Jugula

Players take the role of lanistae, managing gladiator schools and leading a familia of four fighters into arena battles. Each gladiator belongs to a heavy or light class and attacks according to the target’s class, with tactical bonuses or penalties from positioning, nearby allies and enemies, and crowd support. Combat uses cards rather than dice: players play cards from hand or draw one to determine the result. Victory comes from knocking out or wounding opposing gladiators in specific combinations. Results, fighter improvements, and the school’s performance are recorded on a ludus sheet, while staff can be hired and trained to support its growth. The first school to reach 10 Glory Points wins.

Players: 2–4 best 2
Playing time: 60 min
Age: 10+
Complexity: 2.3 / 5