trading (The Settlers of Catan) Military strategy (Risk) Diplomacy and sea travel bridging (Diplomacy) Player asymmetry (Citadels) The game itself supports three to five players, but it is best played with all five. The game has been criticised as being too inflexible in the player's roles; for example, Rome must play aggressively while Egypt must trade. Further, players are forced (to a certain extent) into certain actions early in the game; if Egypt is allowed to acquire too many resource cards they will quickly build the Pyramids; if Rome is not then held in check they will achieve military victory. However, once the game has been played a few times these strategies become less effective and the game opens out again. Expansions Mare Nostrum: Mythology Expansion adds mythological and religious elements to the game. These include: A sixth civilization (the legendary Atlantis), including an add on map board and pieces for a sixth player Gods such as Isis and Baal who grant powerful favors A High Priest role and phase in which offerings can be made to the gods Mythological creatures such as the griffin, the centaur, and the phoenix A variety of mythological heroes such as Ulysses, Medusa, and Hercules A thirteenth resource (Pottery) A thoroughly revised rulebook External links Board games about history Eurogames (game publisher) games Board games introduced in 2003