So Caesar's dead. You and your co-conspirators all gathered together on the Ides of March to finish him off. Even his old pal Brutus got in on it. Roma XLI (or 'Rome 41') is a new Social Deduction board game that asks the question 'what comes next'?
Roma XLI takes social deduction gameplay (of the sort that characterizes games like Werewolf, Secret Hitler, and Among Us) and adds in a layer of tactical card based plotting.
There are nine playable characters, all of whom begin the game in play, with those not chosen by anyone taking automated actions. Everyone is vying to seize control of Rome in the aftermath of Caesar's death, and there can only be one victor.
Every turn, you'll play a card either face down or face up. Playing a card face up will allow you take the action listed on it. This might mean spying on an opponent's face down cards, or discarding your current hand and redrawing a new one.
Cards have illustrations of different characters on them, and playing a card face down is a vote to exile the character depicted on it. At regular intervals, all of the facedown cards are flipped face up, and whoever has the most votes is sent into exile and eliminated from contention as Rome's next ruler.
There are mechanics for returning to the game from exile, and players are also assigned team mates that they are encouraged to betray as proceedings build towards a climax. In the event that you get stabbed in the back, make sure to give your best 'et tu'.
Roma XLI is currently crowdfunding on Kickstarter. The standard edition of the game costs $25 (£18.62), while the deluxe version (which comes with higher quality components and the 'Spoils of War' expansion) costs $40 (£29.80). $55 (£40) will get you a copy of the Deluxe edition and both the 'Spoils of War' and 'Bounties of Peace' expansions.
Spoils of War adds a series of historical events that impact the game as they occur, while Bounties of Peace brings in objectives that can be completed to gain advantages.
Join your fellow friends, Romans, and countrymen (or country folk of any gender, for that matter) on the Wargamer Discord.