Foundations of Rome – Maximus (Emperor + Roads of Fortune)

Foundations of Rome – Maximus is the all-in version of Arcane Wonders' miniature-packed city builder: the full Emperor edition with the Roads of Fortune expansion already packed inside the box.

You and your rivals are architects in ancient Rome, racing to buy lots and raise homes, shops and civic landmarks on one shared city board. Each turn is a single, simple choice: buy land, build, or collect income. The tension comes from where you build. Residential and commercial buildings score you glory through population and trade, and civic buildings score based on what surrounds them, including your opponents' work. The city that grows on the table is made of detailed 3D miniature buildings, so the final board looks like a model of Rome.

At a glance

• Publisher: Arcane Wonders (Dice Tower Essentials line)
• Designer: Emerson Matsuuchi
• Players: 2–5 (Roads of Fortune adds support for 1–5 via its Gardens of Ceres solo boards)
• Play time: 60–90 minutes
• Ages: 14+

What's in the Maximus box

Everything from the Emperor edition:

• Foundations of Rome core game: 96 miniature buildings (residential, commercial and civic), city, deed and score boards, deed cards, player trays and 20 Invocation cards
• 5th Player expansion
• Monuments expansion (19 monument buildings and cards)
• Trading/Stealing, Will of the Consul, Objectives, Invocations and Player Roles modules
• Metal coins

Plus Roads of Fortune: road boards along the city edges that reward whoever controls the borders with new abilities, along with milestone markers, alternate monument cards, Gardens of Ceres road boards, tray and player-aid upgrades, and errata cards for first-edition components. It works with any mix of the other modules.

Maximus vs. Emperor: the Emperor edition has every module above except Roads of Fortune. Maximus adds it.

Shipping details

This is a big box: about 16.9 × 14.7 × 13.8 in and 22 lb. Made in China.