23 Knives
Will you be on the side of those wanting to kill Caesar or those wanting to save him? And will you be swayed to join the opposing forces?
23 Knives is a social manipulation game for 3-8 players, where your allegiance to Caesar will change throughout the game. Will you be on the side of Liberators wanting to kill Caesar? Or be a Loyalist, wanting Caesar to live? Of course, you might become an Opportunist and change the fate of Caesar to succeed.
Scheduled for Kickstarter on July 23, sign up here to declare your allegiance to follow the game when the page is created. You will be eligible for a Spurrina promo card if you sign up and end up backing the project.
Who was Spurrina?
“Beware the Ides of March” is a well-known adage related to the assassination of Julius Caesar. Shakespeare, while known to take liberties with his interpretations, based this phrase on ancient sources…
Cicero, in his work On Divination, written during the same year as Caesar’s assassination, mentions Spurrina, an Etruscan soothsayer. During a haruspicy ritual, where Spurrina examined the entrails of a bull to divine Caesar’s future, he discovered the bull was missing its heart, thus warning Caesar that he should be cautious for the following month, until the Ides of March.
Modern historian Barry Strauss speaks of Spurrina not only as a haruspex, but also as a friend to Caesar and a well-informed Roman. Spurrina knew of the rumors and dangers of the conspiracy, as well as Caesar’s plans to leave for Parthia in March, and warned him accordingly.
In 23 Knives, knowledge is power. With Spurrina, you will make small sacrifices in exchange for great knowledge.