Historia: Roma Aeterna Brings Julius Caesar’s Civil War

Heavy Cav Studios, a Quebec-based indie team, has announced Historia: Roma Aeterna, a narrative “strategy adventure” that aims to put players inside Julius Caesar’s civil war rather than have them simply learn its timeline. The pitch is straightforward: you make decisions, you pursue glory when the odds line up, and you also pay for the compromises, fragile alliances, and high-stakes military bets that can backfire.

A Caesar-driven civil war told through choices and tactics

The game’s core structure is built around scripted encounters where you weigh advice, negotiate, trade, and clash with rival senators. When conversation stops being enough, Historia: Roma Aeterna shifts into turn-based tactical battles with a specific presentation: you issue orders across a war table, move your pieces, and select an intent. After that setup, the game “unfolds” the fight and resolves the turn simultaneously—presenting the battle as if the board itself comes to life.

Progression is paced by illustrated, scenario-driven meetings
Non-combat play emphasizes political negotiation, bargaining, and pressure on competing senators
Combat switches to turn-based tactics when dialogue fails
Battle turns are resolved simultaneously after you set orders, placements, and intentions

“Ahistorical accuracy” and plausible gaps in the record

Heavy Cav says the project is not trying to be fanciful, but it also won’t treat history as an untouchable script. The studio frames its approach as “ahistorical accuracy”: when sources are silent, the game fills gaps by letting players make choices—even ones that go against what players might expect based on popular knowledge. The goal is to keep those options within a “plausible” frame, supported by research and an historian’s input.

In other words, the studio is aiming for role-play in the gray areas where history itself leaves room for interpretation, rather than a fantasy retelling of Rome.

Which Caesar will you be?

The announcement positions Historia: Roma Aeterna around the idea that the cost of glory isn’t paid only once. The press material highlights the question of what kind of Caesar you will play: the one who forgives, the one who crushes opponents, the one who delays decisions, or the one who burns everything to win faster.