something is in effect or
until it takes effect.
" Each round (after everyone has taken a turn) the counter is adjusted by the player down a single
value.
" Passive City Counters are reset back to their full value after the counter reaches down to zero.
These effects happen after a designated amount of turns as determined by the associated City
Card.
" Event and Growth card dice counters count down how many turns an event remains in effect.
When the counter reaches zero. The card is taken out of the game and the die counter returns to
the box for future use.
Resources:
" Players must manage their two sets of resources using their paper and pencil which come in the
form of military and influence points.
" Points can be spent in the Quartermaster's Provisions to capture territory, block territory, and
much more.
" Points can be gained as the result of Event Cards, Growth Cards, City One-time Bonuses, and
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City Passive Bonuses.
" Points can also be lost in the same way.
" Points are fixed and do not grow automatically.
" Military points cannot be used in place of Influence points and vice versa.
" These points are also used as a tiebreakers in the event that two players have the same amount
of territory spaces at the end of the game.
Quartermasters Provisions:
! At the start of ones turn, they have the opportunity to spend their accrued resource points at the
quartermasters provisions.
! This a sheet that details abilities you can buy and their associated cost in military or influence
points.
! These abilities can vary from attacking enemy controlled territory, resetting territory to neutral,
making neutral territory easier to capture and much more.
! Some abilities are limited by how many you can buy in a single turn. For instance, you can only
attack 5 enemy controlled territory pieces per turn.
! All purchases must be made before you use any action points and items bought are used
immediately upon purchase.
Cities and City Cards:
" Cities are the most important spaces on the board because they provide immediate and passive
bonuses in addition to having an associate territory value.
" Cities are captured through capturing the surrounding 6 territory spaces. A city is lost when the
player loses control of all 6 surrounding territory spaces by an opposing player or the effect of
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an Event card.
" Immediate or One-Time bonuses are the benefits that occur when the city is captured by a
player. They only occur once per game per player.
" Passive bonuses are effects that occur after a certain number of rounds and kept track of by the
small dice.
" Territory bonuses are the amount of territory spaces that a city is worth while controlled. These
values vary from 10 to 20 spaces.
" When a city is captured you gain control of the associated city card that lists these bonuses.
Waterways:
" Waterways operate differently than moving around through normal expansion.
" They allow you capture the connected territory spaces across designated bodies of water.
" They are marked by a yellow line and a yellow circle with a number value.
" The number corresponds to the minimum number value required to cross.
" To cross a waterway, capture the connected territory space first
" On your turn spend an action point to attempt to cross. To make an attempt, roll the large die
and if you are successful you can attempt to capture the connected territory.
" Like regular capture attempts each crossing waterways cost 1 action point per attempt.
" If you are successful in crossing a waterway but unsuccessful in capturing a connected territory,
you must cross the waterway again to make another attempt so be conscious of how many
action points you have left as a player.
" At anytime during the course of your turn while trying to cross a waterway you can instead
decide to capture adjacent territory instead of continue to trying to cross so long as you have the
action points left.
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" Certain Event, Growth, and City Passive effects can make water travel easier or more difficult
to cross.
Growth Cards:
" Growth cards are like Event cards except that they are purely beneficial and are not drawn each
turn.
" A player draws from the Growth deck as a result of an Event card or a Citys One-Time or
Passive bonuses.
" Some Growth Cards are lasting while others are immediate. This will be listed on the card
Regions and Islands:
" Territory spaces are divided into regions and islands by a dark green outline or by being
surrounded by water.
" These regions are used in the effects of Event, Growth, and City Passive Bonuses.
" These regions are also labeled with their associated name for easy location.
" A starting region is the region in which your starter city resides in.
End Game:
" If no cards remain in the Event deck, the game is over.
" All players sum their total territory and the territory values of their cities. The player with the
most territory wins.
" If two or more players have the same amount of territory the one with the higher combined
military and influence points wins.
" In the unlikely case of another draw, the tied players roll 5 dice each until the one with the
highest sum wins
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Skills
Much of the game is devoted to strategy. Each player is responsible for deciding the direction
they take when capturing territory. The factors that determine these decisions draw influence from both
mental skills, in respect to strategic benefits they will receive as a player seeking the win condition, and
social skills in respect to trying to understand your opponents strategy on the same game board. The
board is finite in space which forces careful social skill interaction in how they navigate the terrain. The
player gains real skills by understanding the benefits of certain regions and the effects of the event
cards. By combining this knowledge the player can gain an advantage by understanding the relation
between the territory, cities, waterways, and events. The player gains virtual skills by gaining influence
and military points with which they can spend to capture enemy territory more frequently.
Chance
Chance is prominently featured in our game through the interaction of the dice. This is
facilitated through rolling for neutral territory as well random events through require dice rolls to
provide beneficial or negative results. Strategy as well chance comes into play in the success of each
turn. We have tried to balance this through providing opportunities to use gained resources as buffer
against the effect of chance.
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Gameplay Balance Considerations:
Chance Versus Strategy Balance
As a counter point to chance, the player has certain opportunities to use their accrued military
and influence points to capture enemy territory without the use of dice rolls. For instance, for the cost
of 5 military points a player can attack a directly adjacent territory to capture that territory for their own
or they can spend 10 influence points to reset an enemy territory at a distance. In addition to this both
military and influence points can be spent to lower the minimum value of a neutral space to make it
easier to capture. At no point did we want to eliminate the possibility of chance as we felt it was
important that the outcome any two matches should not feel exactly the same. For instance, minimum
values cannot fall below 2 so that there is always a small chance that something could go wrong.
Likewise, the event cards can beneficial or negative in their effect which makes sure that
underdogs have a chance to rise and the titans of the game have the possibility to fall. We like to think
that in someways this mirrors real military strategy where all the planning in the world cannot eliminate
the chance of something going wrong. The level of risk should heighten the experience while at the
same time the tools available to the player make sure they can always get themselves out of a difficult
situation.
Map Placement Balance:
We have to especially careful about the arrangement and placement of the board in order to
facilitate smooth and effective gameplay. This means that each player needed roughly the same
opportunity to succeed as the rest of the players. Each of the players start at the four corners of the map
and then are steered to the center to engender natural confrontation. This is done by placing cities in
almost a breadcrumb fashion across the map to lead the player's to the center. Cities could not be placed
too close to each to prevent a steamroll effect. Each player also needed to access the city within the
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same number of turns. How we structured the waterways became a delicate situation. For instance,
make them too easy to cross and player has the advantage of moving more quickly across the map than
another. Make them too difficult and then they become barrier to player progression. We prioritized
movement towards the center versus movement to the outer regions. These outer waterways are still
viable but more difficult to cross making them riskier to use.
Accessibility Versus Depth Balance:
With a game as complex as ours, we were always mindful that we players needed to be able to
learn the mechanics quickly and play effectively. To prevent overwhelming the player in any individual
turn, we made sure they are only responsible for managing a few things at once. Conversely, master
players can look at the whole board to plan many turns ahead. To teach the player through gameplay,
things are labeled and colored coded. Red always stands for Military. Blue always stands for influence.
Waterways have a ship image associated with them. City cards have spaces where the player can place
a counter. However no everything could be communicated through design only so we created two sets
of rules that would outline what a player would need to know about each component. The first rules
sheet is a quick overview for fast setup and reference. The second rules sheet is far more detailed
explaining each element in its entirety. This could be used when an issue arises in gameplay where the
solution is not obvious.
Tagline
Embody leaders of legend, expand your empire, seize your piece of Rome
Pax Romana
Pax Romana is a historically based strategy and territorial expansion board game in the same
vein as Risk, Settlers of Catan, and Sid Meyer's Civilization.
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Walkthrough of Gameplay
Phase 1:
After set up, the players will begin branching out from their starter territories. The first phase of
the game involves the players expanding their controlled territory without contact from each other
trying to build up resources for the second phase. Initially, most people will make a straight path to the
nearest city to their starting location to capitalize on momentum it will grant through the one time and
passive bonuses. Alternatively, a player may opt to expand in their starting region in a circular to build
up their resources for a later push. Eventually, the players, still separate from contact will push inward
toward Rome which will lead them to their first waterway. On the West Side is an island chain that
provides three quick cities off the coast of Italy. On the East Side, the player who started in the top right
corner will push down from Germania or through Macedonia to gain cities and hit the waterways while
the player on the bottom left has the option to push west and then north through Sicily or east and then
north through Macedonia. It is at this point roughly half way through the game that players will make
contact with each other beginning the second phase of the game.
Phase 2:
Once controlled territories begin bumping up against each other the players will then start
competing for the same territory in the central region of the map. The fighting will focus around cities
as they hold the greatest value and help determine the victor due to their high territory value. Fighting
involves the ebb and flow of attacking players using military points and then defending oneself using
influence points. Usually, the two players on either the east and west of the board will come into
contact first but there is potential that east and west will meet sooner if one or both ignore going
towards the center. As Rome is the capital of the empire, it holds the most amount of weight and value
within our game and given its central position it becomes likely that all four players will culminate in a
struggle on the Italian mainland. When that happens, the conflict can become unpredictable but usually
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the player who came most prepared ends up winning out. The game lasts for 25 rounds when the Event
Card Deck runs out which means that each player received 25 individual turns to map and plan their
strategy. The player who ends up with the most amount of territory wins and ties are determined by
accrued resources and then chance through dice rolls.
Important Considerations:
Within the event deck are several cards that shake up the outcome of the game dramatically. In
order to make sure that the end game did not always play out in Rome, we created the Mt.Vesuvius
card which wipes out all controlled territory on the Italian mainland. Inexperienced players will be
caught off guard, and experienced players will cautious about their approach to Rome knowing that the
card is still in play. However, Rome is strong enough that it would be worth the losses in order to use
its momentum to grow elsewhere. Additionally, there is also a counter for player who become too
reliant on the waterways for fast movement across the map. It is called the Neptune card in which all
territory held on the coast are eliminated which means ones territories could be split up and isolated for
fast capture by enemy player. This encourages players to make strong beach heads after water travel so
that their forces are not easily eliminated. There are many other cards that alter the course of the game
to ensure that no two gameplay sequences end up the same way.
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Service Fees
Taxes
Shipping
Printing
Publicity
Game
Expected Development Costs and Return on Investment
Expected Total Cost:
$32,100
Break Down of Individual Costs
Service Fees - $1700
Taxes - $3000
Shipping - $6000
Printing - $16,000
Publicity - $1400
Game Development - $4000
Starting Batch Size - 1500 units
Suggested Retail Price of Single Game - $40 Total Individual Cost Per Unit - $21.40
Net Profit on Each Game Sold - $18.60
Net Gross Income for 1500 sold - $60,000 Total Profit for 1500 sold - $27,900
Profit Per Team Member - $6975
Analysis and Breakdown of Costs:
This information was obtained by looking at similarly scaled board game project Corporate
America by Nothing Sacred Games and approximating their actual costs of development to our own
board game Pax Romana. The most important number above is the total costs of full development of
this game which is currently around $32,100 for an estimated two months of work. What this costs
entails is service fees, taxes, shipping, printing, publicity, and our own personal salaries of game
development. The largest cost of the project is most definitely the printing of the game which entail
almost 50% of our total costs. This work would have to outsourced to a third party printing service
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which would create the individual components require to play the game.
The second largest cost for us would be shipping which totals around $6000. As this would be
a startup company we would not have access to the large distribution channels available at retail at least
for our initial batch. This cost could fluctuate given distance but gives us a reasonable margin of error.
The $3000 dollars from taxes includes all of our income taxes, patent fees, sales tax, and other
licensing costs to establish the company and sell the product. Services Fees would be attributed to any
of the retail services we would use to sell our game like Amazon which expects around 10% of the
income raised.
The $1400 for Publicity costs would cover a modest advertising campaign that would allow us
to attend conferences, conventions, and having the game reviewed. Additionally, this would factor in
the server costs require to establish a commercial domain name to create a website for the game. Costs
here could balloon if we would like banner ads, video advertisements, and endorsements. Game
Development costs is what we would pay ourselves for about two months of work prototyping the
game, creating rules, and design art. For 4 people on the project, each would receive $500 a month for
a total Development Budget of $4000. The longer the development, the higher this costs goes.
Our first batch of games to sell would be about 1500 units. This is certainly a modest number
with enough exposure but this must be seen as a gateway to greater sales once we prove this game can
be profitable. Based off of similar games the MSRP would be $40 giving us a healthy profit of $18.60
per unit sold. All total if all 1500 units sell through than we stand to gain $27,900 collectively and
$6975 individually in profits. We could then use the game's success as a launchpad to pitch the idea to a
larger company like Mattel or Milton Bradley to sell the idea for substantially more money. So in
actuality, the $32,100 would an investment to prove that Pax Romana is worth global distribution under
an established game publisher. It also important to note that all numbers listed are estimated and could
fluctuate up or down at any time.
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Timeline
From the Beginning: 202 Hours
Ideation
- 4 hours of prototype board creation
- 4 hours of prototype event and growth cards
- 2 hours prototype token creation
- 2 hour prototype city cards
- 6 hour base rule creation
Total: 18 hours
Modification
- 40 hours of playtesting
- 60 hours of implementing tweaks
Total: 100 hours
Realization
- 10 hours for board art creation
- 8 hours for card templates
- 30 hours for individual card art
- 14 hours of card dialogue digitization
- 8 hours of artwork to text correlation
- 4 hours misc. networking
Total: 84 hours
Onward Till the End: 258 Hours
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Creation
- ~60 hours of dedicated play-testing
- ~30 hours of implementing tweaks
- 24 hours of board art revamping
- 8 hours of card template revamping
- 80 hours of card art revamping
- 40 hours of fact checking
- Sparse time (16 hours) over 2 weeks to find manufacturers
Overall: 460 Hours
Without Limits has pushed for creation of Pax Romana continuously since February. The
ideation stage, involving board, card, token, and rule creation, roughly took a combined 18 hours of
dedicated work. This dedicated work started Pax Romana with a playable prototype which barring
small tweaks to each have persevered through the modification and creation phase. The work put in
during the ideation phase provided a strong base which enhanced the impact of the changes throughout
the project and saved time later in the development.
The prototype creation occurring so early in the timeline enabled play-testing to begin much
earlier. Due to the length of our game play-testing was a significant undertaking, with a game session
lasting up to 6 hours in the early stages of the game. A play session was later able to be reduced to 3
hours with the modifications which were constantly being made to the cards and game rules and game
board. The large amount of time spent on the modifications generated from the play-testing moved
much time from the back end of the timeline which leveled out the weight. With Pax Romana
expanding and feeling more complete with each tweak made prototype 2.0 was needed.
The realization phase and movement into a second, more professional prototype included
creation of card, and board art as well as touching up the dialogue and determining a production
Pax Romana 33
method. The sheer number of cards generated the most amount of work hours spent on this section.
With each card requiring tweaking of the dialogue and an individualized drawing the hours added up
quickly on both the idea generation and implementation stages. Once everything was generated, the
task of matching each cards artwork with its story and effect text inside of a template became several
more hours of work. Based on the time spent on the above sections the time left to create a finished
professional product was extrapolated.
For the final creation of Pax Romana a time estimate was generated using professionals.
The time required for the play-testing and tweaking segments of this phase are dependent on the play
length of a game session which is up to the individuals playing. Board, card template and card art
revamping time are generated expecting a team of artists utilizing a similar drawing style to run
through all of the artwork and redraw it to the specified style using original content. As with the
generation of prototype 2.0, the amount of time spent here is due to the sheer volume of cards. Based
on the attempted historical accuracy of Pax Romana it is wise to spend time having a professional
historian comb through the information presented in the game, and ensure that the facts are relevant for
the time period. The final segment of production will involve sample acquisition and review from
several suppliers to determine the best for the job. Due to the wait time on shipping of samples this has
been set at only requiring 16 hours, but over a 2 week time span. With all this, Pax Romana is ready to
be placed on shelves after a total of 460 hours spent from ideation to final creation!
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Similar Games Units/Profits
Pax Romana draws influence from two very influential and successful game series. Both Risk
and Civilization have sold millions of copies and have spawned multitudes of expansions and variants.
Risk:
Due to a lack of open information on Hasbro sales, there is no definitive numbers for total Risk
units sold. However, popularity lists for the game indicate somewhere over 5 million units sold for the
original game, and millions more sold for the 29 different variants of the original. The Risk franchise is
worth millions of dollars over the course of 57 years.
Civilization:
Civilization has proved to be the most popular history based strategy game series to be
presented electronically. As of March 2008, the Civilization series has sold more than 8 Million copies
globally. This includes all variants of Civilization up to Civilization 5, which has sold 1.43 Million
copies since 2010. At approximately 10 Million copies, each selling at roughly $30 shelf price, the
Civilization series would have made upwards of $300 Million dollars. this doesnt include board and
card game variants, which have also been critically acclaimed and sold in high numbers.
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Example Images of Pax Romana Setup:
Prototype Mark I:
Full setup
Large Die
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Counter Dice
Paper for Resource Points
Pax Romana 37
Prototype Mark II:
Full Setup
Example of Territory Pieces
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Glossary of Important Terms
Action Points - An allotment of moves available to the player each turn to be used towards capturing
neutral territories and crossing waterways.
Annex - Gain a Neutral Non-City territory for free adjacent to your controlled territory.
Attack - use military points to make a controlled territory your territory.
City - The Yellow Labeled Hex Spaces that represent a city and is surround by 6 city territories.
City Card - Card gained after capturing the associated city. It lists the associated one time, passive, and
territory bonuses. This is where a counter is kept for keeping track of passive bonuses.
City One Time Bonus - Benefit gained immediately upon capture of a city. Only happens once per
player per game.
City Passive Bonus - Benefits gained after a set amount of turns and happens immediately.
City Territories - The 6 hex spaces surrounding a yellow labeled city hex space
Controller - The player currently in possession of
Controlled Territory - Numbered Red or Blue Hex Spaces that a player owns and has a colored
territory marker to show it.
Counters - Small dice used for keeping track of event card effects and city passive bonuses. They count
down every turn.
Enemy - Opposing Players in the game
Event Cards - Cards drawn each turn that have random effects
Growth Cards - Cards with positive effects that are drawn as a result of event cards or city passive and
one time bonuses.
Inhabit - When a player has controlled territory within a region
Instant - Happens immediately during the turn
Keep - Able to held by player until designated time of use.
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Military Points - Resource points gained through red neutral territory captures, event card effects,
growth card effects, and city passive and one time bonuses. Used for spending in the Quartermasters
provisions.
Neutral territory - Numbered Red or Blue Hex Spaces not controlled by any player
Non-City territory - Numbered Red or Blue Hex Spaces not surrounding a yellow labeled city space.
Influence Points - Resource points gained through blue neutral territory captures, event card effects,
growth card effects, and city passive and one time bonuses. Used for spending in the Quartermasters
provisions.
Passage - Refers to a single crossing of a waterway.
Port Territory - Numbered Hex Spaces connected by a Waterway
Quartermasters Provisions - Item Shop that takes military and influence points as currency. Can be
accessed at the beginning of a turns before the player uses any actions points.
Reset - Return Counter to its full starting value.
Regions - White Boundaries within the game map that refer to individual sections of the Roman
empire.
Round - Refers to after every player has taken one turn.
Starting Region - Refers to the region in which the player began the game in.
Territory Marker - Colored hex tokens used for marking controlled territory.
Territory Points - Used interchangeably with controlled territory. Simply represents the total amount of
territory spaces under a players control.
Turn - Refers to an individual players set of moves within the game
Uncapturable - Players are unable to attack, annex, capture, or rest to neutral..
Waterway - The Space on the board designed by a yellow numbered ship and a line connecting landing
port territories.
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