Total War: ROME: The Board Game kicked off its Gamefound crowdfunding campaign on Thursday and passed its $61,000 / £45,000 goal in just 35 minutes. At time of writing, the game’s UK-based publisher, PSC Games, has already raised $250,800 / £185,000 from backers, with 18 days still left to go. We don’t yet know when it’s coming to shelves, but PSC Games estimates backers will receive their copies in February 2023.
With hundreds of unit cards, 21 dice, and 40 miniatures in the base set, this board game adaptation of Creative Assembly’s classic 2004 PC title will have players waging war across the ancient world. You’ll lead armies, navies, and agents from one of four factions (Rome, Carthage, Barbarians, and Greece) – all while developing an economic engine to keep your empire in good health.
As with any good board game crowdfunder, Total War: ROME: The Board Game is offering stretch goals galore, and backers have already unlocked a fair few of them – including a dice tower styled like a Roman temple, and four of the eight planned new factions: Hispania, Gaul, Numidia, and German Tribes.
The remaining four are Egypt, Thracia, Dacia, and Scythia. But PSC Games has also listed a Faction Booster Expansion as an optional extra to pledges, including all eight of these bonus factions.
So far, 805 of the 1,123 people who have backed the game went for the maximum $221 / £163 Deluxe Emperor pledge, which includes all extra factions, an additional map stretching into Asia, an expanded battle system, and a new game mode that involves seizing Rome from the senate and becoming emperor.
The next level down is the Tribune Pledge for $102 / £75, which still offers the Faction Booster Expansion, but misses out on the rest of the bonus content.
All the Gamefound campaign‘s pledge levels currently list about a 40% discount from what will be the eventual asking price. Depending on where you are, applicable taxes and VAT may be added.
According to the estimated shipping dates, Total War: ROME: The board game will be in backers’ hands around February 2023. For more information on the game’s ins and outs, check out our Total War: ROME: The Board Game guide, where we’ve grouped together everything we know so far – more details than you can shake a gladius at.