23 Knives

The year is 44 BC, the height of the Roman Republic. At the end of Julius Caesar’s civil war, he is left with enormous power. He enjoys the love of many, but for others there is only fear. This fear leads Caesar’s friends and allies to question his intentions. They feed a fire of conspiracy, a conspiracy that will end on the Ides of March with 23 wounds, a republic in ruins and the birth of an empire.

In the game 23 Knives you take on the role of a Roman citizen with one of three loyalties: a loyalist to Caesar, a liberator of Rome or an opportunist biding their time. Throughout the game you travel through Rome, manipulating other citizens and persuading them to come over to your side.

If there are 23 or more knives in the Curia at the end of the game, Caesar is dead, and the liberator most dedicated to killing Caesar wins. With fewer than 23 knives, the loyalist most dedicated to saving Caesar wins. Opportunists are those who hang back and wait to change Caesar’s fate at the last moment, and if they do so, they win as a team.