![]() Players are free to pick any one of these powers (and several others) at any starting date they like between the Pyrrhic War in 474 AVC and the assumption of Augustus and the creation of the Empire in 723 AVC. A number of independent barbarian and semi-civilized settlements lay to the north and west, from Spain all the way to Scotland. Meanwhile, the Phoenician city of Carthage was gathering strength in North Africa, and the Seleucid remnants of Alexander the Great's empire were sitting off to the East. By that time the Romans gained control of most of Italy and found themselves at war Greek colonies in the south and their allies across the Adriatic. ![]() For you non-classics types out there, that translates to 278 BC. The game begins in 474 AVC ( ab urbe condita), which dates from the founding of the city of Rome. And if this historical period itself holds appeal for you, it's essential.The new game focuses on the two-and-a-half centuries of Republican rule that ended with the establishment of the Empire proper. But if the Europa Universalis series is your thing, Rome is a welcome evolution. Too subtle to convince the Stella-drinking, Benny Hedgehogsmoking masses that it's anything but a game for posh brainy wankers, perhaps. Meanwhile, the characters and bloodlines within your borders have a lot more going on, so EU: Rome offers a subtle shift of emphasis from its forebears. And don't forget the gods - they hate it when you do anything.ĮU: Rome is focused on a smaller than before area and elements such as diplomacy and economy have been streamlined. Against you are other nations and alliances, as well as barbarian hordes and the treachery of generals who might get too big for their sandals, not to mention the wants and needs of your slaves and citizens. To do all the things required of you (raising armies and moving them about) takes a fair amount of time, and to ponder a grand strategy to accomplish your aims requires much more. They're related, but one has the depth of a coal mine, the other of your local Lido pool. ![]() If you haven't, EU: Rome is a bit like Risk - in the same way that new Battlestar Galactica is a bit like the old one. Rome marks the fourth historical divergence for the series, and if you've played previous games (the 3D Europa Universalis 3 especially), you will know what to expect. Having taken the series through various historical waypoints (World War Il in Hearts of Iron and the apex of British Imperial power in Victoria). I'm not saying the long-running Europa Universalis series is more refined than any other game, or that it's self-important, only that it has a certain clarity and pace that seems far removed from the here and now. This is the sort of game which should give wives cause to withdraw to the drawing room to allow their husbands to ponder their next move with a glass of Henri IV Dudognon Heritage while drawing on Scotch Cake curling from a pipe almost as expensive as the PC. ![]() If All PC's were encased in smooth veneer of walnut and mahogany and keyboards clicked to the sound of manicured fingers on buffed ivory, Europa Universalis would probably be the most popular game in the world.
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