Alea Iacta Est

Name: Alea Iacta Est
Brand: alea
Rating: 6.11507 (2832 reviews)

Place eight dice on Roman buildings to conquer provinces, recruit patricians and win prestige.

Designers: Jeffrey D. Allers, Bernd Eisenstein
Published by: alea
Editions by: Rio Grande Games, Ravensburger

Alea Iacta Est is Latin for the die is cast, and here you play Caesar competing for prestige. You own eight dice and place them on five buildings, and each building has its own rules for what dice it takes. At the Castrum you conquer provinces, at the Forum Romanum you recruit patricians to send there, at the Senatus you win secret bonus cards, and the Templum hands out prestige from the goddess Fortuna. Dice that win nothing end up at the Latrina, which earns you repete chips for re-rolls or, two to one, for prestige at the end. A 2009 dice-placement game for two to five, around an hour, where every roll still gives you options.

Eight dice placed on five buildingsConquer provinces and recruit patriciansRepete chips let you re-roll

Who it's for

You like dice that you place rather than just roll, in a Roman setting with a bit of humor.

Not for you if…

You want zero luck or you dislike games where every die matters at once.

Vibe's take

Tactical and chatty. You roll, then puzzle over which building fits which die, and the leftovers are never wasted because the Latrina pays you back.