From: Roberto Chiavini Subject: One review Rus (Simulation Workshop) Fun. This is the word most important for this game on the unification of ancient and medieval Russia, clearly inspired by AH's Britannia. The game is for four players (but there are rules for a three-players game) and lasts 16 turns. The map (not very pleasant to the eye, really old-fashioned, but the game is a DTP design, with all the graphical limits that come with this) is an area recreation of European Russia, from Poland and the Baltic till the Volga and the Caucasus. There are only two kinds of terrain: steppe and non-steppe (where you have to stop upon entering). The counters come in four colors, one for each player, and are divided in infantry, cavalry, knights (only the Teutonic Knights), elite infantry, forts, cities and historical leaders. Each steppe area may contain up to three units, non-steppe two (but each player may have a major stack of unlimited number in a steppe area, four units in a non-steppe area) plus a fort or city and a leader. Each player in the course of the game controls several different populations that arrives and leaves the map from turn to turn. Each people has specific victory conditions and accumulate victory points in particular turns for controlling certain specific areas, or for eliminating specific enemies. At the end of the game, each player sums up all the points accumulated by his color and the highest result win the game. Each unit may move 3 areas (four if cavalry - plus 1 if with a leader), stopping when entering an enemy controlled area or a non steppe one. Each unit hits an enemy counter with 5-6 if infantry, 4-6 if cavalry or elite infantry. Elite infantry and knight are hit only by a 6 (the same happens to all the units in a non-steppe area). Combat is simultaneous. At the start of each population turn, the player receive population points to build new units (each controlled area gives 1 point for a steppe, 1\2 for a non-steppe if not otherwise indicated on the map). There are also rules for raiders (normally the Vikings), invasions or campaigns (where that population may move and have combat two times in the same turn), specific rules for people like the Mongols, support rules (each controlled area may support two units: if you control more than two units for each area you have, you must discard the remnants) and other simple, but ingenious stuff. I think that the people at Simulation Workshop must be praised for having made a simple, but not simplistic strategy board game for four player that is fun to play. The flow of the game is fast, but the game lasts at least 4\5 hours. I rate this game 7 1\2 out of 10.