In Part 1, we explored #5 Colosseum, #4 Trajan, and #3 The Republic of Rome. Now it’s time for the top two Roman themed board games — the games that best capture Rome’s grandeur, complexity, and drama.
2. Catan Histories: Struggle for Rome – Top 5 Roman Themed Board Games
Players: 3–4
Playtime: Around 90–120 minutes
Designer: Klaus Teuber
Publisher: Catan GmbH
I know, many are going to disagree, but I love Catan. When most people think of Catan, they picture sheep, wood, and quiet little settlements. Catan Histories: Struggle for Rome takes that familiar resource-trading formula and hurls it into the turbulent final centuries of the Roman Empire. Instead of farmers and friendly traders, you’ll step into the sandals of barbarian chieftains—your goal is to raid, conquer, and ultimately settle on the Roman lands before your rivals do. So this belongs to the list of Roman themed board games.
At its heart, this is still very much a Catan game. You’ll collect resources from hexagonal tiles, trade with other players, and build your network of roads and settlements. But the thematic overhaul is more than just window dressing. The Roman roads act as strategic arteries, and the plunder-and-settle dynamic gives the game a sense of movement and urgency absent from the original. You’re not simply expanding your economy—you’re pressing into the Roman heartland, balancing aggression with long-term stability.
The historical framing works beautifully. The fall of the Roman Empire wasn’t a single dramatic collapse but a gradual process of migration, settlement, and conflict. Struggle for Rome captures that by giving players two distinct phases: a nomadic period where your people roam and gather wealth, followed by a settlement phase where you attempt to anchor your position and claim dominance. It’s a clever way to reflect the historical ebb and flow while keeping the gameplay brisk.
Replayability is high thanks to a modular board setup and the unpredictable nature of trading. While it’s possible to stick to a resource-gathering and trading strategy, some players will inevitably push into more aggressive expansion, forcing others to react. A diplomatic table can turn the tide in your favor, but just as easily leave you isolated if your neighbors band together.
Games typically last between 90 minutes and two hours, which is long enough to feel epic without dragging on. The mechanics are familiar enough that experienced Catan players can jump right in, while the new elements keep things fresh. The Roman theme doesn’t just feel pasted on—it seeps into the gameplay, from the tension of your first raid to the satisfaction of seeing your settlements sprawl across former Roman lands.
If you’re a fan of Catan but want something with a bit more bite—and a lot more history—Catan Histories: Struggle for Rome is a worthy addition to your collection. It’s a mix of familiarity and novelty, wrapped in the drama of Rome’s twilight years.
1. Pandemic: Fall of Rome – Top 5 Roman Themed Board Games
Players: 1–5
Playtime: 45–60 minutes
While Catan thrives on competition, Pandemic: Fall of Rome flips the script with cooperative play. Here, you’re not trying to outmaneuver other Romans — you’re fighting alongside them to save the Empire from collapse.
An adaptation of the acclaimed Pandemic system, Fall of Rome trades deadly viruses for invading barbarian tribes. The Goths, Vandals, Huns, and others stream across the borders, threatening cities and provinces. Each player takes on a role — perhaps a General commanding legions, a Diplomat forging alliances, or a Governor organizing defenses. The variety of roles adds replay value and forces teams to adapt strategies depending on who’s at the table.
On your turn, you’ll move legions, reinforce threatened cities, engage in battles, or work to ally with enemy tribes to remove them from the board. But after your actions, the game pushes back — enemy forces advance, more tribes appear, and cities can be sacked. If too many cities fall or the barbarian threat becomes overwhelming, the game ends in defeat.
What sets Fall of Rome apart is how it layers historical flavor onto a familiar system. You’re not just curing “diseases” — you’re defending cultural and political stability. Forming alliances represents the historical absorption of some tribes into the Empire, while constant military action reflects Rome’s strained borders in its final centuries.
It’s also remarkably accessible. New players can learn the rules in under 15 minutes, making it a perfect entry point for people who might find heavier historical games intimidating. And despite its shorter playtime, it’s packed with tense decisions: do you defend a city on the brink, or try to secure a fragile border? Do you gamble on an alliance or push the enemy back through force?
The cooperative nature means it’s an entirely different emotional experience from competitive Roman games. There’s a shared sense of victory when Rome survives, and a shared groan when disaster strikes. With multiple difficulty settings, it can challenge both newcomers and veterans, making it a versatile addition to any game night.
In short, Pandemic: Fall of Rome takes a beloved modern classic and gives it a dramatic, thematic twist that breathes life into the challenge of Rome’s decline — tense, urgent, and endlessly replayable. Most of the people who are familiar with Roman themed board games will agree that this one is the best Roman themed board game.
Conclusion
Across both parts of this list, we’ve seen Rome from every angle through Roman themed board games: the glittering spectacles of Colosseum, the puzzle-like governance of Trajan, the treacherous politics of The Republic of Rome, the strategic depth of Catan Histories: Struggle for Rome, and the cooperative urgency of Pandemic: Fall of Rome.
Whether you prefer scheming in the Senate, commanding armies, or working side-by-side to save a civilization, there’s a Roman themed board game for you. Which of these top five have you played, and which would you like to try first? Share your thoughts and experiences in the comments; we’d love to hear your take on the best way to bring Rome to the table. Also, did we miss any of the great roman themed board games?
Hello, my name is Vladimir, and I am a part of the Roman-empire writing team.
I am a historian, and history is an integral part of my life.
To be honest, while I was in school, I didn’t like history so how did I end up studying it? Well, for that, I have to thank history-based strategy PC games. Thank you so much, Europa Universalis IV, and thank you, Medieval Total War.
Since games made me fall in love with history, I completed bachelor studies at Filozofski Fakultet Niš, a part of the University of Niš. My bachelor’s thesis was about Julis Caesar. Soon, I completed my master’s studies at the same university.
For years now, I have been working as a teacher in a local elementary school, but my passion for writing isn’t fulfilled, so I decided to pursue that ambition online. There were a few gigs, but most of them were not history-related.
Then I stumbled upon roman-empire.com, and now I am a part of something bigger. No, I am not a part of the ancient Roman Empire but of a creative writing team where I have the freedom to write about whatever I want. Yes, even about Star Wars. Stay tuned for that.
Anyway, I am better at writing about Rome than writing about me. But if you would like to contact me for any reason, you can do it at contact@roman-empire.net. Except for negative reviews, of course. 😀
Kind regards,
Vladimir