Overview
At a glance
Is this game right for my group?
ABG editorial scores on a 1–5 scale.
Harder to teach
High replayability
Highly interactive
Scales well
Deep strategy
How it plays
How does it play?
HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION Xerxes (519–465 BC), son of Darius I and Atossa. During his and his father's reign, he ruled the largest Empire humanity has ever seen by that time.
Core mechanisms
Key systems that shape the decisions players make.
Area Majority
Compete to have the strongest presence in areas that award control or points.
Area Movement
Move pieces between connected regions rather than along individual spaces.
Worker Placement
Commit limited workers to action spaces before opponents occupy them.
Variable Player Powers
Each player has different abilities, restrictions, or strategic advantages.
Variable Phase Order
The order of phases changes according to player choices or game state.
Read the full game description
HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION Xerxes (519–465 BC), son of Darius I and Atossa. During his and his father's reign, he ruled the largest Empire humanity has ever seen by that time. Achaemenid Empire was divided into satrapies and each satrapy was governed by one peripheral leader, the Satrap. There were more than 24 satrapies around that period and the Satraps followed direct orders from Xerxes himself. OBJECTIVE OF THE GAME In this resource management game, each player assumes the role of one Satrap, each with his own area, special ability and characteristics. Every turn the players are trying to collect resources for taxes, construct buildings or launch campaigns.The player has a number of Tax and Campaign cards to resolve in order to satisfy Xerxes and earn his favor (counted as Victory Points). Every round of the game has the following phases: - Resource Phase. - Annual Event Phase. - Campaign Phase. - Build Phase. - Taxation Phase. - Turn Change Phase. The player that reaches 25 Victory Points earns the favor of Xerxes and wins the game; alternatively, the one with the most Victory Points at the end of the 7th round. —description from the publisher