Ars Victoriae

"Plan and adapt your strategies.
Predict and outwit your opponent.
Place your tiles carefully and secure your triumph.
To the victor goes the glory.
To the victor go the spoils.
This is the art of victory."
~General Beauthuvus

Nearly three hundred years before the invention of Chess, the Roman General Beauthuvus created a competitive game of tiles based on ancient games of strategy and tactics (such as Go and Petteia). This game, which became widely popular throughout the northern border province of Arbraen--primarily among the Legions' soldiers due to the province’s militant society and frontier location--was commonly called 'Ars Victoriae,' which translates to "the Art of Victory."

Ars Victoriae was simple enough for a child to learn, and yet could take a lifetime to master; common citizens and soldiers alike enjoyed it as a way to gamble, whereas commanders and lieutenants used it to practice and develop their skill in strategic thinking. It was portable, requiring only a set of simple tiles and coins for score-keeping, which helped ensure that Ars Victoriae was played from the halls of the rich to the homes of the common people. Several of the greatest heroes of Arbraen, including the famous gladiator-turned-soldier Samendai, were discovered due to their prowess in playing the game.

Over the following five centuries, as the Roman Empire rose to the heights of its greatness and then crumbled into the dust of legends, Ars Victoriae fell into decline and vanished along with it, and the once popular game of tiles ultimately faded away into obscurity--although its influences can be seen in many other now-classic strategic board games around the world.

Now, thousands of years later, thanks to the recently rediscovery of an intact set by Inarounhed University’s Dr. James Andai, and the painstakingly-reconstructed archaeological evidence left behind by the avid and ancient game enthusiasts of Arbraen, you can rediscover the "Art of Victory" and test your strategic thinking with Ars Victoriae, the classic game of wit and warfare!