Pandemic: Fall of Rome

Today's review is of the 2018 release, Pandemic: Fall of Rome.  For 1-5 players, it takes 45-60 minutes.

Overview
The goal and mechanics of Pandemic: Fall of Rome are virtually identical to Pandemic.  But here, rather than viruses, your team needs to convert or conquer barbarian tribes before they overrun the Roman Empire. It's a cooperative game, where each player gets four actions on their turn (helping them move, recruit armies, fight barbarians, and more), each player has a unique role granting a special ability, etc.  The main differences:
- Rome is set during the era of the Roman Empire
- Rome introduces dice (when conquering barbarians)

game in progress; image from here

Review
If you like Pandemic, you'll like this.  The designers did a good job introducing twists to a familiar baseline, and I was especially impressed how they balanced historical accuracy (forcing certain tribes along certain invasion paths) with game play.  I enjoyed the introduction of dice to the combat, too.  Another winner in the Pandemic line.

Rating: A