You could be forgiven for thinking that Caesar! Seize Rome in 20 Minutes is just an ancient Roman re-skin of designer Paolo Mori's Blitzkrieg! And it is, sort of. But not really. Caesar! is a very similar game, both in terms of the game play and the look and design. It's obviously meant to be part of a series that includes Blitzkrieg!, but the designer took the opportunity to change up a few things.
Where the game play in Blitzkrieg! is divided up into different theatres of war, Caesar! is more of a traditional area control game (a little bit like Risk). Players start with a bag of tiles, but this time they are divided between different symbols: swords, shields and spears, plus a laurel that acts as a wild card. Additionally, each tile features two numbers with a line between them. The board is a map of the Mediterranean sea and the surrounding area; tiles are placed on the borders between provinces, with the two numbers providing an amount of influence on either side of the border. Some are evenly distributed (2|2 or 3|3) but others are wildly different (0|6), requiring the player to make a decision about which provinces they want to concentrate their influence in.
Once a province's border spaces are full, the player who played the last tile there gains a one-time bonus such as drawing an extra tile, or getting an extra turn. The player who has the most influence in the province gets to place one of their control markers there. That player also gets to place a control marker on the border between that province and any neighboring provinces that they also control. The goal of the game is to be the first to place all 12 of your control markers, so the faster you play them out the better.
The strategy in Caesar! is very similar to Blitzkrieg!, with the main decision point being where to play your tile and when, keeping in mind that if you leave your opponent an opening to close off a province they will get the bonus, even if you get to place your control marker, which could give them the advantage they need.
The game includes two mini-expansions that add new tiles and province bonuses, and also a variant that rewards players for controlling key border spaces. No giant lizards this time though...
Rating: 4 (out of 5) If I did half-stars this would be 4.5 out of 5, simply because while the games are very similar I like the game dynamics in this one just a little bit better.
- Caesar! Seize Rome in 20 Minutes official website
- Caesar! Seize Rome on 20 Minutes on BoardGameGeek