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History of the Ancient Seas I: HELLAS
- 1–2 players
- 120–360 min
- Complexity 2.1/5
- 2024
- BGG rank
- BGG #17,211
- BGG rating
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History of the Ancient Seas III: MARE NOSTRUM
2024
Rules assistance for History of the Ancient Seas III: MARE NOSTRUM
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 3–5 players
- 180–720 min
- 14+
- Complexity 2.8/5
Rules assistant for History of the Ancient Seas III: MARE NOSTRUM
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
History of the Ancient Seas III: MARE NOSTRUM is a board game released in 2024 for 3–5 players, 180–720 minutes per game, and ages 14 and up. It was designed by Karl Hausser and its main mechanics are Income, Hexagon Grid, and Action Points.
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About the game
Over centuries empires in the Mediterranean Seas invested in expansion of their territory, mostly peaceful by merchants and not by soldiers. There have been immense opportunities to build trading powers in the rich and fertile regions all over the Mediterranean Sea. But the moment will come when the greed for more power and wealth can only be stopped by another powerful empire at the frontiers of yours that has ambitions and plans of their own. Players will have to decide to send armies or diplomats to regions far away from their capitol to declare war or keep the peace. The game series “History of the Ancient Seas” is the ultimate journey through these exciting times. Build new fleets in your city to explore unknown lands, conquer islands and build your own great empire. In MARE NOSTRUM, the third and final installment in the “History of the Ancient Seas” game series, you will lead one of the great Empire: The Roman Empire, the Mighty Seafarers of Carthage, the Greek City States, Egypt or Persia. Your goal is to become the leading empire in the Mediterranean Sea. To achieve this, you will need to build armies and fleets to increase your military might, expand trade routes, conquer islands and provinces, develop your military skills, economic efficiency and culture, while always keeping an eye on the wealth, happiness and stability of your people. The game is played in highly interactive micro-impulses. The heart of the game system is the action cycle: The players choose one of the eight possible actions. Actions chosen by a player can’t be chosen subsequently by the next player. The number of possible actions is limited each turn. MARE NOSTRUM is a five player game. New in this chapter of the game series is that each power has unique properties that players must use wisely to achieve advantage over their opponents. Which god will help their people the most in the struggle of dominance in the Mediterranean Seas? —description from the publisher
Categories
Designers
Publishers
- Sound of Drums GmbH
Questions and answers
History of the Ancient Seas III: MARE NOSTRUM supports 3–5 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 History of the Ancient Seas III: MARE NOSTRUM is 180–720 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 History of the Ancient Seas III: MARE NOSTRUM 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.
History of the Ancient Seas III: MARE NOSTRUM has a complexity rating of 2.8 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a medium-light 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.
History of the Ancient Seas III: MARE NOSTRUM belongs to these categories: Wargame, Nautical, and Ancient. Its main mechanics are Income, Hexagon Grid, and Action Points. 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 History of the Ancient Seas III: MARE NOSTRUM are: Karl Hausser. 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 History of the Ancient Seas III: MARE NOSTRUM 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.