Game Preview: Caligula

By Andrea “Liga” Ligabue
October 20, 2009

Designer: Pierluca Zizzi
Publishers: Post Scriptum / ElfinWerks
Distributor: Heidelberger Spieleverlag

Players: 2-5
Ages: 14+
Playing time: 60 minutes
Release date: October 2009
Languages: Italian, English, German, French and Spanish
Link: (Spanish)

Caligula is a real original design from Pierluca Zizzi that will bring players back in the old Roman Empire, year 41 AD. Players are trying to get prestige influencing the Emperor or moving a Coniura to assassinate him and put on the throne their candidates.

Every turn 10 Civitas cards, from 5 different decks are revealed and in turn players put one of their 6 SPQR tokens (valued from -1 to 4) on the cards. Civitas cards are all different and each one has space for one ore more tokens.  Each turn also the 6 Sequentia cards are put on the table showing the order the 10 Civitas cards are to be resolved. One Sequentia card actually changes the turn order and another one let draw Pugio or Coniura cards.

Once all players have placed all the SPQR tokens the Resolution Phase will start. The six Sequentia cards are resolved, from left to right, pointing out which Civitas card has to be resolved.

The SPQR tokens on the cards are revealed. Each card has a value indicating the minimum winning bid. There are 3 different type of Civitas cards: Collective, Individual and Penalty. Collective cards offer their bonus to all the players having enough SPQR points to match the minimum winning bid. Individual cards offer bonus just only to the player with most SPQR points and Penalty infers a malus to all the players not reaching the minimum winning bid, including players without SPQR pints on the card.

The power of the 55 Civitas cards are really different including drawing Pugio or Coniura cards, getting more SPQR tokens or altering the order of Civitas cards.

Of course where and when to place the SPQR tokens (6 are really not enough to do all the things you would like to do!) is one of the most interesting choice and the interaction with the other players is great. I think Caligula will play better in 4 or 5 but with 2 or 3 players the interaction is forced since you have less space available on the cards for the SPQR tokens.

After the resolution of each Sequentia card there is a Cospiracy phase where players can start a Coniura. To take part you have to play Coniura cards and the one with most becoming the leader. The coniura leader and all the other conspirators can place their favor token on the actual Emperor or the candidate decided by the leader. Favor token is the way to score points so making cospiracy and become leader or conspirators is the road to win. After that each player who did not join the cospiracy can play one Pugio card to defend the Emperor, than all the other player can play one ore more pugio cards to kill the emperor. Each emperor (there are 6 in play each game) has a life value. If the pugio symbol played by the cospirators reach the Life value (plus pugio symbol played in defence) the emperor is killed and the candidate elected by the cospiracy leader will be Emperor.

At the end of the turn (when the last Sequentia card is resolved) players with Favor token on the actual emperor score points according to the emperor value.

Of course the more interesting part of the game is how the Cospiracy works and ar resolved. Playng mathematically (waiting to start a coniura only having the absolute certainty to be the Leader and win) does not bring to victory. It is really important to make alliance, talk each other, work together against the actual leader, playing in the shadows. It is a real cospirators game with a solid game mechanic in the back. I think a real new and nice design.

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