Ave Caesar is a straight forward racing game. The object is to complete three laps around two tracks for a total of six laps. At the end of the race points are tallied and a winner declared.


Game Flow
Each player starts with a deck of 24 cards, a chariot and a roman coin. The cards are used to determine how far a player’s chariot can move. At the beginning of the game, each player shuffles their deck of cards and takes three cards off of the top of their deck keeping them secret from other players.

On a players turn, a player chooses a card from their hand, places it face up on the table, and moves the number of spaces indicated by the number on the card. The cards are numbered one through six. However, if a player is in the lead or tied with another player, they cannot use the number six card.

There is a possibility that a player can run out of cards before they finish three laps around the track. If that happens, the player is disqualified from the race. In order to avoid that from happening, it’s best to try and use the inside track as much as possible.

During the race each player must make a pit stop and hand in their Roman coin before they finish their third lap.


Bits
The components weren’t bad. The chariots and roman coins are not detailed, but serve their purpose. They seem to be made out of a hard rubber material. The board and cards are nicely done. The board is double sided and depicts a Roman Coliseum. Illustrations of spectators wearing colorful garb liven up the game board. And of course, Caesar looks on from his place of honor.

The cards are illustrated with roman soldiers and numbers. When we were dividing the cards up into the various colored piles, the yellow and brown cards looked very similar in color. Just keep that in mind if playing with those colors so you are sure not to mix them up.

Conclusion and Strategy Hints
This is a very light game with no downtime because all a player does on their turn is play a card and move their chariot piece forward. The only strategy to speak of is using the various bottlenecks on the board to temporarily stop other players from passing you. Keep in mind that you want to stay on the inside track when you can. There are less spaces on the inside of the track which not only will help you stay ahead, but will prevent you from running out of cards before the race is over.

Ave Caesar is an average game. It’s the kind of game that really isn’t all that different from a basic roll and move type game that you may find at Toys R Us. Though the production value is better than an average game, I couldn’t justify paying $28.00 for it. I just think that there are allot of better choices for $28.00.

My mantra is to always try a new game when the opportunity presents itself. A game one person may not think too highly of may turn out to be very t someone else. So, if you have an opportunity to try it before you buy it, I recommend that you give it a try. It’s a quick 30-minute game. What do you have to lose except the race and the favor of Caesar?