Rome, LLP. The Republic of Rome

Before there was Empire, there was a ...Partnership? Yes, it was a world of clients and patrons where the words "The Senate and People of Rome" were not the hollow phrase it became under the Empire. For Senators, engaging in business was taboo, but money-making (even from graft) was not, and citizens of the growing Republic shared in their patrons’ wealth and prestige. But it was at best, a limited liability partnership, an unsuccessful general might merely be banished and replaced by another, but an unsuccessful legion might be....decimated. ROME, LLP is a solitaire game of the Roman Republic as it grows from a small city state in 400 BCE to an empire in 27 BCE, when Octavian took the imperial name of Augustus. A prequel to Rome, Inc.: From Augustus to Diocletian, you will again be running a business, but this time the “Republic of Rome” is starting from scratch with minimal resources and highly competitive rivals, Brennus the Gaul, Hannibal Barca, Mithridates the Great, Spartacus, and Queen Cleopatra. The pair of consuls rule Italia, allowing the player to choose which of the co-CEOs are best for the job in hand, with a censor to maintain public morals, and an obstructive tribune representing the workforce, vetoing senatorial appointments, and changing the game by proposing new laws. Provinces are controlled by a Governor, who collects taxes, quells insurgents, and fights wars, but may March on Rome and make himself Dictator For Life. The player operates behind the scenes, promoting and removing consuls, censors, governors, and tribunes (and dictators in a real emergency) as Roman legions monopolize the Mediterranean. Victory is determined by winning Prestige, earned by prudent administration, annexing provinces, winning wars, and plying the people with bread and circuses. If the barbarians take Rome, the Republic will fall and the game ends in in defeat, but bankruptcy and popular revolution will have the same effect. You alone control the mechanics of a rising republic, choosing four distinct “starting points” (400 BCE, 267 BCE, 149 BCE, and 82 BCE) and running scenarios lasting 10-40 turns, depending on your business acumen and endurance. Each turn represents 5-15 years, with 10 turns in each of the four scenarios. —description from the publisher