I thought about that, but I was thinking about the direct human conflict: acquisition of rare texts, counterfeiting, arson, etc.
The theme hasn't been done to death.
Are you thinking of a board game or more like Pergamon Go? My first thought would be a tabletop RPG setting, as a quest for arcane tomes is fun in any era.
Visions of young millennials crowding ruins trying to catch harpies, sphinxes, and minotaurs only to awaken the dormant odious spirits lying in wait beneath those ancient stones
Do you have any examples of the kind of board game inspired video game you have in mind? When I think about a video game for this, I imagine a RTS game which would be somewhat similar to Age of Empires II and Empire Earth II in the graphical look and in the mechanics.