Stratagem Design Project

A small number of features can be combined into an almost endless set of variations. Once You've learn't the principles behind the representation of Armies and Fleets on the Map Board, You're able to focus on what's really the challenge of the operational level of the Campaign - prioritizing when your resources are limited... There are a number of operational situations that the rules have to cover. Since the Campaign System will have functions for game Opponents from inside the Empire, as well as outside the Imperial borders, the rules will cover features of these situations as well. There are also specific rules for main army formations - the Field Armies - and rules for the not-so-mobile Garrisson troops.  The main effort of the Rule Design is to keep the rules as simple as possible, but still have them provide guidance for a number of quite different situations. Hopefully this will offer players a Campaign System with a multitude of different Battle Setups. 

Rule and Game Design have now reached so far that it's time to start developing the first draft for the Rule Book. The Rule Book will be publish as a digital E-book initally, with possibilty to offer customers a print-on-deamnd version as aan option.   The Rule Book will be richly illustrated, with some background facts along with rules example and table with stats of units, infrastructure and abilities. 

At the moment a lot of playtesting is focused on getting the In-game Resolution right - keeping it fun, managing the complexity and taking care of the replayability. It's looking good - things are moving in the right directions... And simultaneously another aspect of the game is being tested - the diplomacy/foreing policy mechanims where friendly or hostile neighbours of the empire become a part of the internal power struggle - use the tribes to your advantage, keep them satisfied and let them act as tools for your political ambitions... And yes, those placeholders are unit icons from a well known PC-game, you're correct... One of the games that will be possible to use for resolving the Tactical Battles of the Campaign/Boardgame in fact.   Trying different situations - what are the choice in this instance? Are all option covered in the current rules, do they have to be clarified? Can they be made even more simple?  Next step will be to playtest the diplomacy with live pla...

Artwork and digital reconstruction by History in 3D The Architectural world where Patrimonium Imperii takes place is painstakingly and vividly reconstructed by the company History in 3D. Be sure to check out their site; the team has done quite a few impressive projects to bring the ancient buidlings to life.  Their main focus recently has been a reconstruction and visualization of Rome - the Rome in 3D project, where the aim is to "create the most complete, reliable and detailed reconstruction of the great city". 

Step by step the Game Pieces take place on the game table, right now the protoyping focuses on honing the In-game Battle Resolution to the best balance possible. Patrimonium Imperii primarily provides a Campaign Layer for your tactical battles - using miniatures or PC games - but it also offers the possibility for "in-game" resolution of battles that you and your opponents maybe don't find interesting. The In-game Battle Resolution will also let you decide outcomes quickly from engagements, if your gaming session wishes to focus on the more strategic challenges of the game. Note that artwork in the screenshots is still wip - there will be changes in the near future - but the "feel" of the design won't change very much.

Patrimonium Imperii is set in late antiquity, in the immidiate aftermath of the death of emperor Constantine the great and the struggle of power among his relatives that rippled through the empire following his demise.  The game lets you take on the role as one of his relatives and trick, deceive and fight your way to the position as the last claimant standing.  The  Constantinian dynasty  is an informal name for the ruling family of the  Roman Empire  from  Constantius Chlorus  (died 306) to the death of  Julian  in 363. It is named after its most famous member,  Constantine the Great  who became the sole ruler of the empire in 324. The dynasty is also called  Neo-Flavian  because every Constantinian emperor bore the name Flavius, similarly to the rulers of the first  Flavian dynasty  in the 1st century. The family tree of Constantine the Great. Characters coloured are included among the Claimant Characters...

Next step in the development of Patrimonium Imperii - the Board Game that also will offer a campaign layer to your favourite tactical wargame - has finally started; prototyping to be able to do the first playtest is now under way. At this moment a lot of the art work is still placeholders and the size can and will be adjusted to get the optimla game set up layout. All Character Cards of a player arranged in the way they will be laid out - on the respective Court and Diocese Boards of course, but none the less - this will be the ultimate goal to achieve for a player.  You won't be playing in an environment of old roman ruins when the game is released - but it's a nice background when play testing ;-)

Right now development has been focused on the - as I'm hoping - final steps to catch the right feel and character for the game. Logotype and themes will be used in all sorts of situations, so it's important to pin the right style, since this will be so important to a lot of other elements. The Game Ui will be closely connected to this style, so there are a lot of variables to keep in mind. 

Key Concepts of the Game Patrimonium Imperii Below is an excerpt from the introduction of the game rules. This section explains some of the basic concepts to new players. Influence Patrimonium Imperii is a game where you can’t earn any money, but you compete with your opponents by achieving as high a reputation and influence as possible. This is a measurement of how important you’re regarded and will be the determining factor when the Imperial Council settles for a new ruler of the empire. During game play you will gather influence – but you will also have to use your influence to make things happen – and to be able to gather even more influence. Influence is measured in IP:s – influence points. Claimants The late emperor Constantine’s plan for succession hasn’t worked out as planned and now several relatives, in charge of different regions, will have to fight for their survival. These members of the imperial family – some rather distant relatives – are all poss...

A few more words on the background of the Board Game... As one of the players of Patrimonium Imperii you find yourself in the tumultuous struggle for power in the summer of 337, just after the great emperor Constantine has passed away. You and your relatives (i.e. the other players) will have to fight for your claims to the throne. Think "Game of Thrones" set in the Late Antiquity! Historically, only the three biological sons of Constantine survived the Summer of Blood 337, and most evidence points to Constantius as of one the chief instigators of the massacre within the family. A thorough investigation is presentedin this  fascinating thesis on the events , eminently written by R.W. Burgess. It's like looking into the details of a crime investigation! Following the death of his father in 337, Constantine II initially became emperor jointly with his brothers Constantius II and Constans, with the Empire divided between them and their cousins, the Caesars Dalm...

Below is the introduction to the game. This is all very much WIP, and will grow and change over time. The basic outline is however taking shape. Overall  Scope The Idea behind this game BGPI is a boardgame that illustrates the power struggle in the early 4th century Roman Empire. It may be played as a "stand-alone" boardgame - or it may act as an operational layer to tactical games ranging from Tabletop Wargaming to digital wargames such as Field of Glory II or Total War (Attila Total War primarily, but it's possible to imagine Rome Total War with the mod "Rise of Christianity" as well).  Clashes between armies on the Map Board may be resolved "in-game" or by employing "external tools" for resolution. Guides for translating strategic situations into Field Battles are included for several Rule System as DBA, DBMM and Impetus. The background  Constantine the Great dead, no heir to the throne appointed. The Idea behind this g...

Developer Diary part 02 Testing some different styles for illustration - in this case it's the pictures for the Unit Cards (Roman) that needs a nice style. Below examples of Roman Missile Cavalry Illustration.

Researching and looking for good example pictures