(Wow, I’m current again!)
(It won’t last.)
This week we played Spartacus, a board game based on the first season of the  STARZ TV show. We have it on good authority that this is a fun game. In the game each player is a dominus over a house in ancient Rome. In the game, each player has assets (gladiators, slaves, and guards) that they purchase and manage with the gold they accumulate. We discovered early on that gold is very important to your success…just like in the real Rome of the past. Players also have intrigue cards that can hurt your enemies and help you. One of the most important part of the game is hosting a gladiator tournament. The host earns influence and gets to invite the participants. Declining an invitation is bad for your influence, so when invited, you go. You win the game by reaching 12 influence.
Mike hosted the first tournament and invited himself and Ben to participate. Ben made a horrific decision during the combat that gave Mike the fight winning advantage. Mike’s gladiator did win, garnishing even more influence for Mike. The game pretty much continued on this way with Mike gaining influence while the rest of us plotted to bring him down—behind his back of course. Mike won. (Although I see a slave revolt in his future.)
We all liked the game. We played the short version so it only took about 2 hours to play and that’s with reading the rules and setting the game up. Next time we’ll have to play a full game. Maybe one of my gladiators will get invited to a tournament.
Chaos Steve