The particular aspect of history which both attracts and benefits its readers is the examination of causes and the capacity, which is the reward of this study, to decide in each case the best policy to follow.
Polybius, The Histories VI.2
"Imperium Mini: A Brief History of Rome" is a quick-play turn-based strategy game over the rise and fall of the Roman Empire. Starting in 275 BCE, the year in which Rome defeated Pyrrhus of Epirus and effectively won mastery of Italy, the player begins on a journey of almost a thousand years where conquests will fuel further conquest until the Empire overreaches itself and beings to decay. Initially the greatest challenge will come from the other great empires of the Mediterranean (Carthage and the Macedonian successors), but as time passes migrating tribes will push against the frontiers of the Mediterranean world in ever larger numbers, making it ever more difficult to defend the borders of the empire.
The game is played as a sequence of turns, with each turn representing a period of fifty years. Each turn, the Romans have the opportunity to conquor (or reconquor) regions of Europe, after which barbarian migrations and enemy states will act or react in response.
NOTE: Please observe that this manual is not valid for the Android version of the game. There are several differences between the desktop version and the Android version.
The map depicts the world, as known by the Romans. The map is divided into interconnected provinces, usually along the lines of the major Roman provinces. The connections between the provinces are of two types: land connections and sea connections. Sea connections are denoted using cyan lines.
Provinces can be one of two types; Civilized and non-Civilized. Civilized provinces are marked on the map using a famous work of construction. Each province has a manpower rating (denoting how much new manpower becomes available each turn). The available manpower is split into a citizen and a subject population, representing the number of men available for recruitment. The maximum amount of manpower that can be available in a province is equal to twcie the manpower rating.
As the Romanization percentage of the province rises, more and more of the people in the province will be converted to citizens, until the entire province is completely romanized. The Romanization percentage will gradually rise in a Roman controlled province until it reaches 100% and gradually falls in a province controlled by other states.
At the end of each turn, the player earns one talent for each available manpower in each province he owns. Civilized provinces earn the player 50% more talents (rounded down).
Clicking on a province on the map selects that province and brings up the information dialog describing that province. Clicking the civilize button will civilize the province. The numbers on the left side of the information dialog are: income generated, available citizens, available subjects, manpower generation, and romanization rating.
To scroll the map, click on a point and drag.
The information in the status panel (upper right): The current score (on the banner) in the upper left corner and the year of the game in the upper right corner. The four numbers on the panel itself are: current treasury (talents), expected income or deficit for the turn, the number of available citizens in all provinces and the number of available subjects in all provinces.
A black fist on a Roman province indicates that the player risks a rebellion in that province. It is usually a good idea to garrison such provinces.
The provinces at the edge of the map with the swirly symbol are wilderness regions. These regions cannot be conquored; their sole purpose is as the entry points for the unending barbarian hordes. If the color of a wilderness province flag is red, that means that you should expect a major invasion of barbarians from that province at the end of the turn. Prepare your defences and hope they find the lands of your enemies more attractive than yours.
There are several types of military units in Imperium Mini. Each unit has a combat value that is used to resolve campaigns against provinces. Clicking on a province brings up the information dialog containing panels detailing the units currently located in/available in the region. The three numbers on the unit panels are: the number of this type of unit in the selected province, the combat value of the unit, and the upkeep cost of the unit. Clicking on the recruit button recruits a unit of the specified type. Recruiting units costs 1 talent and expends 1 manpower. The Roman player has three key units at his disposition.
Roman Legions are among the best units in the game. They will usually make up the bulk of the forces you deploy. They have a combat value of 10 and cost 3 talents in upkeep per legion each turn. Only citizen manpower can be recruited into the Legions.
Roman Auxilia are support units for the legions. They are more useful defensively than offensively, and will often be found bulking up a stack of legions or garrisoning less critical areas. They have a combat value of 5 and cost 1 talents in upkeep per turn. Only subject manpower can be recruited as auxilia.
Roman Limitanei represent the static militia that was available in most border provinces. They have a combat value of 7 and cost 1 talents in upkeep per legion each turn. Only citizen manpower can be recruited as limitanei. In addition, only 1 limitanei can be recruited per province, and limitanei can neither move nor attack enemy provinces.
The game follows standard games conventions; left mouse button selects, right mouse button acts.
Clicking on a province selects a unit in the province. To select a different type of unit, click on a selected province again.
Right-clicking on a Roman province moves the selected unit to that province if there exists a line of communication between the two provinces. Movement is unlimited.
Right-clicking on an enemy province with a selected unit in an adjacent province launches an attack. Attacks are resolved by comparing the combat values of the two units and adding any modifiers to provide a percentage chance of victory or defeat. The defeated unit is eliminated.
A defending region always has a combat value bonus of 1 (even unoccuppied provinces have a CV of 1). A civilized province has a combat bonus of 2 and attacks across sea crossings provide either +1 or +2 bonus to the defenders, depending on whether the attackers are civilized or not.
When a province is conquored by the Romans, all of the available Citizens are plundered, and the plunder is added to the Roman treasury. Subjects (previous citizens of Rome) are returned their former status. When an enemy power conquors a province, all of the available citizens are plundered. The plunder is used by the enemy forces to recruit new units at a cost equal to the upkeep cost of the enemy's unit type.
The aim of the game is to score as many victory points as possible. Victory points are gained by controlling civilized provinces; 1 victory point for each civilized province controlled. 100 points is a good score (and roughly corresponds to a "historical" victory). Less than 100 is a poor score; vae victis!
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