Nova Roma

Nova Roma is a city-building game set as the Roman Empire falls into decadence and decay. You lead a small group of citizens in search of new lands and build a settlement intended as a refuge for what was once good in the Empire. Starting from a humble village, you grow it into a city while meeting your citizens’ needs, appeasing the gods and managing the forces of nature.

Shape the land

Build dams and aqueducts to control water, reshape the land into watersheds and reservoirs, and account for how these changes affect soil fertility. Rainy seasons can flood the city. You also seek distant resource deposits and build infrastructure to carry raw materials and processed goods across untamed territory, balancing urban growth against the risks of rapid expansion.

Care for your citizens

As the population grows, so do its needs and desires. Provide pottery, wine, bread and games to keep people happy and safe. Citizens can become artisans, gladiators and thespians; you guide them through lives spent working by day and enjoying the fruits of their labor at night.

Govern and appease

Make decisions about taxation and technological advancement while building grand temples to the gods. Their blessings can bolster your capabilities, while their wrath—and the dangers of nature—threaten the city’s prosperity. The game features water and weather simulations alongside the ever-present possibility of divine intervention.