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- BGG #2,260
- BGG rating
- 7.0
Rise of Empires
- 2–5 players
- 150 min
- Complexity 3.5/5
- 2009
- BGG rank
- BGG #4,047
- BGG rating
- 7.4
Æterna
2025
Rules assistance for Æterna
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 2–4 players
- 60–120 min
- 14+
- Complexity 3.1/5
For 2 players
Rules assistant for Æterna
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Æterna is a board game released in 2025 for 2–4 players, 60–120 minutes per game, and ages 14 and up. It was designed by Martin Wallace and its main mechanics are Hand Management, Area Majority / Influence, and Worker Placement.
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About the game
In Æterna, you take the role of a Roman Gens (family) that will try to increase its prestige through three eras: the Roman Kingdom, the Roman Republic, and the Roman Empire. Your goal is to increase your influence over the city by supporting the conquest of the provinces, ruling over "the seven hills of Rome", and contributing to the construction of monuments and buildings. While doing this, you must not demotivate the people in the hills under your direct control as unrest could put you in a bad light. If you manage majorities, cards, and resources better than your opponents, your Gens will be remembered in the history books as one of the most important in Rome.
Designers
Publishers
- Hobby Japan
- Maldito Games
- YOKA Games
- Zvezda
- Ares Games
- Grail Games
- MS Edizioni
- Schwerkraft-Verlag
- Ergo Ludo Editions
Questions and answers
Æterna supports 2–4 players according to the catalogue. This range comes from the publisher’s listed player count, so the game can be set up for any group size within it. Some setups, rules and scoring details may still vary by player count, so check your edition’s rulebook for the exact configuration.
The listed playing time for Æterna is 60–120 minutes. This is the publisher’s estimate for a full game. The actual duration depends on the group, the player count and familiarity with the rules: first sessions usually run longer, while experienced groups often finish faster. Setup and teaching time are not included in this estimate.
The catalogue lists Æterna for ages 14 and up. This is the publisher’s recommendation and reflects reading demands, rule complexity and small components rather than theme alone. Younger players can often join with help from an adult, so check the age guidance on your edition and consider your group’s experience with board games.
Æterna has a complexity rating of 3.1 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a medium-weight game. The rating reflects how much rules knowledge, planning and decision-making a typical game demands. Expect a longer first teach for heavier games, and use a preparation guide before game night.
Æterna belongs to these categories: Card Game and Ancient. Its main mechanics are Hand Management, Area Majority / Influence, and Worker Placement. Categories describe the theme and setting of a game, while mechanics describe what players actually do on their turns. Each mechanic links to a catalogue hub with similar games, which helps when you want something comparable.
The credited designers of Æterna are: Martin Wallace. These credits come from the published game data and name the people responsible for the game’s design, not its illustrators or publishers. Designer pages on MeepleRules collect other titles by the same designers, which helps when you enjoy a game and want to find similar ones.
The catalogue lists Æterna as a base game. It can be played on its own with the components in the box and does not require any other title. Expansions, if any exist, add new content or rules on top of it and are listed separately in the catalogue with a link back to this base game.