The modern classic co-operative game Pandemic is heading to the ancient world when Z-Man Games releases Pandemic: Fall of Rome in Q4.

Pandemic: Fall of Rome converts the familiar mechanics of the Pandemic game into a new type of challenge while also transporting the setting to the ancient Roman Empire.  Instead of combatting dangerous diseases that threaten to exterminate humanity, the players are leaders of Rome sent to hold off invading hordes of Goths, Vandals, and Huns.  Players cannot simply move into barbarian-occupied locations to combat them, instead they must raise Roman Legions to fight them off using a dice-based combat mechanic.  Meanwhile, instead of curing diseases, they must make treaties with the invaders, which later allow them to convert invading forces into loyal defending Legions.

The new stand-alone game, created by Matt Leacock (Pandemic) and Paolo Mori (Ethnos, Augustus), will be the third Pandemic game set in a different historical period with unique maps and mechanics, following Pandemic:  Iberia (see “‘Pandemic’ Goes Historic”) and Pandemic: Rising Tide (see “‘Pandemic:  Rising Tide’”).

{IMAGE_3}Pandemic:  Fall of Rome comes with 1 game board, 3 battle dice, 7 player pawns, 126 cards, 100 barbarian cubes, 16 legion pawns, 6 forts, 5 alliance tokens, and 2 markers.  The game is intended for 1 to 5 players, ages 8 and up, and takes a little less than an hour to play.  MSRP is $49.99.

This year marks the 10th Anniversary of the game’s release, which Z-Man will celebrate by offering a special limited edition version (see “Z-Man Celebrates 10 Years of ‘Pandemic’”).