Introduction to the Fall of Rome After Action Report

By: Rick McDowell, Designer of Fall of Rome.

Fall of Rome (www.fallofromegame.com) may be thought of as an online strategy board game for twelve players. While it may be fairly categorized as an historical war game, it is multifaceted: its political, covert, and economic components are each as important as the military aspects of the game. Unlike a typical board game however, there is no waiting for other players to make their moves. Each player chooses a time most convenient to him within a 72 hour window to plan and issue around 15 commands per turn, choosing from over 70 available. At the end of each 72 hour period, commands for all players are executed according to an established sequence of events. For example, battles occur before covert actions, which in turn are resolved before political actions, followed by movement, with intelligence gathering last in the turn sequence. The map is then updated for all players simultaneously, and results of all actions including detailed battle reports are provided in various game screens. Players then have a fresh 72 hours to communicate with their foes and allies through the game messaging system, and to plan their next set of commands. It is a competitive game with a winner declared no later than turn 24, so a single game typically lasts about two months. The standard victory condition is called “The Rex” (meaning sole ruler), and is awarded to the player that can control three of the 12 regions on the map for two consecutive turns. Players each also choose a secret victory condition they may pursue, and this choice will alter their game playing style and strategy. In terms of complexity, Fall of Rome is moderate, if Axis and Allies is considered simple and Advanced Squad Leader is complex. The complete rules and much other reference material is available at www.fallofromegame.com.

Below is a screenshot showing only the outline of each of the 12 regions. The region where Attila’s picture is superimposed is called Pannonia. Throughout the AAR accounts, the authors refer to these region names in their strategies, so this should serve as a convenient reference.