A Strategy Game for 3 ~ 5 players
The Mediterranean Sea in ancient times. Images of magnificent coasts to be explored and legendary civilizations that rose to power come to mind.
Now in 2nd edition printing!
History of the Ancient Seas III
~ Mare Nostrum ~
Designer: Karl Hauser
Artist(s): Marc von Martial
Developer: Uwe Walentin
Hist. period: Ancients
Game length: 180 minutes+
Players: 3 -5 players
Age: 14+ years
Complexity: 5 / 10
Solitaire: yes
Now in 2nd Edition printing. Featuring recessed double layer player boards and printed rules in English, German and French.
The game series “History of the Ancient Seas” is the ultimate journey through these exciting times. Build new fleets in your city to explore unknown lands, conquer islands and build a great empire.
In MARE NOSTRUM, the third and final installment in the “History of the Ancient Seas”game series, you will lead one of the great Empires: The Roman Empire, the Mighty Seafarers of Carthage, the Greek City States, Egypt or Persia.
MARE NOSTRUM is by default a five player game but there is an optional rule for 4 players, the “Archimedes” Solitaire bot and the “The King is dead” static empires feature, which allow you to reduce the player count if needed.
You will move your wooden meeples (representing legions, ships, armies and fleets) across a huge, beautiful illustrated map from the Iberic half island in the west to the Anatolian mountains in the east and Gallia in the north to the Nile Delta in the south.
The game is played in highly interactive micro-impulses. The heart of the game is the “action cycle”. An action chosen by a player can’t be chosen by the other player in his upcoming segment. And each action can only be chosen a limited number of times each turn. There is always more you need to do than you can actually do.
War or peace: That is your decision! You can expand your empire by leading your people to war! But war is costly and the outcome is uncertain. You can lead your empire to the golden age of civilization by keeping the peace and bringing stability and wealth to your people without following the path of war. Offer terms to aggressive enemies to distract or delay them, but always be prepared to defend your empire.
Game Components
- 2 large 122 x 84 cm mounted Map board
478 wooden Playing Pieces
38 Playing Cards
148 printed Talent Coins
5 recessed double layer Player Sheets for tracking Troops & Income
2 Play Tracks for Development & Resource tracking + 1 Play Aid
2 Play Aids with Resource Icons, Cost Table and Stability Status
“Archimedes” solo mode Rules and Cards
1 Game Rulebook
second edition includes a printed German & French Rulebook!
Shop & Ordering
Q1: Can I apply more than 1 discount code on the same order?
A: Only 1 discount code can be applied on a single order. Discount code cannot be applied to previous orders.
Q2: I’ve already made an order, now how do I merge a new one with the old?
A: To merge order, the new item to the shopping cart as well. With this item in the shopping cart, the system will not charge you for shipping.
Please note that it is not guaranteed; we are not able to merge the order if the order is already in process. Unless we asked you to do so, there will be a risk you need to take that the order may not get merged, and the outstanding order will either need to be refunded or shipped out separately (with the shipping fee being resolved separately).
Q3: What happens if my order contains a pre-order and an available item to obtain free shipping ?
A: we ship everything together.
Q4. Can I put a game on reserve without purchasing it?
Sorry, we cannot.
Q5. What is available right now?
Everything that shows in stock other than preorders are immediately available. In the rare event it is not in stock due to an error, we will contact the customer to work out the situation.
Q6. How can I order something that isn’t currently in stock?
You can sign up for our notification (that option will replace the button that allows you to purchase) and if we get a restock we will immediately inform you.
Q7. Will pre-order items gets shipped to customer automatically?
If an order consist of pre-orders and all pre-orders has arrived, the system will ship the order automatically; if the order reaches has a paid shipping fee or reached free shipping already.
Game related
Q1. Can I read the manuals before I purchase?
For some of our products we do have full manuals online. For others we do have abbreviated / introductionary manuals available. Please check the respective product page “Infos & Files” tab.
Q2. Where can I find support files or errata?
Please check the respective product page “Infos & Files” tab.
Contact us for any questions related to our games.
Fulfillment Times
Unless otherwise stated on the webstore header, all “Sound of Drums” orders placed through our webstore will be shipped within 1 week, with preorders and holiday shipping taking longer due to our fulfillment centers receiving a flood of orders all at the same time. You will receive a shipment notification e-mail with a tracking number – this information won’t show up on your “Sound of Drums” webstore customer account.
Shipping Costs
We charge a flat rate of EUR 16 for shipping, with free shipping on orders over EUR 150. Some exceptions for particularly large products might apply.
Shipping Times
We ship orders from different fulfillment centers around the world to expedite shipping, maintain low shipping fees, and reduce customs/taxes, so the courier will depend on your location. See the list below to find out from which center your order will be shipped.
Europe – Meeples.NL (this fulfillment partner is also covering every other country not mentioned below).
UK – Zatu Games LTD
US – Bridge Distribution Covering the US and Mexico.
Canada – Boardgamebliss
Australia – Aetherworks
Need help?
Contact us for any questions related to shipping.
~ Available Expansions ~
New Armies
New Armies, new battles, Fog of War! Take History of the Ancient Seas to a new level!
Pirates & Barbarians
“Sail in sight!” calls the sentry on the tower. To whom do these sails on the horizon belong?
New Markets
New Markets for the Mediterranean! Explore new coasts and lands! Will your new conquests add to your empire?
~ Similar Products ~
History of the Ancient Seas I- Hellas -
History of the Ancient Seas! Explore, trade and wage battles in the ancient Mediterranean! In HELLAS you will lead one of two great City States – Athens or Sparta.
History of the Ancient Seas II - Dies Irae -
History of the Ancient Seas! Explore, trade and wage battles in the ancient Mediterranean! In DIES IRAE you will lead one of the great Empires like the Greek City States, Egypt or Persia!
History of the Ancient Seas II - Mare Nostrum -
History of the Ancient Seas! Explore, trade and wage battles in the ancient Mediterranean! In MARE NOSTRUM you will lead one of the great Empires: The Roman Empire, the Mighty Seafarers of Carthage, the Greek City States, Egypt or Persia.
