2500 years ago, Greek traders and aventurers traveled to southern Italy to settle and develop the area. They called the region Magna Grecia. The development of the area led to a era of rapid cultural and economic growth. Before the arrival of the Greeks, the region was populated by only a few small isolated villages. The region was rich in soil, had navigable rivers, great forests. All this and bronze and silver mines offered the Greeks enormous development potential. The Greeks built great cities such as Tarantum, Syrakusai, Katane, Locri, and Naxos. There were also several small villages, many of which have disappeared or were swallowed by the growing cities. They built a dense network of roads to support trade and the prosperous markets in the cities. Strong rivalries among the cities came together with success, especially as they competed for the attentions of the oracles for the fame they offered.
The goal of this game is to score as many points as possible. To do this, each player must work to successfully settle and develop Magna Grecia. It is important to build markets, expand villages into cities, and connect them all with a network of roads. It is also important to capture the attention of the oracles, who always look toward the most important cities. A city’s size is less important than the network of roads connecting it to other places in Magna Grecia. It is too expensive to build a large city and more effective to build markets in villages or in other cities. Players score points for their markets and for attracting the attention of oracles.