Crucible of Nations
Josh Harper, Fantasy Forges
Crucible of Nations is a geopolitical nation-building game in a classical high fantasy setting. It's heavily asymmetrical - pitting cumbersome military juggernauts against agile nomads and unscrupulous merchant houses. Roughly half the players engage in a crunchy, closely interwoven military and economic game, while the others focus on diplomacy and narrative.
26-35 players
Has run a handful of times, with updates between runs to work out any kinks
Roles span from heavy mechanics to pure diplomacy/roleplay. Pre-casting is recommended, but there's something for everyone
Runs with 6-7 facilitators, all of whom will need to be expert in at least one area of the game's mechanics
Game license and files available for $220 at time of writing
Around 250 cards
1 large central map
Around 2000 map tokens
Need to purchase/have around 500 generic tokens (poker chips/wooden cubes/etc)
Total cost (including license, before venue) approx $300-$500