1 Introduction 300: Earth & Water. The theme of this game is • Food: the number of amphorae represents the the Greco-Persian Wars, which lasted for 50 years number of armies you can feed if you control the from the Ionian Revolt in 499 BCE to the Peace city (see 8.0 Supply Phase). The two Major Cit- of Callias around 449 BCE. One player leads ies with red amphorae are the supply cities of the the Greek army, assembled around Athens and Greeks, those with blue amphorae are the supply Sparta, and the other leads the Persian army. cities of the Persians. In these rules, Major cities During these 50 years, Persia launched three and supply cities are the same: Athenai & Sparta campaigns against Greece, but in the game up to for the Greeks, Ephesos & Abydos for the Per- 5 campaigns may be initiated. sians. • Port: a city with a circle of waves has a port. 2 Material Road: The lines connecting the cities are roads. The game is played with the following components. Armies move from one city to another along con- necting roads. Note that the road between Aby- 2.1 Map dos and Pella is cut by the Hellespont. The Persian The map shows Greece and a portion of Asia army can build a pontoon bridge there (5.1). The Minor at the time of the Greco-Persian Wars. next city connected to a city by a road is said to City: each box on the map is a city, and the fol- be “adjacent”. For example, Athenai is adjacent to lowing information is indicated: Thebai and Korinthos. • Name: the name of the city. Campaign Track: Use a black cube to track the • Major City: Major cities are blue for the Per- number of campaigns the Persians have launched. sians, and red for the Greeks, and control of The game ends after the fifth campaign. Major cities scores more points. Major city of the Greek army Major city of the Persian army Name City Amphora Road Athenai has a port. Region name Korinthos does not have a port. (no effect in the game) 2 300: Earth and Water Total Score Track: At the end of each campaign, PAUSANIAS (Greek Event) Darker title record the difference in scores between the two with and Leonidas = event connected with Sparta Cancel the combat bonus from the sides by moving a black cube. At the end of the “Cavalry of Mardonius” event. Play this card immediately in Card effect game, the player who has the higher total score, response to the Persian event. even by 1 point, wins the game. If the score is 0, Lightning (Reaction card 6.1) OSTRACISM the game ends in a tie. Persian Event Historical Figures: These are images of people Pick a card at random from the Greek who can die or be banished during the game. If player's hand and discard it. this happens, place an army cube or fleet disk on 6 Card number the image to indicate the victim. 2.4 Dice Use the 6-sided dice to resolve combats. After playing the Leonidas card, the Greek player places an army on 3 Setup the Leonidas image (he Players choose sides and take the corresponding dies at Thermopylae). wooden playing pieces. Place the markers on the map by following the instructions below. Please refer to the illustration on the next page. 2.2 Wooden Playing Pieces 3.1 Starting Persian Positions The red wooden playing pieces represent the Place 4 armies: 2 at Ephesus and 2 at Abydos. Greek forces, and the blue wooden playing pieces Place 1 fleet in the port of Ephesus. Keep the represent the Persian forces. other wooden playing pieces close to hand. You Armies: one cube represents one may place them on the map during the Produc- army. There are 9 Greek armies and tion Phases (5.0) once play begins. 24 Persian armies. Major city of the Greek army 3.2 Starting Greek Positions Major city of the Persian army Navy: one disk represents one fleet. Place 3 armies: 1 at Athenai, 1 at Sparta and 1 at There are 5 Greek fleets and 6 Persian Korinthos. Place 2 fleets: 1 at the port of Athe- fleets. nai and the other at the port of Sparta. Keep the Markers: the two black cubes are other wooden playing pieces close to hand. You markers for the tracks. One is placed may place them on the map during the Produc- on the Campaign Track and the other tion Phases (5.0) once play begins. on the Total Score Track. 3.3 Marker Setup Pontoon Bridge: the small wooden Place one black marker on the first space on the rod represents a pontoon bridge. Campaign Track and the other black marker on It is used when the Persian player the 0 space of the Total Score Track. The Persian builds the pontoon bridge across the player takes the pontoon bridge stick. Hellespont (5.1). 3.4 Dealing the cards 2.3 Cards Shuffle the 16 cards and place them face down The deck consists of 16 cards. Each card is divided next to the map. into two parts: the upper part displays the Greek event, the lower part displays the Persian event. This completes the setup of the game. Please refer to rule 4.0 to start the game. 3 300: Earth and Water Initial Setup 16 Cards Off map Persian armies and fleets x 20 x 5 x 1 Campaign track GREEK SIDE GREEK Persian armies (4 total) PERSIAN SIDE PERSIAN Greek armies Greek fleets Talents at start Talents (3 total) (2 total) Persian fleet (1 total) max. number of purchases number of purchases max. Preparation costs and Preparation (cards, armies, fleets) armies, (cards, Score track Off map Greek armies and fleets x 6 x 3 4 300: Earth and Water CONTROL OF CITIES If both players pass in succession (the Persian The following rules describe the control of cities: player passes and then the Greek player passes, or vice versa), the Operations Phase ends immedi- • If you occupy a city with at least one army, you ately, regardless of the number of cards remaining control that city. • in their hands. If a player passes, they may play A city with no occupying army is not controlled. another card on their next turn (if their opponent However, in the absence of an enemy army, each side did not pass). The player may also pass again. For controls its Major cities without having to station more details, see 6.0. an army in them. For example, if Athenai contains no armies, Athenai is controlled by the Greeks. 4.4 Supply Phase Overview You do not control a city by simply having a fleet When the Operations Phase is complete, the in its port. Persians and Greeks then take turns supplying their armies. Any army that is out of supplies is 4 Game Play removed from the map. Fleets do not need to be supplied. If the Greek player has any cards left The Persians can launch up to 5 campaigns dur- in their hand, they may keep up to 4 cards and ing a game. The game ends if a player achieves an discard the rest (if they have less than 4, they may automatic victory, or when 5 campaigns have been keep any cards they want). The Persian player completed and the player with the score advantage may keep only one card, but in this case they will wins the game. A score of 0 indicates a tie. receive 10 talents instead of 12 for their next cam- 4.1 Launching a Campaign paign. For more details, see 8.0. When launching a campaign, the following steps 4.5 Scoring Phase Overview (phases) are carried out in order: Both players count the number of cities they con- 1. Preparation Phase trol or occupy with an army. Remember that the 2. Operation Phase presence of a fleet in a port does not result in con- 3. Supply Phase trol of the port city. A player’s control of a Major 4. Scoring Phase city is scored as if it were two cities. Compare the Once the Scoring Phase is complete, the cam- number of cities controlled and move the marker paign ends and the next one begins. Advance the on the Total Score Track the number of spaces marker on the Campaign Track to indicate the equal to the difference, in favor of the player con- start of a new campaign. The game ends when the trolling the most cities. The maximum value of the fifth campaign is completed. track is 6 and the marker may not go further than that. Even a difference of 6 points does not guar- 4.2 Preparation Phase Overview antee victory. Control of the two opposing Major Both players arm themselves for the campaign. cities in this phase results in victory (see 9.0). The Persians and Greeks pay in talents (the game’s Scoring example currency unit) to acquire cards, raise armies and If the Greeks control three cities (Athenai, Sparta fleets and, for the Persian player, build a pontoon and Korinthos) and the Persians control two (Aby- bridge. See 5.0 for details. Depending on the dos and Ephesus), advance the cumulative score cards the Persian player acquires in this phase, the marker one space in favor of the Greeks. How- campaign may end immediately. ever, if the Persians occupy Athenai (in addition 4.3 Operation Phase Overview to Abydos and Ephesus), the Greeks would con- The Persian player and the Greek player each trol two cities and the Persians would control four play a card.