Sword of Rome

Setup from top to bottom: the grey non player Transalpine Gauls, the blue Gauls, the yellow Etruscans, the red Romans, the orange no player Volscii, the green Samnites, in light blue the Greeks and in purple the Carthaginians. In the South of Italy there are also two tribes in brown, the Lucanians and the Bruttians.

End of turn 1: Rome allies herself with the Etruscans and the Samnites, while the Gauls also ally themselves with the Etruscans. The Gauls raze the Roman city of Narnia but are themselves beset almost immediately by the Transalpine Gauls who want some of their plunder. A battle ensues between the two with the Gauls victorious but also the only ones to lose any significant amount of men. Meanwhile, in central Italy the Volscii besiege Capua while their home city of Antium is likewise besieged by the Romans. In Sicily, the Carthaginians take Messana causing the Greeks to sign a treaty with them for the meanwhile. Unfortunately for Carthage, this victory is marred by a rebellion of their mercenaries in Africa.

End of turn 2: The Etruscans don't renew their alliance with the Gauls, while the Romans keep their alliance. The Transalpine Gauls completely destroy the Gallic army that had previously attacked them. It is then the Etruscans and Samnite strike, each destroying another Gallic army. The remaining men from the battle with the Samnites die from attrition while trying to bring back a newly Etruscan area to their control. In central Italy, the Romans continue the siege of Antium and the Volsci, now depleted by losses due to attrition, abandon the siege of Capua and return to lift the siege of their city. The battle is closely fought, but the Romans emerge victorious and the Volscii capitulate. In Sicily, the Greeks, having built up a formidable force and seeing the Carthaginians preoccupied with rebelling mercenaries, decide not to renew their treaty. Instead they go on the offensive driving out the Carthaginians from Messana, Hamilcar is crucified for his failure to keep the city. The Greek then press on to Panormus, where a much smaller Carthaginian force succeeds in wiping out two thirds of the much bigger Greek army, which withdraws to Messana in shame. The Greeks ally themselves with the Samnites to protect their possessions in Italy.

End of turn 3: The Transalpine Gauls still seeking plunder avoid the large Etruscan army in the North and conquer Pisae. The Etruscans then fall back to mercilessly crush those Transalpine Gauls, liberating Pisae. Meanwhile, the Gauls take advantage of that battle to plunder the Northern conquests of the Transalpine Gauls. Unfortunately, while raiding, Brennus and his small band are destroyed. The Etruscans and the Samnites occupy the last major sites of the Gauls, eliminating any further threat. In central Italy, Rome decides to look to the South, conquering Neapolis and Tarentum from the Greeks. Tarentum had been left open when the Greeks brought almost all of their troops to Sicily. The Carthaginians attempt to stop the gathering of this large army in Messena, but are soundly defeated. The Greeks then pursue them to Panormus and then to Lilybaeum where they hole up in the city which falls after some time, giving the Greeks mastery of Sicily, if not yet complete control. As the dominance of the Etruscans and Samnites becomes closer to reality, the Romans begin questioning their alliance. A fierce debate rages on the senate, with some pushing for an attack on the nearly defenseless Samnite lands. In the end, Rome decides to remain true to its allies and no attack is made. 

Thus, in the end, the Etruscan and Samnite emerge as the new major powers, with Rome being second. Carthage despite its losses is third because the Greeks, for all their victories in Sicily, have been almost pushed out of Italy. In the wake of this contest, nothing remains of the Gauls in Italy save for stories to scare little children.