Unboxing the Gangs of Rome accessory pack

Footsore Miniatures, in conjunction with Sarissa Precision and Wargames Atlantic, have released an accessory pack for 'Gangs of Rome' second edition. We thought we'd take a look at what's in the set and do an unboxing. One day, I'll work out how to do this on camera, but for now, we'll do it the old-fashioned way.

This contains all you'll need in the way of miniatures and tokens to start playing the game, bar the main rulebook. It even contains an MDP kit of a small villa.

For those of you not familiar with Gangs of Rome, it is a game in which rival factions vie for power on the streets of Ancient Rome. Historical sources tell us that organized gangs and gang warfare existed in the ancient capital. Popular television series like Rome and Those of Us About to Die are also good sources of inspiration.

You can read our 'Let's Play Gangs of Rome' in Wargames, Soldiers and Strategy number 129. Or as a special treat for my readers, you can read the article here!

So, what's in the box? Firstly, there are five sprues of the Citizens of Rome set by Wargames Atlantic and Footsore. This provides players with thirty plastic miniatures, enough for three 'mobs' of citizens and fifteen gangers. MDF bases are provided. In my previous blog, I discussed how versatile these miniatures were and how they were a gold mine (Aureus mine?) for conversion. The parts can be easily used and converted - these would make a good basis for a slave revolt army. 

There are also two sets of D6, seven with Roman numerals for determining actions and seven wound markers.

The plastic models in this set are particularly useful, allowing you to make armed gangers or unarmed citizens. Players will need citizens to make up the mobs and perhaps the odd character for a scenario. The gangers can be armed with a variety of swords, spears, axes, spears, daggers or missile weapons. There are seventeen heads to choose from, so no model needs to look exactly the same.

Then there's the Sarissa villa or farmstead. This medium size MDF building is an ideal starting piece of terrain. It has three floors, ideal for the 3D nature of the game; our players went full on Assasin's Creed, jumping from building to building or gaining the high ground to lay arrows down on their opponents. The model could be part of a small farmstead in the foothills near Rome, or part of the urban hustle and bustle of the great city. The trellises scream out to be covered in growing vines - now that is very Roman!

Once all the models are assembled, then it's time to try the game out. Thankfully, the accessory pack comes with cardboard tokens for activations and objectives.

Cards on the table, our playtesters liked Gangs of Rome a lot. So this accessory set will be a welcome addition to our gaming collection. The plastics will also be useful to lure new players into trying the game. The Sarissa villa is also most welcome and makes a nice piece of scenery. Gangs of Rome is a simple and fun system, which needn't be scenery heavy; games can be set in the rūrālis (countryside) or in the municipium (city). The low model count also makes the game attractive.