300: Earth & Water Rules

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 fol-

lowing information is indicated:

• Name: the name of the city.

• Major City: Major cities are blue for the Per-

sians, 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 Cit-

ies 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 Per-

sians.

• 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 con-

necting roads. Note that the road between Aby-

dos 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.

City

Region name

(no effect in

the game)

Major city of the Greek army

Major city of the Persian army

Athenai has a port.

Korinthos does not have a port.

Name

Amphora

Road

Pick a card at random from the Greek

player's hand and discard it.

Cancel the combat bonus from the

“Cavalry of Mardonius” event.

Play this card immediately in

response to the Persian event.

Pausanias

Ostracism

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. Please

refer to the illustration on the next page.

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 Produc-

tion 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 Athe-

nai 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 Produc-

tion 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.

After playing the

Leonidas card, the Greek

player places an army on

the Leonidas image (he

dies at Thermopylae).

(Greek Event) Darker title

with and Leonidas =

event connected with Sparta

Persian Event

Card number

Lightning (Reaction card 6.1)

Card effect

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 dur-

ing 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 cam-

paign 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 immedi-

ately, 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 cam-

paign. For more details, see 8.0.

4.5 Scoring Phase Overview

Both players count the number of cities they con-

trol or occupy with an army. Remember that the

presence of a fleet in a port does not result in con-

trol 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 con-

trolling 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 guar-

antee 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 (Aby-

dos and Ephesus), advance the cumulative score

marker one space in favor of the Greeks. How-

ever, if the Persians occupy Athenai (in addition

to Abydos and Ephesus), the Greeks would con-

trol two cities and the Persians would control four

(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 pur-

chase cards and raise armies and fleets by spend-

ing 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 pon-

toon bridge.

Item

Talents

Max. number per

preparation phase

Card

Army

no limit

Fleet

Pontoon bridge

* 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).

5.2 Greek Preparation

Once the Persian player has finished their prepara-

tion phase, it is the Greek player’s turn to prepare.

Budget: The Greeks have 6 talents for each cam-

paign. 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 pur-

chase cards and raise armies and fleets by spend-

ing 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 can-

not build a pontoon bridge.

Item

Talents

Max. number per

preparation phase

Card

Army

no limit

Fleet

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.

Pontoon bridge

Construction of the pontoon bridge

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 Sup-

ply 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 Per-

sian 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 Opera-

tions 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 ban-

ished 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 dur-

ing 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 occupy-

ing 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 any-

where 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 immedi-

ately 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.

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 simultane-

ously, then all of them must move towards the

same port. A naval battle takes place if the des-

tination 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, imme-

diately 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.

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 Per-

sians’ combat capabilities are inferior to those of

the Greeks, who favored heavily-armed foot sol-

diers (hoplites).

Exception: At Ephesus or Abydos, for the Per-

sians (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 high-

est 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.

Example of land movement

1. The three Persian

armies from Ephesus

begin a movement.

2. They go first to Abydos. They

can pass through without stop-

ping because the city is under

Persian control. The enemy fleet

does not interfere with the move-

ment of the army.

6. 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.

3. They can cross to Pella

via the pontoon bridge.

4. They can continue without

stopping in Pella because a

Persian army occupies it.

5. Likewise, they can continue

without stopping at Larissa.

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 con-

trols. 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, includ-

ing 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 Aby-

dos, they may immediately destroy the pontoon

bridge. If the Persians regain control of Abydos,

they may rebuild the bridge.

7.2 Naval battles

Like land battles, a naval battle takes place in several

rounds until there is a winner. In each round, play-

ers 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 bat-

tle. 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 capa-

bilities 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).

Example of naval movement

3. If the Persian fleet was not there, the Greek

armies could land without a naval battle.

2. 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.

1. The Greeks decide to sail

to Eretria from Thebai. The

Greek fleets carry two of the

three armies from Thebai.

The Persians decide to sail to Aby-

dos 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.

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 elim-

inated fleet was carrying an army, that army is

also eliminated. When there is a combination of

fleets transporting armies and fleets not trans-

porting armies, remove a fleet not tranporting 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 cam-

paign. 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 Per-

sian control, except for Major cities in Persia (i.e.

Ephesus and Abydos). If the number of Persian

Combat example

(In Ephesos)

3. The Greeks decide to retreat. They return to their port of embarka-

tion and the transported army disembarks in Thebai.

2. 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.

1. 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).

armies on the map (not including those in Per-

sian 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 num-

ber 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 fol-

lowing 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.

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. Calcu-

late 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 com-

pleted and the player with the score advantage

wins the game. A score of 0 indicates a tie.

Example of supply

3. 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 Del-

phi would be removed. If a fleet was

present at Pella, the army there would

still be in supply.

2. The Greeks have three

armies and the total number

of amphorae in Thebai and

Athenai is three, so no

armies are removed.

1. The Persians control, in addition to their Major

cities, three cities and the total number of ampho-

rae 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 com-

munication is cut. The Persians therefore decide to

remove their army from Eretria.

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 reve-

nue 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 Ath-

ens 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 fight-

ing 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 fes-

tivals 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 pre-

dicted 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 demon-

strated 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 heavi-

ly-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 dis-

loyalty 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 pro-

cedure 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 Gre-

co-Persian Wars. The opponents of Themisto-

cles 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 ora-

cle, 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 per-

ish”, 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 Per-

sians found a way around the defenders and Leo-

nidas, 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 Hali-

carnassus, 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 construc-

tion 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-Per-

sian 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 Syr-

acuse 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 con-

script 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 tak-

ing 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 con-

quered 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 after-

math, 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.

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

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