300: Earth & Water Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• 1 Introduction
• 2 Material
  • 2.1 Map
  • 2.2 Wooden Playing Pieces
  • 2.3 Cards
  • 2.4 Dice
• 3 Setup
  • 3.1 Starting Persian Positions
  • 3.2 Starting Greek Positions
  • 3.3 Marker Setup
  • 3.4 Dealing the cards
  • Initial Setup overview
  • Control of Cities
• 4 Game Play
  • 4.1 Launching a Campaign
  • 4.2 Preparation Phase Overview
  • 4.3 Operation Phase Overview
  • 4.4 Supply Phase Overview
  • 4.5 Scoring Phase Overview
• 5 Preparation Phase Details
  • 5.1 Persian Preparation
  • 5.2 Greek Preparation
  • 5.3 Termination of the campaign following the sudden death of the Persian king
  • 5.4 Draw pile
• 6 Operations Phase
  • 6.1 Operations Phase Procedure
  • 6.2 Playing an Event
  • 6.3 Movement
  • 6.4 Land Movement
  • 6.5 Naval Movement
• 7 Combat
  • 7.1 Land Battles
  • 7.2 Naval battles
• 8 Supply Phase
  • 8.1 Cards in hand
  • 8.2 Attrition of forces
• 9 Scoring Phase
• 10 Victory conditions
• Explanation of the cards
• The Greco-Persian Wars
• Credits

1 Introduction

300: Earth & Water. The theme of this game is the Greco-Persian Wars, which lasted for 50 years from the Ionian Revolt in 499 BCE to the Peace of Callias around 449 BCE. One player leads the Greek army, assembled around Athens and Sparta, and the other leads the Persian army. During these 50 years, Persia launched three campaigns against Greece, but in the game up to 5 campaigns may be initiated.

2 Material

The game is played with the following components.

2.1 Map

The map shows Greece and a portion of Asia Minor at the time of the Greco-Persian Wars.

City: each box on the map is a city, and the following information is indicated:

• Name: the name of the city.
• Major City: Major cities are blue for the Persians, and red for the Greeks, and control of Major cities scores more points.
• Food: the number of amphorae represents the number of armies you can feed if you control the city (see 8.0 Supply Phase). The two Major Cities with red amphorae are the supply cities of the Greeks, those with blue amphorae are the supply cities of the Persians. In these rules, Major cities and supply cities are the same: Athenai & Sparta for the Greeks, Ephesos & Abydos for the Persians.
• Port: a city with a circle of waves has a port.

Road: The lines connecting the cities are roads. Armies move from one city to another along connecting roads. Note that the road between Abydos and Pella is cut by the Hellespont. The Persian army can build a pontoon bridge there (5.1). The next city connected to a city by a road is said to be "adjacent". For example, Athenai is adjacent to Thebai and Korinthos.

Campaign Track: Use a black cube to track the number of campaigns the Persians have launched. The game ends after the fifth campaign.

Total Score Track: At the end of each campaign, record the difference in scores between the two sides by moving a black cube. At the end of the game, the player who has the higher total score, even by 1 point, wins the game. If the score is 0, the game ends in a tie.

Historical Figures: These are images of people who can die or be banished during the game. If this happens, place an army cube or fleet disk on the image to indicate the victim.

2.2 Wooden Playing Pieces

The red wooden playing pieces represent the Greek forces, and the blue wooden playing pieces represent the Persian forces.

Armies: one cube represents one army. There are 9 Greek armies and 24 Persian armies.

Navy: one disk represents one fleet. There are 5 Greek fleets and 6 Persian fleets.

Markers: the two black cubes are markers for the tracks. One is placed on the Campaign Track and the other on the Total Score Track.

Pontoon Bridge: the small wooden rod represents a pontoon bridge. It is used when the Persian player builds the pontoon bridge across the Hellespont (5.1).

2.3 Cards

The deck consists of 16 cards. Each card is divided into two parts: the upper part displays the Greek event, the lower part displays the Persian event.

2.4 Dice

Use the 6-sided dice to resolve combats.

3 Setup

Players choose sides and take the corresponding wooden playing pieces. Place the markers on the map by following the instructions below.

3.1 Starting Persian Positions

Place 4 armies: 2 at Ephesus and 2 at Abydos. Place 1 fleet in the port of Ephesus. Keep the other wooden playing pieces close to hand. You may place them on the map during the Production Phases (5.0) once play begins.

3.2 Starting Greek Positions

Place 3 armies: 1 at Athenai, 1 at Sparta and 1 at Korinthos. Place 2 fleets: 1 at the port of Athenai and the other at the port of Sparta. Keep the other wooden playing pieces close to hand. You may place them on the map during the Production Phases (5.0) once play begins.

3.3 Marker Setup

Place one black marker on the first space on the Campaign Track and the other black marker on the 0 space of the Total Score Track. The Persian player takes the pontoon bridge stick.

3.4 Dealing the cards

Shuffle the 16 cards and place them face down next to the map.

This completes the setup of the game. Please refer to rule 4.0 to start the game.

Initial Setup overview

The setup includes: 16 cards next to the map; off-map Persian armies and fleets (20 armies, 5 fleets, plus 1 pontoon bridge) kept in reserve; the Campaign Track marker on its first space; the Greek side with 3 armies and 2 fleets placed on the map and 6 armies plus 3 fleets in reserve off-map; the Persian side with 4 armies (all placed) and 1 fleet placed on the map; and the Total Score Track marker at its 0 space. A "Talents at start" reminder and the "Preparation costs and max. number of purchases (cards, armies, fleets)" table are printed alongside the setup diagram (see 5.1 and 5.2 for these values).

Control of Cities

The following rules describe the control of cities:

• If you occupy a city with at least one army, you control that city.
• A city with no occupying army is not controlled. However, in the absence of an enemy army, each side controls its Major cities without having to station an army in them. For example, if Athenai contains no armies, Athenai is controlled by the Greeks. You do not control a city by simply having a fleet in its port.

4 Game Play

The Persians can launch up to 5 campaigns during a game. The game ends if a player achieves an automatic victory, or when 5 campaigns have been completed and the player with the score advantage wins the game. A score of 0 indicates a tie.

4.1 Launching a Campaign

When launching a campaign, the following steps (phases) are carried out in order:

1. Preparation Phase
2. Operation Phase
3. Supply Phase
4. Scoring Phase

Once the Scoring Phase is complete, the campaign ends and the next one begins. Advance the marker on the Campaign Track to indicate the start of a new campaign. The game ends when the fifth campaign is completed.

4.2 Preparation Phase Overview

Both players arm themselves for the campaign. The Persians and Greeks pay in talents (the game's currency unit) to acquire cards, raise armies and fleets and, for the Persian player, build a pontoon bridge. See 5.0 for details. Depending on the cards the Persian player acquires in this phase, the campaign may end immediately.

4.3 Operation Phase Overview

The Persian player and the Greek player each play a card. If a player does not wish to play a card, or if they have no cards left, they may pass.

If both players pass in succession (the Persian player passes and then the Greek player passes, or vice versa), the Operations Phase ends immediately, regardless of the number of cards remaining in their hands. If a player passes, they may play another card on their next turn (if their opponent did not pass). The player may also pass again. For more details, see 6.0.

4.4 Supply Phase Overview

When the Operations Phase is complete, the Persians and Greeks then take turns supplying their armies. Any army that is out of supplies is removed from the map. Fleets do not need to be supplied. If the Greek player has any cards left in their hand, they may keep up to 4 cards and discard the rest (if they have less than 4, they may keep any cards they want). The Persian player may keep only one card, but in this case they will receive 10 talents instead of 12 for their next campaign. For more details, see 8.0.

4.5 Scoring Phase Overview

Both players count the number of cities they control or occupy with an army. Remember that the presence of a fleet in a port does not result in control of the port city. A player's control of a Major city is scored as if it were two cities. Compare the number of cities controlled and move the marker on the Total Score Track the number of spaces equal to the difference, in favor of the player controlling the most cities. The maximum value of the track is 6 and the marker may not go further than that. Even a difference of 6 points does not guarantee victory. Control of the two opposing Major cities in this phase results in victory (see 9.0).

Scoring example: If the Greeks control three cities (Athenai, Sparta and Korinthos) and the Persians control two (Abydos and Ephesus), advance the cumulative score marker one space in favor of the Greeks. However, if the Persians occupy Athenai (in addition to Abydos and Ephesus), the Greeks would control two cities and the Persians would control three (Athenai is a Major city), and the marker would be moved three spaces in favor of the Persians.

5 Preparation Phase Details

Both players arm themselves for the campaign. The Persian player prepares first, then the Greek player.

5.1 Persian Preparation

Budget: The Persians have 12 talents for each campaign. Although it is not necessary to use all of them, any unspent talents do not go towards the next campaign's budget (any unspent talents are lost).

Exception: If the Persian player has a card from the previous campaign in their hand, the current campaign budget is reduced to 10 talents.

Preparation costs: The Persian player can purchase cards and raise armies and fleets by spending talents. They first choose the number of cards to purchase (or none if so they desire), draw the cards and read the effects (see 5.3). Then they raise armies and fleets, and possibly build a pontoon bridge.

Item	Talents	Max. number per preparation phase
Card	1	6
Army	1	no limit
Fleet	2*	2
Pontoon bridge	6	-

Optional rule: each fleet costs only 1 talent.

Placement of armies and fleets: Place each army raised in one of your Major cities or in a city you control. Place each fleet raised in the port of one of your Major cities or a city you control. There is no limit to the number of units that can be placed in a city or port. If you control a city but its port contains an enemy fleet, you cannot place a newly raised fleet in that port. Add the cards you have purchased to your hand.

Construction of the pontoon bridge: If you occupy Abydos, you may build the pontoon bridge. You pay 6 talents and place the pontoon bridge on the Hellespont to indicate that the road between Abydos and Pella is open. (Using a base of ships lashed together, Xerxes constructed two pontoon bridges on the Hellespont between Abydos in Asia Minor and Sestos in Europe in 480 BCE.)

Construction of the pontoon bridge — when the pontoon bridge is placed on the Hellespont, the road between Abydos and Pella is open. The two cities are not adjacent until the bridge is in place.

5.2 Greek Preparation

Once the Persian player has finished their preparation phase, it is the Greek player's turn to prepare.

Budget: The Greeks have 6 talents for each campaign. Although it is not necessary to use all of them, any unspent talents do not go towards the next campaign's budget (any unspent talents are lost).

Preparation costs: The Greek player may purchase cards and raise armies and fleets by spending talents. They first choose the number of cards to purchase, draw the cards, and read their effects. Then they raise armies and fleets. The Greeks cannot build a pontoon bridge.

Item	Talents	Max. number per preparation phase
Card	1	6
Army	1	no limit
Fleet	1	2

Placement of armies and fleets: Place each army raised in one of your Major cities or in a city you control. Place each fleet raised in the port of one of your Major cities or a city you control. There is no limit to the number of units that can be placed in a city or port. If you control a city but its port contains an enemy fleet, you cannot place a newly raised fleet in that port. Add the cards you have purchased to your hand.

5.3 Termination of the campaign following the sudden death of the Persian king

If the Persian player draws the Sudden Death of the Great King card in step 5.1, the campaign ends immediately. The Persian player discards all the cards in their hand and the cards in the draw pile are shuffled with those in the discard pile to make a new draw pile. The Persians may not raise an army or fleet and may not build a pontoon bridge. Also, the Greek player skips their Preparation Phase. Proceed immediately to the next campaign. There is no scoring for this round (however, if the Persian king dies suddenly due to the Pacification of Babylon or Egypt card, the Supply and Scoring Phases are completed). The game ends if this is the fifth campaign.

The Sudden Death of the Great King card can occur a maximum of two times during the game. The first time, Darius dies suddenly of illness. Place a Persian army cube on the Darius image on the board to indicate that this event has occurred. The second time, Xerxes is assassinated. Place a Persian army cube on the Xerxes image of the board. The Sudden Death event cannot occur again. If the Persian player draws the Sudden Death card again, the event does not occur and the Persians may use the card for movement (6.3).

The Persian army to be placed on the Darius or Xerxes image is to be taken from among those in reserve. If all armies have been raised, the Persian player chooses which army to remove from the map.

5.4 Draw pile

When the draw pile is empty, shuffle the cards from the discard pile to make a new draw pile. If the draw pile is used up and there are no cards in the discard pile, you cannot purchase new cards, even if you still have talents available.

6 Operations Phase

The Operations Phase is the main phase of play. During this phase, both players move their armies and fleets, attack the opponent's armies and fleets, and capture enemy cities. They also use the events on their cards to create tactically advantageous situations.

6.1 Operations Phase Procedure

First, the Persian player decides whether they will play a card from their hand or pass. If they play a card, they decide whether they will carry out the event described on the card or ignore it to make a movement with their forces (see 6.3 for more details).

Once this is done, it is the Greek player's turn to play a card from their hand to carry out an event or make a movement or pass. Until the Persian player plays the Carneia Festival event card, the Greek player may carry out Sparta-based events.

Playing a Lightning card to counter an operation (Miltiades, 300 Spartans, The Immortals, Artemisia, Themistocles, Pausanias) or an opponent's event (Molon Labe) does not cause the player to lose their turn.

If both players pass successively: The Operations Phase ends and the Supply Phase begins.

Passing: If a player has no cards in their hand they must pass. If both players have no cards left in their hands, the Operations Phase ends.

Playing after passing: If your opponent does not pass after you pass, it is your turn again. You can pass again or play a card.

6.2 Playing an Event

Follow the instructions on the card. The effects of the events are different for the Greeks and the Persians. Some events occur only once or twice during the game. If an event can no longer occur, you can use the card to move. Unlimited events may occur several times during the game. Place the played card face up on the discard pile.

Miltiades, Themistocles, Leonidas: Each of these cards can be used for the leader's event only once during the game (the leader then dies or is banished for various reasons). Once the Greek player plays the event, place an unused Greek Army cube on the corresponding leader's image. If all the Greek armies are on the map, the Greek player removes one of them and places it on the image.

Artemisia: The Artemisia card can be used for this event (flight of the Persian forces) only once during the game. When this card has been played by the Greek player, remove and place a Persian fleet disk on the Artemisia image.

6.3 Movement

You may skip the event described on the card and instead move a group of armies or fleets. Using a card for movement means that the event on the card has not occurred. Discard the card face up after playing it. You can perform one of two actions during movement.

1. Land Movement: Choose a city occupied by your armies and move one or more of the occupying armies along a road (6.4).
2. Naval Movement: Choose a port where your fleets are based and move one or more of the fleets from there to the port of your choice (6.5).

6.4 Land Movement

If you decide to move your armies, choose a city occupied by one or more of your armies. You can move the armies from that place (one or all of them) along a road.

Movement Distance: You may move armies anywhere along the road during a movement, but you must respect the following restrictions.

• Armies on the move travel together. You cannot leave an army on the way or pick up an army that was not in the city where the movement started. You do not have to leave an army in the starting city.
• When armies enter a city occupied by an enemy army, they must stop. In addition, they immediately engage in a land battle (7.1). If the city has only enemy fleets in port and if you control the city, your armies do not have to stop. Your armies may stop or pass cities occupied by your own armies or under your control. There is no limit to the number of armies that can occupy a city. Your armies must stop when they enter a city that does not contain any armies (from either side) and that you do not control.
• There is no permanent road between Abydos and Pella. Unless the pontoon bridge has been built, no armies may use this road.

Example of land movement: The three Persian armies from Ephesus begin a movement. They go first to Abydos. They can pass through without stopping because the city is under Persian control. The enemy fleet does not interfere with the movement of the army. They can cross to Pella via the pontoon bridge. They can continue without stopping in Pella because a Persian army occupies it. Likewise, they can continue without stopping at Larissa. They must stop at Delphi because an enemy army is there and will fight if they enter. They must also stop at Thebai if they decide to go that direction, even if there is no enemy army, because the city is not under Persian control.

6.5 Naval Movement

If you decide to move your fleets, choose a port where your fleets are based. You can move fleets from there (one or all of them) to the port of your choice. Unlike armies, fleets do not move along roads.

Movement Restrictions: All fleets on the move travel together. If several fleets move simultaneously, then all of them must move towards the same port. A naval battle takes place if the destination port is occupied by an enemy fleet (7.2). No battle takes place between fleets and armies even if enemy armies occupy the port city.

Transporting Armies: If your armies are in a port city, each fleet there can carry one army. However, a maximum of three armies can be transported regardless of the number of fleets you have (even if you move four or more fleets, a maximum of three armies from that city can be transported). If there are no enemy fleets in the destination port, immediately place the transported armies in the city. If the city is occupied by enemy armies a land battle must occur (7.1). If the destination port is occupied by enemy fleets, resolve the naval battle first, then land the armies carried by the surviving fleets in the city. If enemy armies occupy the city, you must then resolve the land battle. In any case, transported armies must stop their move where they landed.

Example of naval movement: The Persians decide to sail to Abydos with their fleet based in Pella. They embark and transport their army from Pella. Since there is no enemy fleet in the port of Abydos, the army disembarks immediately in the city.

The Greeks decide to sail to Eretria from Thebai. The Greek fleets carry two of the three armies from Thebai. A naval battle takes place because there is a Persian fleet at Eretria. If the Greeks win the battle, they will be able to disembark the armies they are carrying at Eretria. If the Persian fleet was not there, the Greek armies could land without a naval battle.

7 Combat

There are two types of battles: land battles between armies and naval battles between fleets. Armies and fleets never fight each other. If your armies enter a city occupied by enemy armies as a result of land or naval movement, a land battle takes place. If you move your fleets into a port with enemy fleets, a naval battle takes place. The moving player is the attacker and the player occupying the city or port where the battle takes place is the defender.

7.1 Land Battles

A land battle consists of several rounds until there is a winner. In each round, players roll the dice (step 1) and determine the winner of the round (step 2). When step 2 is completed, a new round begins by rolling the dice again.

Rolling the dice: Each player rolls as many dice as the number of their armies engaged in the land battle. Even if they have more than three armies involved, they can only roll a maximum of three dice.

Dice results: The winner of the round is the player who rolled the highest single die. If a player rolls two or three dice, they use only one result to determine victory. Also, a roll of 4 or more by the Persian player is worth only 4, because the Persians' combat capabilities are inferior to those of the Greeks, who favored heavily-armed foot soldiers (hoplites).

Exception: At Ephesus or Abydos, for the Persians (whether attacking or defending, on land or sea; see 7.2 for naval battles) any Persian die roll of 5 or more is a 5. In other words, the Persians fought better in Asia than elsewhere.

Winner of the round: The player with the highest score wins the round. The loser eliminates and removes one army; it can be raised again during the next campaign. If the results are equal, each player removes one of their armies.

End of a land battle: A land battle ends when all the armies of one or both sides are eliminated. It also ends after a retreat (7.1).

Retreat: After determining the winner of a round, the attacker and then the defender may decide to retreat. If the attacker retreats, their armies return to the adjacent city from which they came. If the armies were transported by fleets (6.5), they return to the port city where they embarked.

If the defender retreats, their armies travel by road to an adjacent city they control. The defender may not retreat to a city that neither side controls. Alternatively, if the port is harboring the defender's fleets, the retreating armies may board the fleets to travel to a port city controlled by the defender. However, it must be possible for all retreating armies to be carried by the defender's fleets and all the fleets must leave together, including those carrying no armies. If there are fewer fleets than armies, a naval retreat is not possible.

If the defender cannot retreat, then continue the battle until all the armies of one or both sides are eliminated.

Destruction of the pontoon bridge: Following a land battle, if the Greeks gain control of Abydos, they may immediately destroy the pontoon bridge. If the Persians regain control of Abydos, they may rebuild the bridge.

Combat example: This example follows on from the example of naval movement above. The naval battle is resolved first. Since there are three Greek fleets, the Greek player rolls three dice. The results are 2, 3 and 4. The Persian player rolls only one die with a result of 5, but the maximum result allowed is 4. The highest result for both players is 4, so each side loses 1 fleet (the Greek fleet not carrying an army is removed).

Since there is no longer an enemy fleet, the two Greek armies land in Eretria and confront the Persian army there. The players roll the dice. The Greeks roll 2 and 3, and the Persians roll 4, which means a Persian victory for this round. One Greek army is removed.

The Greeks decide to retreat. They return to their port of embarkation and the transported army disembarks in Thebai.

7.2 Naval battles

Like land battles, a naval battle takes place in several rounds until there is a winner. In each round, players roll the dice (step 1) and determine the winner of the round (step 2). When the round (step 2) is over, a new round begins by rolling the dice again.

Rolling the dice: Each player rolls as many dice as the number of their fleets engaged in the naval battle. Even if they have more than three fleets involved, they can only roll a maximum of three dice.

Dice results: The winner of the round is the player who rolled the highest single die. If a player rolls two or three dice, they use only one result to determine victory. Also, a roll of 4 or more by the Persian player is worth only 4, because the Greeks used powerful triremes while the Persians used mainly the Phoenician navy, whose combat capabilities were inferior.

Exception: Since the Persians fought better in Asia, any Persian die roll of 5 or more counts as a 5 (see 7.1).

Winner of the round: The player with the higher score wins the round. The loser eliminates and withdraws a fleet; they can raise it again for the next campaign. If the results are equal, each player eliminates one of their fleets. If the eliminated fleet was carrying an army, that army is also eliminated. When there is a combination of fleets transporting armies and fleets not transporting armies, remove a fleet not transporting an army.

End of a naval battle: A naval battle ends when all the fleets of one or both sides are eliminated. It also ends after a retreat (7.2).

Retreat: After determining the winner of a round, the attacker and then the defender may decide to retreat. If the attacker retreats, their fleets return to the port where they initiated their movement. If the attacker's fleets are carrying armies, the armies disembark in the city of the port. If the defender retreats, their fleets retreat to any port city under their control. Unlike retreating from a land battle, the defender's fleets cannot retreat carrying armies.

If the defender cannot retreat, then continue the battle until all the fleets of one or both sides are eliminated.

8 Supply Phase

When the Operations Phase ends, the Supply Phase begins. The Persians supply first, then it is the Greeks' turn to supply. The same procedure applies to both sides.

8.1 Cards in hand

The Persian player discards all cards remaining in their hand (these are placed with the other cards on the discard pile). However, the Persian player may decide to keep one card for the next campaign. In this case, the budget for the next Persian campaign will be 10 talents instead of 12.

The Greek player may keep up to 4 cards. If they have 5 or more cards in their hand, they keep a maximum of 4 cards and discard the rest.

8.2 Attrition of forces

Military attrition is assessed in two stages: supply capabilities, and then the lines of communication.

Persian army: The Persian player may have as many armies as they want in Ephesus and Abydos; their supply is assured by the Persian Royal Road that crosses the empire. The Persian player counts the number of amphorae in the cities under Persian control, except for Major cities in Persia (i.e. Ephesus and Abydos). If the number of Persian armies on the map (not including those in Persian Major cities) exceeds this number, any excess armies are removed. The Persian player chooses which armies to remove.

Greek army: The Greek player counts the number of amphorae in the cities they control. If the number of Greek-controlled armies on the map exceeds this number, any excess armies are removed. The Greek player chooses which armies to remove.

Lines of communication: Next, check to see if your armies have a line of communication with one of your Major cities. If you can draw a line from your armies' city to one of your Major cities without going through enemy controlled cities, your city has a line of communication. The line can pass through cities that neither side controls. If the city does not have a line of communication, remove all armies present unless you meet the following condition (8.2).

Maritime connection: If a city containing your armies does not have a line of communication with one of your Major cities, those armies are not removed if its port is home to one of your fleets (thus supply is provided by sea). You do not need to have fleets in the ports of Major cities. A fleet only needs to be present in the port of a city that has its communication line cut off. However, the presence of enemy fleets in the ports of your Major cities prevents you from using this maritime supply.

Example of supply: The Persians control, in addition to their Major cities, three cities and the total number of amphorae is three. They have four armies in these cities, so one of them must be removed. The fleet that was in Eretria has been eliminated, so the line of communication is cut. The Persians therefore decide to remove their army from Eretria.

The Greeks have three armies and the total number of amphorae in Thebai and Athenai is three, so no armies are removed.

The Persians verify their line of communication. Since Larissa is not controlled by either side, the line of communication can pass through it. Delphi - Larissa - Pella - pontoon bridge - Abydos forms the line of communication. If the pontoon bridge was not present, the line would be broken and the two armies of Delphi would be removed. If a fleet was present at Pella, the army there would still be in supply.

9 Scoring Phase

After completing the Supply Phase, proceed to the Scoring Phase. Each controlled city scores 1 point for its side, or 2 if it is a Major city. Calculate the points difference and add it to the total score by advancing the marker in favor of the side that scored the most points.

Automatic victory: A side that has lost both of its Major cities to control by the enemy in the Scoring Phase loses the game regardless of the current total score.

10 Victory conditions

The game ends if a player achieves an automatic victory, or when 5 campaigns have been completed and the player with the score advantage wins the game. A score of 0 indicates a tie.

Explanation of the cards

Here are the explanations of the people and events described on the cards of the game.

#01: Mines of Laurion. After the Battle of Marathon (490 BCE), the Laurion silver mines began to be exploited (run by slave labor) and Themistocles used the revenue to build the Athenian war fleet. This enabled the victory of Salamis in 480 BCE.

#01: Cavalry of Mardonius. Although the Persian army had a powerful cavalry force, it could not operate effectively due to the constraints of the terrain. Mardonius inflicted severe losses on the Athenian and Spartan allies at the beginning of the Battle of Plataea (479 BCE), but the pursuit was abruptly halted and he was defeated there by the Spartan general Pausanias.

#02: Ionian Revolt. This was the beginning of the Greco-Persian Wars. The Ionian Revolt was supported by Athens and Eretria, and Darius I (the Great) decided to mount a punitive campaign against Greece.

#02, 03, 13: Tribute of Earth and Water. The Persians demanded unconditional surrender from a city-state, symbolized by a ceremonial offering of earth and water. Many city-states, as well as the kingdom of Macedonia, accepted the request of the great king.

#03: The Wrath of Poseidon. Poseidon is the god of the sea and the oceans. This card represents the damage caused to the fleet by a storm. During the First Invasion of Greece (492 BCE), Persia conquered Thrace in northeast Greece, but its fleet was ravaged by a storm and the campaign had to be abandoned.

#04: Miltiades. Miltiades was the tyrant of Thracian Chersonese and in 513 BCE he accompanied Darius I in his campaign against the Scythians. He supported the Revolt of Ionia before fleeing to Athens, where he became a statesman opposed to Persia.

Faced with the overwhelmingly large Persian army which landed at Marathon, opinions were divided within the Athenian army between fighting immediately or waiting for reinforcements from Sparta. Miltiades's proposal recommending the first option was adopted and the Greek army won a crushing victory.

Miltiades's reputation grew, but the campaign launched against Paros the following year was a disaster. He was accused of treason and although he avoided the death penalty, he died of wounds received during the campaign.

#04: Carneia Festival. This was one of the most important religious festivals in Sparta, during which all military action was forbidden. This is the reason why Sparta could not mobilize the entire army for the battle of Thermopylae (480 BCE).

#05: Themistocles. The Athenians became very confident following their victory at Marathon, but Themistocles predicted that Persia would launch a new invasion. Opposing such a large army on land was difficult, so he created a large fleet of triremes by using all the revenues from the Laurion mines. This was against the advice of Miltiades, the victorious general of Marathon.

In the end, the naval battle of Salamis demonstrated the soundness of Themistocles' reasoning. With 600 triremes, including 200 from Athens, he destroyed the 700 Persian ships by taking advantage of the straits.

However, Themistocles' reputation became too great and he was ostracized by the Athenians a few years later.

#05: The Immortals. Herodotus described this elite corps of heavily-armed fighters, and explained why they were called the Immortals: "This corps was known as the Immortals, because it was invariably kept up to strength; if a man was killed or fell sick, the vacancy he left was at once filled, so that the total strength of the corps was never less – and never more – than 10,000."

#06: Pausanias. Pausanias, nephew of Leonidas I, defeated the Persian army at the Battle of Plataea. Suspected of plotting with Persia, he was acquitted and left Sparta. He then allegedly freed prisoners of war who were friends and relatives of Xerxes I, and offered to help Persia to subdue Sparta and the rest of Greece. On his return to Sparta, his disloyalty was revealed and he is reported to have died of starvation or immurement at the temple of Athena Chalcieca.

#06: Ostracism. The derivation of the word ostracism is the Greek ostrakon, a pottery shard which was used as a writing support and voting token. The procedure was a vote by which certain Greek cities, including Athens, would ban citizens who had incurred public disfavor for ten years. This was a way of silencing dissension in order to better cope with periods of crisis such as the Greco-Persian Wars. The opponents of Themistocles were ostracized. This institution was later misused for political purposes.

#07: Oracle of Delphi. Delphoí in ancient Greek. The Pythia (the high priestess) served as the oracle in the temple of Apollo, established in the 8th century BCE at the southern foot of Mount Parnassus, in Delphi, central Greece.

In 480 BCE, the Athenians consulted the oracle, who told them "to abandon the city... and that a wooden wall would bring them salvation." Themistocles interpreted this "wooden wall" as a fleet of triremes and advocated the construction of a great fleet.

The oracle delivered to the Spartans indicated that "either the city will fall or the king will perish", so Leonidas sacrificed himself and his men at the Battle of Thermopylae.

#07: The Great King. Xerxes I raised the morale of his troops by being physically present on the battlefield.

#08: Leonidas (Spartan/Greek event). The Pass of Thermopylae was so narrow that a large number of Persian soldiers (100,000 or 200,000) were blocked by 7,000 Greek soldiers, including the 300 Spartans. However, the Persians found a way around the defenders and Leonidas, following the oracle of Delphi, confronted the Persians with his small contingent to protect the retreat of the rest of the Greek army, more than 3,000 men.

#08: The Royal Road. The Persian Royal Road was built by Darius I from his capital Susa to Sardis (located just east of the map). The Persian army can easily recapture Ephesus or Abydos in order to move overland with a large army.

#09: Artemisia. Although Artemisia I of Caria, queen of Halicarnassus, was against the Persian attack of the Greek fleets at the naval battle of Salamis, she did participate, but fled when the battle turned out badly for the Persians. She actually commanded very few ships, so her impact on the battle was minimal. However, out of respect for Eva Green's film performance, Artemisia has a great impact in the game.

#09: Hippias. Hippias was a tyrant from Athens exiled in 510 BCE who found refuge in Persia. During the First Invasion of Greece (in fact the second campaign, the first having been abandoned when half of the fleet was wrecked), he advised the Persians to land at Marathon, "the most convenient place in Attica for the cavalry's movements". History shows that the result was not as expected.

#10: Evangelion. Means "good news" (euaggélion) in Ancient Greek. After the battle of Marathon, a hoplite ran to Athens to announce the news of victory and died on arrival: "Nenikekamen!" ("We are victorious!"). This was the origin of the marathon and in the first modern Olympic Games (1896), a foot race was organized between Marathon and Athens.

#10: Separate Peace. In order to break the alliance between Athens and Sparta, Persia wanted to propose a separate peace to Sparta. Pausanias would have served as a secret intermediary, but the attempt failed.

#11: Melas Zomos. Melas Zomos is a black soup or broth consumed by the Spartans, made by mixing boiled pig's feet with blood, salt and vinegar. Fortunately the exact recipe is unknown.

#11: Sudden Death of the Great King. During the Greco-Persian wars, two Persian kings died.

After the failure of two campaigns, Darius I decided to attack Greece with an even larger army, but he died suddenly of disease in 486 BCE in the middle of the preparations.

The failure of Xerxes I's expedition, his construction of the pontoon bridge over the Hellespont and the Gate of All Nations in Persepolis, and the financial pressure of major construction works led to the decline of Persia. For this reason, Xerxes I was assassinated in 465 BCE by his close adviser, Artabanus.

#12: Molon Labe. At the Battle of Thermopylae, when Xerxes asked him to lay down his arms, Leonidas replied "Molon labé!" ("Come and take them!"). This was not a response to the demand for the Tribute of Land and Water, but this card enables the Persian demand to be declined.

#12: Defection of Thebes. Thễbai in Ancient Greek. A city-state which allied itself with the Persians during the Greco-Persian Wars but whose soldiers fought alongside the Greeks in the Battle of Thermopylae before finally surrendering to the Persians.

#13: Triremes. Ships with three rows of oars. The Greek navy employed these ships, as did the Phoenician navy of the Persians. A ramming maneuver using a bronze ram on the front of the galley below the waterline, which could penetrate the hull of enemy ships in order to sink them, was very effective.

#14: Support from Syracuse / Alliance with Carthage. This card represents diplomacy that takes place off the map. Syracuse was a Greek colony and the offer of its fleet to the Greeks was expected. However, Carthage (a Phoenician colony), with the encouragement of Persia, blocked aid from Syracuse to the Greeks (Carthage attacked Syracuse in 480 BCE).

#15: 300 Spartans. This event reproduces the situation that forced the Persians to use the Pass of Thermopylae. The situation would probably have been similar in the event of an attack on Corinth.

#15: Acropolis on Fire. When Themistocles evacuated the Athenians, some people clung to the words of the Delphic oracle about a "wooden wall" and took refuge in the Acropolis. Of course, it was easily destroyed by the great Persian army.

#16: Desertion of Greek soldiers. Part of the Persian army was composed of Greeks forcibly conscripted from the occupied territories of Asia Minor and their fighting spirit was not strong. The victory of the Greeks at the Battle of Plataea was followed by a series of Greek conscript desertions.

#16: Pacification of Babylon or Egypt. Frequent rebellions occurred in the territory of the Persian Empire. An Egyptian rebellion occurred in 486 BCE during the preparations for a new campaign against Greece by Darius I. The Babylonian revolt in August 479 BCE forced the Persians under Xerxes I to fight on two fronts.

The Greco-Persian Wars

At the beginning of the 6th century BCE, the Persians shook off the rule of their Median overlords. Cyrus II the Great, after taking over the realm of the Medes, rapidly extended his new empire in every direction. In 546 BCE, the conquest of Lydia by Cyrus brought the Persians into contact with the Greek colonies of Ionia in Asia Minor: Miletus, Ephesus, Halicarnassus, Phocaea... The Persian yoke was not heavy to bear, as the King of Kings was content with the nominal recognition of his authority. Fifty years later, Darius I wanted to expand his empire and built a bridge of ships on the Hellespont. He obtained the support of the King of Macedonia and part of Thrace. In 499 BCE, Miletus and the Ionian cities revolted against Persian authority. They called for help from the cities of Greece. However, only Athens and Eretria sent a few ships as reinforcements. Darius was quick to react. Ephesus was conquered in 497 BCE, and Miletus was destroyed in 494 BCE. Darius then decided to obtain the submission of the cities of Greece. His general Mardonius invaded Thrace in 492 BCE. To punish Athens for its support of the Ionians, the Persians landed at Marathon in 490 BCE where they were crushed by the Athenian hoplites.

Darius died while preparing another campaign against Greece.

His son Xerxes took up the torch and attacked jointly by land and sea in 480 BCE. Many Greek cities chose neutrality while Athens, Sparta and Corinth were at war. The defense of the Pass of Thermopylae by the Spartan king Leonidas slowed down Xerxes, but his sacrifice did not save Athens. The city was occupied and its population and fleet took refuge on the island of Salamis. The Athenian triremes then were joined by those of its allies. A daring maneuver by the Athenian strategist Themistocles offered the Greeks a naval victory, as unexpected as it was complete, over the Persian fleet. Since it was already late autumn, Xerxes decided to return to Persia but left a powerful army in Thessaly under the command of Mardonius. Mardonius was defeated at Plataea in the spring of 479 BCE by the coalition troops led by Sparta. At the same time, the Greek fleet destroyed a Persian fleet at Cape Mycale, not far from Miletus. In the aftermath, the Ionian cities were liberated, the last Persian garrisons in Greece surrendered, and the Hellespont bridge was destroyed. The Persians now abandoned all their military ambitions for Greece.

Want to know more: Philip Souza, The Greek and Persian Wars 499-386 BC, Osprey Publishing, 2003

Cooking & Music: www.thespruceeats.com/ancient-greek-food-recipes-4169393 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aqfJwT23Qnc

Credits

Author: Yasushi Nakaguro Testers: Yasushi Shikauchi, Satoshi Haneda, Nao Kawamura, Hiroyuki Yamada, Florent Coupeau, Guillaume Sandance Historical consultant: Jean-Philippe Gury English translation: Carolyn Gates-Gury Proofreaders: Angus Clarke, Scott Moore Cover illustration: Antonio Stappaerts Graphics: Nicolas Roblin Layout: Julia Brétéché © 2018 Bonsai Games & © 2020 Nuts! Publishing