Along with domestic politics, VV also sports a new character interface that really brings the role-playing aspect of the game to the forefront. With VV, character information is now much more manageable. Several filter screens allow the player to quickly find and track characters, even the unemployed ones. The number of governors is also reduced by about two-thirds. This is a good thing since before VV, players of EU: Rome often had to track 30 or 40. At the same time the influence of governors is higher, making them a more important part of running your nation. Unhappy governors sometimes split away, and the prospect of civil war is a problem almost as large as barbarian invasions.

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While VV adds quite a bit to EU: Rome, the new features are not perfect. The character interface still has cryptic entries on the character history log. The game is also optimized around Rome, so playing a barbarian nation sometimes has unrealistic restrictions. For example, in a typical barbarian nation, each clans will demand to have someone appointed in a government position, but often you will have no open slots. The result is that the player’s options are restricted by constant turmoil among the clans and declining stability.

Strangely, VV comes with no documentation. Pop-up tool-tips do provide a great deal of information, and the new features are mostly intuitive. Still, players will really have to tinker with the new interface to understand everything that is possible in this expansion.

Probably the biggest issue with Vae Victis, however, is that it does not provide a great deal of new content. Some players might feel that the improvements don’t add up to an expansion but should have been provided in a free patch. This concern should be diminished by the fact that Vae Victis is value priced at $9.99, however.

At the end of a hard day’s march for your legions, Vae Victis improves what is already a very good game. For those who were lukewarm about EU: Rome in the first place, the expansion is probably a toss-up. For fans of the game, Vae Victis is easy to recommend, so draw your sword and shout "Woe to vanquished!"

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Europa Universalis: Rome Vae Victis

Europa Universalis: Rome

Paradox Interactive

Larry Levandowski has been a wargamer for more than 30 years, and started computer gaming back in the days of the C-64. Until he recently discovered the virtues of DOS box, much of his computer game collection was unplayable. A former U.S. Army officer, Larry has done his share of sitting in foxholes. Since leaving the Army, he has worked in the Information Technology field, as a programmer, project manager and lead bottle washer. He now spends his spare time playing boardgames, Napoleonic and WWII miniatures, as well as any PC game he can get his hands on.

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Tags: review, wargame