Imperium: Classics 2021

In your hands lies the destiny of one of history's great civilizations. Under constant threat of attack, you must conquer new lands, oversee dramatic scientific and cultural advances, and lead your people into the era of empire. Expand too rapidly, and unrest will bring your civilization to its knees; build up too slowly, however, and you might find yourself a mere footnote of history. As one of eight radically asymmetric civilizations, you will compete to become the most dominant empire the world has ever seen.

Imperium: Classics is a standalone game that contains the Carthaginian, Celt, Greek, Macedonian, Persian, Roman, Scythian, and Viking civilizations and an individual solo opponent behaving as each nation. It uses the same rules and is fully compatible with Imperium: Legends for players wanting to expand their pool of civilizations even further.

The game is played in a series of rounds. Each round starts with the player to the left of the solstice card taking their turn and then turn order proceeds clockwise. On each turn, players will activate, innovate, or revolt. Once you have finished resolving your action, you will clean up. After you have cleaned up, the player to your left takes their turn. If the solstice card is between you and the player to your left, the round ends.

Play continues until either scoring or collapse is triggered, which ends the game. The player with the most victory points wins.

—description from the publisher