Activities

The Emperor’s New Dice. Exploring Byzantium and Beyond on the Game Board

Immersive Experience of Byzantine History

Board games continue to enjoy great popularity, and in recent years their popularity has even increased again, despite the “competition” from computer games and other digital media. For a long time, game developers have repeatedly used historical content as a framework for such games, sometimes including episodes from the more than one-thousand-year history of the Byzantine (Eastern Roman) Empire. This offers the opportunity to explore aspects of Byzantine history in an entertaining way—but also to reflect on which themes are chosen for games and how they are implemented. These questions have also recently become the subject of research on the perception and understanding of history.

For the 25th International Congress of Byzantine Studies, two enthusiastic board game players from the Vienna Byzantine Studies community, Nikos Zagklas and Johannes Preiser-Kapeller, have explored and tested several games related to Byzantine history. Over two days, all congress participants, as well as interested visitors of all ages, will have the opportunity to play four of these games, which vary in complexity (for those who want to prepare themselves especially well, we also offer game rules for download and links to introductory videos).

Rules for all four games can be downloaded via https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1CtDcZ0FihGmsqN3eZJExquOjCx6eqXr9?usp=sharing

Byzantium (3-6 players; Age: 8+; playing time up to 45 minutes; published in 2008)

You are a merchant in Constantinople and you are trying to have the most profit from the markets inside the city. Bid for the best stock of goods and find the right moment to sell your collected wares. And do not forget to go to the main market for a good deal!

Video-Instruction (in English): https://youtu.be/BJ6NWTUWKGk?si=ffGbJKSZtXYqmjB6

Golden Horn: From Venice to Constantinople (2-4 players; Age: 8+; playing time up to 45 minutes; published in 2013)

For hundreds of years the Golden Horn was a hard embattled harbour and marketplace at the Bosporus. In this game, players are merchants sailing from Venice to Constantinople, who witness pirate attacks or show themself belligerent and fill their warehouses with precious goods.

Video-Instruction (in German): https://youtu.be/QwIv0Rg3aHc?si=6rbbXn1ogS1mb-0d

Fall of Rome (1-5 players; Age: 8+; playing time up to 60 minutes; published in 2018)

In this cooperative game, players together take command of the Roman Empire during its severest period of crisis in the 5^th century AD. Simply defending Rome is not enough; players must find a way to stop “Barbaric” incursions and find peace with their neighboring peoples. Players win or lose together – and the Roman Empire continues or falls.

Video-Instruction (in English): https://youtu.be/3QRikj1jjX4?si=FjhaV7HACbp72vFe

Nova Roma (1-4 players; Age: 14+; playing time up to 120 minutes; published in 2024)

In 324 AD, Emperor Constantine selected the ancient city of Byzantium on the shores of the Bosporus to become the site of his new capital. He named it Nova Roma which means New Rome. To establish his magnificent new capital, the Emperor summoned his most trusted patricians and tasked them with a variety of duties. With the Emperor’s tireless support, this incredible task was accomplished in just six years. In Nova Roma, you are the head of an ancient and noble roman house. You must deploy your family members and retainers to accomplish a variety of goals. Construct buildings, dominate sea routes, secure resources, race in the hippodrome, and hire specialists. At the end of the game, the family that has done the most to please the Emperor and achieve their own agendas will emerge as the victor.

Video-Instruction (in English): https://www.youtube.com/live/BnvbeflQ5bU?si=KDICALu12AmmkRKf

In addition, other games will be on display, some of which attempt to capture entire eras or even the whole of Byzantine history through even more complex mechanisms. A list of these and other games related to Byzantium can be found here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1CtDcZ0FihGmsqN3eZJExquOjCx6eqXr9?usp=sharing

We look forward to rediscovering Byzantium with you in a playful way!

The event is freely available to conference participants and all visitors.
Friday, 28 August 2026, 1.30 pm – 7.00 pm
Saturday, 29 August 2026, 1.30 pm – 7.00 pm
Venue: Marietta-Blau-Saal hall, University of Vienna
The event is wheelchair-accessible.