Designing a Historical City Card | Geography & Territory

Visual Representation of Rome 
The artwork combines Rome at its imperial peak with elements that still exist today. The Colosseum is shown complete, representing its original form, while surviving walls appear in their present, partially ruined state. Unlike many ancient cities that have vanished, Rome endures, and its remaining structures continue to reflect a history that was never lost.

The Three Core Attributes

Defense — Physical Protection
Defense measures how difficult a city is to conquer. It is determined by the strength of fortifications, the materials used in construction, and the scale of the defensive system. Rome’s massive walls, advanced engineering, and durable materials such as tuff, travertine, and concrete place it among the most defensible cities of the ancient world, resulting in a Defense value of 9.

Endurance — Survival Over Time
Endurance measures how long a city survives through history. It is based on total lifespan, continuity of habitation, and the impact of destructive events such as sackings or burnings. Rome endured over 2,700 years of history, survived multiple invasions, and was never permanently abandoned, resulting in an Endurance value of 10.

Prosperity — Population & Economic Scale
Prosperity reflects the scale of a city at its peak and is primarily based on population. Larger populations indicate stronger economies, higher production, and greater administrative capacity. With a peak population exceeding one million, Rome was the largest city in the ancient world, resulting in a Prosperity value of 10.

Supporting Factors
Additional information on the card, such as garrison capacity, wall materials, and urban scale, does not form separate attributes but directly supports the three core values. Rome’s ability to sustain around 150,000 troops, for example, reinforces its high Defense and Endurance, rather than acting as an independent score.

Why These Values Matter Together
Each attribute represents a different dimension of civilization. Defense reflects how difficult a city is to conquer, Endurance reflects how long it survives, and Prosperity reflects how large and powerful it becomes. A city is strong only when these three interact. A rich city without defense is vulnerable, a fortified city without population cannot project power, and a large city without endurance cannot survive history.

From History to Card
The design process follows a consistent method. Historical data such as population, destruction events, and construction techniques is collected and verified, then normalized across civilizations so that cities like Rome, Chang’an, and Ctesiphon can be compared. This information is translated into structured attributes using consistent rules and ranges, and finally balanced within a unified system.

Design Philosophy
A Historical City card is not an artistic interpretation, but a structured translation of history into a playable system, where population becomes prosperity, time becomes endurance, and wall material becomes defense.