About the Nova Roma Guide
A comprehensive, community-maintained resource for players of Nova Roma — the Roman city builder by Lion Shield Studios. Whether you are shaping your first settlement or optimizing a large trade network, this guide has you covered.
The Game
Nova Roma is a Roman city builder and management simulation focused on trade, production, laws, and long-term city growth. Developed by Lion Shield Studios and published by Hooded Horse, the game challenges you to turn a small settlement into a powerful city-state shaped by your economic planning and strategic decisions.
Game Details
Find Nova Roma on Steam:store.steampowered.com/app/2426530
About This Guide
The Nova Roma Guide was created to fill a gap: when the game launched, information was scattered across Steam forums, Reddit threads, and YouTube comments. Players needed a single, well-organized resource that covered everything from the first 10 minutes of gameplay to advanced optimization strategies. This site is that resource.
Site Mission
Our mission is simple: provide the most accurate, comprehensive, and accessible Nova Roma guide available anywhere. Every guide page is written from tested gameplay experience — not speculation, not marketing copy, not AI-generated filler. When we say a tax rate of 15% is optimal, it is because we tested every percentage from 0% to 50% across multiple playthroughs. When we recommend a build order, it is because we ran the first hour of the game dozens of times to find the most reliable sequence. We believe community knowledge should be freely available and permanently accessible — no paywalls, no login requirements, no account needed.
What We Cover
The guide currently spans eight major topic areas, each with dedicated pages that go deep on mechanics and strategy. The Beginner's Guide walks new players through the first hour with an exact build order and UI walkthrough. The Buildings page catalogs every structure in the game with resource costs, requirements, and placement tips. Citizens covers tier progression, happiness management, couples, pets, and hidden quests. Resources maps out production chains, raw material management, and supply chain optimization. The Economy page details taxation, gold management, marketplace dynamics, and trade profitability. Research breaks down all 22 tech tree nodes with priority rankings. Tips and Tricks collects 15 battle-tested strategies that experienced players use. And Layouts explains the three-zone planning system and beauty adjacency mechanics.
Community & Updates
This guide is community-maintained and regularly updated to reflect game patches, balance changes, and newly discovered strategies. If you spot outdated information, have a tip that should be included, or want to suggest a new topic, your input is welcome.
How to Contribute
The best way to contribute is to share your tested strategies and discoveries. If you have found an optimal tax rate, a better build order, a hidden citizen interaction, or a research priority that outperforms what is currently documented, let us know. We verify all community submissions through testing before publishing, ensuring the guide maintains its standard of accuracy.
Additionally, if you notice any information that has become outdated due to a game patch — building costs that changed, mechanics that were rebalanced, or new systems that are not yet covered — reporting it helps keep the guide current for everyone. The game is actively developed, and our guide evolves alongside it.
Update Frequency
The guide is reviewed and updated within one week of major game patches. Minor corrections are applied as soon as they are verified. The last comprehensive review was completed in 2026, and all information reflects the latest publicly available build of Nova Roma.
Attribution & Disclaimer
This guide is an independent, community-created resource and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to Lion Shield Studios or Hooded Horse in any official capacity. All game-related content, including building names, mechanics descriptions, and gameplay systems, are the intellectual property of Lion Shield Studios and Hooded Horse.
Copyright Notice
Nova Roma and all related game assets, names, and trademarks are the property of Lion Shield Studios and published by Hooded Horse. The Nova Roma Guide content — including guides, tips, data tables, layout suggestions, and strategy analysis — is original work created by the community and is not derived from or a reproduction of the game's code or assets. Game screenshots and references to in-game content are used under fair use for the purpose of education, commentary, and gameplay assistance.
Steam Integration
This site references the Nova Roma Steam store page (App ID: 2426530) for the convenience of players who wish to purchase, review, or learn more about the game on Steam. We are not affiliated with Valve Corporation or the Steam platform. Links to Steam are provided as a convenience and do not constitute an endorsement or partnership.