by brynnfr
We are playing a 4 player game. Obviously all of us are inexperienced at it. One person has demoed it and thats it. We do the "short game" and start at 7 influence (needing 12 at the end of a turn to win).I get Glaber. My specials are Exhaust 3 guards to gain 1 intrigue card and discard 3 guards to gain 1 influence. It seems every time that I draw Intrigue cards I am getting more guards.
First bidding phase, Solonius gets the spear that lets you attack at a range of 2 instead of having to be adjacent. No new gladiators are on the market so everyone has their starting gladiators. Batiatus gets a slave that gives +1 gold on exhaust, I win the honor of host bumping my influence up to 8 and I pick Solonius to go against Batiatus in the arena. Everyone bets on Solonius to win and he does using stick and move tactics to keep Batiatus' starting gladiator at bay once they are down to 1 Initiative die.
Round 2 - Tullius gets the host. And picks myself and Batiatus to go into the arena. At this point I have bought Gnaeus((+3 atk, +3 def, +3 intiative, auto injures on win)for 7 gold, more than he is worth in my opinion, but it was the first real Gladiator we had seen). However I send in my starting gladiator since Batiatus has the Axe, which allows 1 wound on exhaust after attack and I have no equipment. My gladiator is defeated and Tullius decides to execute him.
Round 3 - Along the way Solonius, picks up Crixus(+4 atk, +4 def, +4 intiative). Tullius picks Solonius to go into the arena. Solonius accepts the invitation and picks Crixus for the arena. And he is pitted against me. I only have Gnaeus as my gladiator and have a card in my hand that will give 2 influence points to the person with the lowest influence. . Myself, Tullius and Solonius were at 9 influence and Batiatus was at 10, so I decide not to enter the arena and take my influence down to 8 so I will be the lowest on influence. Batiatus also declines and drops to 9 influence. So Tullius has to put in Thing from the Pit against Crixus. Tullius also has a Javelin at this time(Rolls initiative dice for damage at 4 range on exhaust. Thing from the Pit hits Crixus for 2 damage before they even come close and steam rolls Crixus from there. Everyone bet on Crixus except Tullius and he also max bet on Decaptitation since Thing from the Pit automatically decapitates on win.
It becomes apparent to me that I am not going to win this game by earning fame through the arena, so I don't bid on any more gladiators or slaves. (At 2 slaves and Gnaeus for my gladiator)
Next Intrigue turn I play my Revenge card bumping myself up to 10 influence and discard 6 guards to gain 2 influence putting me at 12 influence with 2 guards left over to try to block. Solonius is next and he tries to scheme to make me take a -1 influence bump but one of my guards blocks it. Next is Batiatus(last to go in the turn) and they also play a scheme to take me down an influence. I roll a 3 (1-3 is failed block 4-6 is successful block) and I am taken down to 11 influence right before I win.
A turn goes by and everyone is nearly broke. I have 1 coin left after betting on Spartacus to decapitate some starting gladiator(which he doesnt...doesn't even injure him) At this point i have been dropped down to 10 influence. Solonius has 11. I had bumped Batiatus down to 10 influence and Tullius has 11 as well. We go through the market phase with hardly anything being bought since Tullius has no cash, I have 1 coin and Batiatus and Solonius have like 4. Solonius wins the bid on being the host, gets the 1 influence. Hits 12 influence and the Auction phase is over crowning Solonius the winner.
I really like that the game has multiple paths to victory. Solonius won mostly by gaining influence from the arena where as, I ducked an arena, took a -1 influence hit, and lost the only time I actually went into the arena, and then almost won with mostly intrigue and money (winning the host auction twice). I would really like to play the long version of the game and see if that changes the way you can play the game, but all in all, it lived up to the expectations and hopes I had when I first saw it and has now been pre-ordered.