Once upon a time, before the lockdown, Time Of Crisis was a regular here at GNN. It had been given the opportunity that other games had deserved but never attained: a chance for a regular core of players to really get an understanding of how a game works. How it ebbs and flows, its winning strategy and its dead ends.
And now (well, last Sunday, actually. Soz for the delay in the write-up), in 2023, we returned to Ancient Rome. It wasn't easy. A lengthy email exchange resulted in a date for Martin, Joe, Ian and I to battle over the laurel wreath once more. But then Joe dropped out and Sam stepped in. And if that wasn't enough, on the evening in question, I drove to Sam's and spent fifteen minutes looking for a parking space. It literally would've been quicker to walk.
Late start notwithstanding, the four of us leapt back into the past. Our starting positions were Gallia (Sam), Pannonia (Ian), Macedonia (Martin), and lastly, with all the prime real estate taken, I chose Africa, half hoping for some points off barbarians.
After that, Sam took Britannia, Ian expanded into Hispania , Martin into Asia and I took Aegyptus. This turned out to be a good move since it remained untouched for the entire game - a very low maintenance territory.
During this period of map sharing, a rival emperor, Postumus, popped up in Gallia. And so, on his turn, Sam attacked and killed him but Postumus killed off Sam's army in the battle. The rest of us built things. Ian and Martin chose Basilicas while I had Nomads on my southern border so I made a Limes.
Sam then rolled a crisis roll that sent Sassanids into Galatia while he set up camp in Syria, a territory famed for having a death wish but in this game was completely serene. Ian took Thracia, leaving Pannonia almost undefended. Then Martin became Emperor! And as you can guess from the blog title, he'd stay there for some time. I accidentally sent Sassanids into Syria and then paid tribute to the Nomads who had recently invaded me and got voted into Galatia.
In the next round, the first under Emperor Martin's rule, no one was in a position to challenge him. Sam reinforced Syria, Ian stole Galatia from me and failed to attack Martin in Asia. Martin reinforced his fragile Roman battalion and then failed to beat Ian's wounded army in Asia. I defeat the Nomads in Africa and fail to win an election in Pannonia.
Sam began the next round with plenty of blue cards but little confidence that he could unseat Martin in Rome. Instead he took Thracia from the emperor, weakening his hold on the senate. Ian couldn't capitalise, but did take Asia, giving him four territories and Martin only two. Martin retook Asia and I built a basilica in Africa and took Galatia from Ian. I know I should've attacked Martin but that was my easiest option.
Sam sent his army from Gallia into Italia but couldn't defeat Martin. Even so, he tried to get voted into Rome and just failed. Martin’s grip on power was looking weak, but Ian didn't know whether to use all his blue points to win in Rome or to win an easy election in another province first and become an absurdly powerful emperor. He took Gallia from Sam but then failed to win in Rome, rolling four 1s. Heartbreaking. Not for Martin, though, who then took Pannonia from Ian. I moved my army across the sea from Africa to Italia and defeat Martin in battle but I didn't have enough blues to win an election there, so instead I unseated Martin in Asia, even though I knew I would lose it immediately.
Surely Martin couldn't last another round. We could hardly believe he survived the last one. But Sam had “the most boring turn in the world” where he bought a general and boosted Thracia. It was so dull that I had been distracted during his turn and, looking at the board afterwards, couldn’t see if he’d done anything and I had to ask. Ian won an election in the now-neutral Asia and finally beat Martin in Rome. A new emperor! But then Martin is quickly recrowned after he defeated my army still sat in Italia in remarkable circumstances. He rolled two hits so I needed three hits from my two dice. I rolled two 6s! Hope! But then I rolled two misses and, thanks to Martin’s cavalry, attackers won ties. On my turn I retaliated immediately but it’s another draw (2-2) and I didn't have a cavalry to back me up.
Asia was now a “shit show,” hosting 3 Goths and 3 Sassanids. Meanwhile, Sam was voted back in Gallia and sent a new army into Italia where he defeated Martin and became a new emperor. At Level 5! Ian, by contrast, was down to his last territory: the aforementioned “shit show” Asia.
He boosted it to hang onto it and then won an election in Gallia, even though he promptly lsot it again. Martin’s hand was a paltry 2 blue, 1 red, 2 yellow and all he does is take Pannonia from me and then had to take a while to look though his huge deck of cards to prepare his next hand. I have 2B 1R 3Y which doesn’t look promising but I attacked and defeated Sam in Italia, boosted popularity elsewhere and then get voted into Italia. It’s my turn to be emperor!
It feels a lot like the last round. Martin’s score is hovering in the 50s and we’ve no doubt he’s loaded his most powerful cards. Sam could only win elections in two neutral territories: Gallia and Thracia. He built in Britannia and then, in a neatly spiteful move, he chucked a mob into Martin’s Pannonia. Ian rolled a double six for his crisis roll, so he, Martin and I all got an extra card. His hand was10R, 5B, 2Y and, in a huge turn, he became a level 4 emperor. But Martin had a reply: 9R, 6B, 2Y. He took Pannonia off Ian again and then brushed my army aside in Italia (I roll 1-1) and he ended his turn needing one vote to become emperor again with four dice.
It’s over. After a comparatively speedy two and a half hours, it ended...
Martin 79
Andrew 61
Ian 59
Sam 53
Everyone got to be emperor but Martin’s initial reign, where he admits he got some king-sized slices of luck, was pivotal. No one could catch him after that.
Nice to get it back on the table again. I had to dash after we’d finished but the other three played on into the night: Ian won Chicken
And then they got 10 out of 18 in So Clover...
Thanks all. Sorry it took a while to get this written up. See you all soon.
Sam's huge homegrown apple
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