Voelkerwanderung

Voelkerwanderung! Barbarian Migrations & The Fall Of Rome is an exciting and dramatic strategy game based on the 5th century events surrounding the birth of the cultures that grew into the Europe of today. By the middle of that century, the Hun threat had been defeated by a cooperative effort between the Germanic peoples and the western Roman Empire. The latter, though, gained nothing from the victory, becoming an ever more repressive, bankrupt, exploitive and a totalitarian society.

It was only when the young and vibrant Germanic tribes burst in upon the decadent empire that the last of the three essential ingredients were in place for the birth of modern Europe. In combination with Christianity and the legacy of classical Greece, the Voelkerwanderung (wandering of the peoples) catapulted the continent and the world into a new and more expansive historic era that has continued to our own time.

The game is playable by two to four players, each player steps into the role of a chieftain of one of the major Germanic tribal confederations of those times: the Franks, Alemanni, Vandals or Goths. Each chief attempts to win by being the first to lead one of his tribes into the heart of the empire, the fabulous capital city of Rome. Along the way, each will find his progress slowed by determined Roman legions, plagues, the chicanery of the gods, and perhaps even the backstabbing diplomacy of his comrades. No player is ever eliminated before the end of the game, and even the last-place person can come quickly come from behind to win at the last minute. Negotiation among players, both public and secret, in the form of deal-making and breaking is a constant throughout play.