# Roll Through the Ages: The Iron Age with Mediterranean Expansion ## General Info - **Year Published**: 2014 - **BGG Rating**: 7.0 - **BGG Rank**: — - **Players**: 1-4 (Best with: 3) - **Duration**: 30 min - **Weight**: 2.30 / 5 - **Designers**: Thomas Lehmann - **Publishers**: Eagle-Gryphon Games - **Categories**: Ancient, Civilization, Dice - **Mechanics**: Dice Rolling, Paper-and-Pencil, Solo / Solitaire Game ## Verdict If you love fast‑paced empires and enjoy scribbling, the dice‑and‑paper mix hits the spot.Quick and easy to learnVaried strategic pathsGreat solo experienceExpansion lacks score sheetsHeavier boxesRECOMMENDED ## Description Roll Through the Ages: The Iron Age – The Mediterranean Expansion delivers the feel of building an Iron Age empire in under an hour, using only paper, pencil, and a few dice. Each player picks a path – the Phoenician trade navy, Alexander's conquests, or Rome's steady expansion – and records resources, armies, and monuments on their sheet. The expansion adds a shared central board representing the Mediterranean, where everyone races for colonies like Crete (fleet), Spain (mining), Carthage (wheat) and Gaul (armies). Spots such as Syracuse and Alexandria grant invention bonuses. Dice‑rolling determines what you can produce or conquer each round, while the roll‑and‑write mechanic ensures each game feels fresh and quick. It supports 1‑4 players, with playtime of 30‑45 minutes and a low learning curve (weight 2.3). Perfect for fans of light civilization games, short sessions, or a solid solo challenge. The only caveat is that the expansion boxes are heavier and, when bought alone, lack the updated scoring pads, so you’ll need to improvise or print new ones. Overall, it’s a great way to taste historical strategies without a massive board. ## How to Play Game Objective This expansion, Roll Through the Ages: The Iron Age – The Mediterranean Expansion, depicts the colonization of the Mediterranean by the Phoenicians, Greeks, and Romans. Players compete to develop their civilizations, expanding through founding colonies and acquiring Developments that modify the game rules. The ultimate goal is to accumulate the most victory points by the end of the game. Setup Place the colony peg board in the central play area. It will be used by all players. Give each player 15 additional pegs of their color to use for building colonies. Set up the rest of the game according to the Iron Age rules. Game Flow Play according to the Iron Age rules, except as modified below: Refer to the manual for details on this section. Refer to the manual for details on this section. Resolve Battles, Conquests, and Tribute Demands: Players with the Navy Development may choose not to apply their bonus to a battle (and not lose a ship). Found Colonies: During this step, you may spend population to start and possibly complete colonies. Build: You may build ships during this step by spending 2 goods each. Unlike standard Iron Age rules, no Development is required (all players start with Shipbuilding capability). Refer to the manual for details on this section. Actions and How to Play Developments Each Development modifies the rules for its owner. All effects are cumulative. Leadership (Cost: 2, Points: 1): After all dice rolls, may reroll 1 die (even if it shows a skull face). Granaries (Cost: 2, Points: 2): Trade goods for food at a 1:1 ratio (but not food for goods). You may do this when collecting goods. Dyemaking (Cost: 3, Points: 2): Each turn, when collecting goods, take 1 additional good. Formations (Cost: 3, Points: 2): +2 to battles and tribute demands. You still need at least 1 army to initiate a conquest. Medicine (Cost: 4, Points: 3): Ignore the effects of opponents' Pestilence disasters. Irrigation (Cost: 5, Points: 4): +1 food per food die. This applies to faces only if you choose to collect food from them. Metallurgy (Cost: 6, Points: 5): Innovation results are worth 5 (not 3) for buying a Development (on the turn they are rolled). Religion (Cost: 7, Points: 8): Ignore the effects of Unrest disasters. Architecture (Cost: 8, Points: 6): When building monuments, you may use 2 population to fill 3 monument boxes (as many times as you wish). Coinage (Cost: 9, Points: 7): You may store goods as wealth at a 3:1 ratio (not 4:1). Aqueducts (Cost: 10, Points: 9): +2 food per food die. This applies to faces only if you choose to collect food from them. At game end, score 1 point for every 3 food you have. Navy (Cost: 12, Points: 7): May add your number of ships to battles and tribute demands. You still need at least 1 army to initiate a conquest. At game end, score 1 per ship. Roads (Cost: 12, Points: 12): -6 cost to build Civics, Empire, or Commerce. Civics (Cost: 15, Points: 13): Ignore the effects of Civil War disasters. At game end, score 3 per monument you have completed. Empire (Cost: 20, Points: 15): At game end, score 1 per province, 1 per army, and 1 per colony. Commerce (Cost: 30, Points: 15): At game end, score 1 per port, 1 per ship, and 1 per colony. Completing the City Walls monument (regardless of whether you are the first to do so) also modifies the rules: ignore the effects of Barbarian disasters. Founding Colonies To start a colony, spend population to place pegs in its empty holes, 1 peg for each population spent. Colonies with a "3" next to them are only available in 4-player games. You are limited to 15 colony pegs. On your turn, you may remove pegs from any of your incomplete colonies. To complete a colony, you must place your last peg and spend 1 ship. If you have no ships, you may start colonies with more than one hole, but you cannot finish them. Multiple players' pegs may be in the same incomplete colony (with more than 1 hole). To complete it, spend 1 ship plus the population to displace other players' pegs with your pegs (returning displaced pegs to their owners). You may displace pegs only in the round you complete that colony. Pegs from an already completed colony cannot be displaced or removed. At the end of this step, if you have completed colonies with goods, army, ship, or food symbols next to them, collect the indicated items by adjusting the pegs on your peg board. An innovation granted must be spent this turn for a Development or it is lost. Collect double the amount of food shown if you have Aqueducts. A mine symbol provides a scoring bonus if you have Metallurgy; otherwise, it provides no benefits. Game End and Scoring Game End Refer to the manual for details on this section. Scoring Each completed colony is worth 3 points (+1 each with Empire and/or Commerce). In case of a tie, a player's "pegged positions" do not include their colony pegs. Aqueducts: At game end, score 1 point for every 3 food you have. Navy: At game end, score 1 per ship. Civics: At game end, score 3 per monument you have completed. Empire: At game end, score 1 per province, 1 per army, and 1 per colony. Commerce: At game end, score 1 per port, 1 per ship, and 1 per colony. Tips for Winning Prioritize acquiring Developments that synergize with your resource collection or expansion strategy. For example, Aqueducts and Irrigation can significantly boost your food production, while Navy and Formations strengthen your military and tribute capabilities. Take advantage of Shipbuilding capability from the start of the game, as it does not require a specific Development. Ships are crucial for completing colonies and can be a source of victory points with the Navy Development. When founding colonies, consider the bonuses they offer (goods, army, ship, food, or innovation) and how they fit into your overall strategy. Remember that colonies with mine symbols only provide scoring bonuses if you have Metallurgy. ## FAQ ### How many players can play? 1 to 4 players, including a solo mode. ### What is the typical playtime? Around 30‑45 minutes, depending on player count. ### How complex is the game? Weight 2.3/5 – simple rules, great for beginners and casual gamers. ### What does the Mediterranean expansion include? A shared Mediterranean board, colony markers, and a few tokens; updated scoring sheets are not included. ### Do I need the base game to use the expansion? Yes, the expansion is designed to complement the base game and cannot be played alone. ### Can I play without the expansion? Absolutely, the core game works perfectly fine on its own. ### Is there a Portuguese translation available? Official rules are in English, but the community has produced a Portuguese translation.