Henrik Schunk
United Kingdom
London
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The prospect of playing a game set in ancient Rome makes many a boardgamer shiver in dire expectation of yet another euro game which urges player to gather all sorts of resources and build cities and nations. One might be inclined to think that the Romans (or the Greek, Egyptians or Babylonians for that matter) did nothing else but prosper, build and gather resources all day. Yet, we all know that the Ancient civilizations, especially the Romans, were infamous for the peculiar taste in their choice of entertainment. Throwing Christians to lions or seeing muscular men in short skirts, to name but a few
THEME
The mighty chariot race seems to be another stereotype which is holding its own through the ages and Ave Caesar captures the legendary racing experience very nicely. Ave Caesar focuses on the racing aspect of the game. All peripheral factors that might have played a role within the context of the Colosseum - the entertainment of the Romans, the fate of the wagon drivers, waging and betting etc - is not taken into account (see Colosseum for those kind of things). That being said, the theme works well and the gameboard looks the part.
Ave Caesar could have been a game about any kind of 'race' in any given period of time, fictional or non-fictional (as the remake of this game, Ave Caesar proves), the relation to Rome is purely cosmetic. Although it has to be said, that despite being light-hearted and a family game, Ave Caesar does refrain from including outlandish elements such as rockets or the blessing of gods etc.
The game emulates the excitement and frenzy one would expect from a chariot race but it is by no means a simulation.
BITS AND BOBS
There are multiple versions of Ave Caesar around. All look fine and jolly, the newer version features a slightly lusher gameboard and whatnot but do not expect any artistic leaps there. Also, I found that the illustration and look of the gameboard quickly fades out of attention anyway. As a board for a 'racing' game, it does work fine, although there are a few squares which always spark up a discussion because it is a tad unclear how they are divided but that is no biggie.
Talking of "big", the gamebox is huge, it is the largest game I have, despite the components being really tiny. You could easily fit the game in a box the size of 'Carcassonne', I am not sure why this way done, maybe it used to be a selling point back in the day but it is hugely inconvenient to play it outside of my own home.
RULES AND MECHANICS
I must say, I am impressed by the simplicity of this game, you can count up the rules with one hand, but do not be fooled, some of the rules are rather ingenious, such as the fact that the leader(s) cannot play a '6' - the fastest card in the game. Thus, thundering away and taking the lead can be a foolish strategy sometime and careful planning and 'resource' management is an integral part of the game. However, each player can only hold three cards at a time so there is a nice balance between lucky card drawing and hand management which makes Ave Caesar a good game for all ages. The most carefully laid out plans and strategies can be blown to dust by an unlucky card draw, while a daredevilry approach can sometimes lead to victory. There are many occasions for players to conjure their nasty side, blocking out other players and even eliminating them from play completely, preventing the drivers from paying their tribute to Caesar. Despite the possible nastiness and player elimination, the shortness of the game prevents and form of serious frustration as the races only take about 10 minutes playing time and there is always the next race to take revenge. The game comes with four race tracks (two on each side of the board) which can be raced in reverse direction as well, making for nice variety.
EDIT: I have since learned that only the Ravensburger (the older) edition features four tracks. The newer, Pro Ludo edition only comes with two. So make sure, if you can, to track down the old game.
VERDICT
A good family game which feels more like a cardgame played out over a board. The rule-trinity of leaders cannot play a 6, you can block out other players and you have to pass by Caesar before the end of the race or be disqualified is a slick combination and makes the game more interactive than a first glance promises it to be.
HX
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Lars Wagner Hansen
Denmark
Sorø
Any time, any place!
Fingers off, that's my car!
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Ravenhoe wrote: The game comes with four race tracks (two on each side of the board) which can be raced in reverse direction as well, making for nice variety.
This is only in the old Ravenburger edition. The new Pro Ludo edition only has two tracks, and they are way to easy compared to the Ravensburger edition.
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Ally Steven Severi
Belgium
Brussels
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I played the old Ravensburger version recently.
A simple game without being simplistic.
I love it!
Oversized boxes is usually an indicator for expansions in the near future... Or big boxes just sell better.
Anyway... thanks for the review
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Gerald McDaniel
United States
Lakewood
Colorado
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My Asmodee rules say that a player who must pay homage to Caesar on the second lap (not doing so on the first), and who is blocked from entering Emperor's Alley by another chariot, "must suspend their turns until the entrance is once again free." We missed this rule for many plays, but noticed it in a comment on BGG. The wording seems to imply that the only way you would be eliminated from winning would be if you were forced to miss the alley in some other way (blocked routes and unlucky cards that force you to take the inside track as you approach that final curve).
We had more problems with figuring out the alignment of the spaces than you indicate. We all have an agreement on two locations near the alley, where you cannot cross from the inside track to the alley and from the alley to the inside track. At least, that's the way we understand it. The game board definitely could have been designed and illustrated to be much less misleading.
In spite of those issues, we love to play this game. It is a quick, competitive race game which is appropriate for our family group. Everyone has fun blocking each other when it is their best tactic. And, the maneuvering of the chariots, especially during the third lap, is something to behold. It's a great game!
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Bob
United States
Nebraska
Don't squat with your spurs on.
Never approach a bull from the front, a horse from the rear, or a fool from any direction.
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Thanks for the review!
My group has certainly enjoyed this game over the years. 
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Posted Thu Nov 25, 2010 8:03 am
