Imperium: Classics, Building Rome in a Day, and Circuses
Shape the history of an ancient nation through a series of technologies, advancements, and settlements in Imperium: Classics.
Before I had to relinquish Imperium: Classics to my husband for a multiplayer experience, I had the final low complexity nation to play as: The Romans! It was nice to see my scores steadily improving and just looking through my starting deck gave me plenty of ideas. Maybe I wasn’t an expert, yet I had some fun plans in place to test out my skills!
Game Overview
Game Name: Imperium: Classics
Publication Year: 2021
Designer: Nigel Buckle & Dávid Turczi
Artist: Mihajlo Dimitrievski
Publisher: Osprey Games
Solo Mode: Included in Imperium: Horizons
An ancient nation acts as the focal point, where choices in card actions and acquisitions tell a story through history. Each box in this series features a different set of nations, offering many play styles. The solo practice mode provides an excellent challenge to take on the role of each nation.
First Play
March 20, 2024
Complexity
4
Latest Play
March 29, 2024
Expansions
2
Setup Time
10 Minutes
Lifetime Plays
8
Play Time
50 Minutes
High Score
100
Game Area
36" x 22"
Low Score
57
Focusing on Cities
Although the Romans are quite aggressive, they often excel at focusing on their population. The market revealed plenty of civilized cards all about settlements early on.
I had a plentiful array of regions at multiple times, but it was imperative to go after the fame cards!
At the end of my first play, it didn’t look like I had a lot of cards… But this is deceptive. My score was excellent, owing to lots of cities and civilized developments.
Unrest was also kept to a minimal level, owing to a bit of distraction. Yet that card gave me a somewhat fun idea…
The Popcorn Tricycle!
With the mention of a circus and no animal on the Roman cards, it was time for the Calico Critters to show up with their own version of the circus for a major distraction!
That’s right: Don’t think the popcorn tricycle disappeared. I see it on a regular basis, often in double… Because I love this thing so much, I picked up a secondary backup. Ha!
The history behind the term “bread and circuses” isn’t particularly positive, but it’s what I decided to work with.
I drive this popcorn tricycle across my solo table at the most inappropriate times, so… Thematic, I guess? Ha ha!
A Circus Ring of Bread
Was it too hard to resist this artistic interpretation? YES. I have all sorts of tiny bread-related products, along with tiny animals in clown-like costumes. I had to do it!
Back on gameplay, though, this card was actually one of the most useful. I didn’t have to break through as much, as I had a way to deal with unrest fairly early on.
And when I didn’t have unrest, I had a larger hand size, so discarding a card helped me move through the deck.
There was no way I could think about my strategy all that much… Distracted by cuteness, which was also thematic!
Enjoying UberStax
I showed off my UberStax display a few times, and I can safely say that it will always make an appearance with this game! It simply helps out with the market so much.
Besides tightening the pieces, I managed to move this display even closer to me. The table space savings are great, yet the viewing angle is a massive improvement!
My only slight complaint is the glare, owing to the fact that this is a sleeved game… Courtesy of my husband.
But I managed to get just the right angle, and even ended up with my best score yet during my second play!
Why I Don’t Always Rank Asymmetric Factions
With a total of 30 nations across the series, the discussion of the best one or top favorites often comes up. I appreciate those details for a variety of reasons! But I don’t always post my ranking because asymmetry means that the best option is very personal. There are certainly cool and neat mechanics to consider, yet I hardly consider myself an expert.
As I do with all of my reports, I write from my perspective and try to explain what I like or don’t like in detail. For me, the most useful reviews are the ones that include explanations. If I can get a sense of whether I’m aligned with another player or not, that makes any comments even more helpful. Still, that doesn’t mean we should agree on everything.
In the end, the nations I choose as my favorites are going to match up with what works best for me. I might list the Romans near the top, despite their relatively simplicity. Sometimes, that’s just what I want with a good chance to win! Ultimately, games are a fun way to learn about ourselves, and I hope my ramblings are at least mildly entertaining!
Session Overview
Play Number: 7 & 8
Expansion: Imperium: Horizons
Solo Mode: Included in Imperium: Horizons
Play Details: Solo Practice Mode, Romans A & B
Outcome: 82, 100 (2 Wins)
A-ha! Although the Romans are one of the easiest nations to understand, I picked up lots of small lessons from my earlier plays. This helped me recognize market cards that worked well together for scoring. Prosperity also came into play a lot, leading to an enormous Roman population. Such a great way to end this session with a victory!
%
1 Play
Affordability
Price & Value
10
Functionality
Challenges & Mechanics
9
Originality
Design & Theme
6
Quality
Components & Rules
8
Reusability
Achievement & Enjoyment
10
Variability
Distinctness & Randomness
10
+ Pros (Positives)
- There are so many clever and intricate card interactions to find over the course of many plays across the nations.
- Although many nations feature some of the same cards, each one plays very differently with unique strategies.
- Card text is focused on straightforward mechanics, yet the artwork encourages researching the real history.
- Having nation complexity ratings makes it easy to step into the rules system and slowly work upward.
- The solo practice mode may seem simple, but it offers up a fun challenge to play optimally in just 12 rounds.
- Every action has some sort of story attached to it, and playing purely for mechanics loses sight of the core.
– Cons (Negatives)
- Setup and cleanup can take a bit of effort with the way the different types of cards need to be resorted into decks.
- Manually counting final scores is a time-intensive process with unique scoring criteria on a number of cards.
- The same commons deck can feel a little repetitive, although there is a lot to discover within a single set.
- Finding a storage solution for everything in the series takes a bit of effort, as the inserts don’t fit sleeved cards.
Victory Conditions
Score 80+ Points in the Practice Mode
- Overall Goal Progress 86%
Goals and Milestones
Score at least 80 points in at least 1 practice mode game.
Score at least 90 points in at least 1 practice mode game.
Score at least 100 points in at least 1 practice mode game.
Win at least 1 practice mode game as the Macedonians.
Win at least 1 practice mode game as the Persians.
Win at least 1 practice mode game as the Romans.
Score at least 110 points in at least 1 practice mode game.
Continue the Conversation
What are some of your favorite cards or actions in Imperium: Classics? Still plenty of other nations to play through as I explore everything this series has to offer! Do you have a favorite way to play solo? I’ll be taking a break as I give some of my other solo games attention, yet I’m very excited to return to this one again at some point. History is awesome!
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