Bellum Mercium

     Salve! Today was Bellum Mercium: Commodity Wars. Lasting a grand total of six hours, the game consisted of six 45 minute "years" in which provinces competed with each other to build the greatest empire and win points for the game. Each province had certain commodities native to its regions, but trading and alliances were necessary to build up armies and feed citizens. Played on a map based on the Mediterranean, the game taught us a lot about the ancient world. Building up a large empire required more attention, resources, and strained allegiances towards other provinces. Additionally, each new year brought about the reign of a new "emperor," (Magister Gallagher) who heavily influenced the game by introducing new rules each round and accepting bribes. The results were suprising; Athens stole first place with its agressive military actions. Following Athens, Roma took second place, and Gallia third. Though some provinces were less successful in securing a high ranking in the game, they received points for bonus categories such as creativity, team spirit, and best use of Latin during the game.