Hoplite 2nd Printing

by

GMT Games

 

 

  The Greeks developed their own unique way of warfare somewhere in the depths of time. Other nations and peoples had similar warriors as the Greek Hoplite, but none are as ingrained in our minds as the Hoplite. Most of the Mediterranean cultures ended up using the Phalanx. Was it thought up all at once by several different nations or was it disseminated throughout the area from one source? If you read enough books about the beginning use of the Phalanx you will find many authors in both camps. To be perfectly honest, there is still a raging fight over whether the spear was used under or over-handed. Due to the mists of time and the wanton and accidental destruction of libraries and artworks there is really precious little to answer all of our questions. There are only a handful of artistic representations of the Greek Phalanx. These really show us nothing of how it was actually used. The Greek authors never really mention the mechanics of it. I have read that this is because their audience would have seen their very own cities Phalanx practicing with their own eyes. Again, much of what we read and know about this warfare comes from each different author's idea of how it actually worked. What happened when Phalanxes crashed into each other is a mystery. Did the men in the back rows just push against the back of the man in front of them or was some other tactics used. Was the Phalanx as sophisticated as the Legion and were they able to exchange places or rows during the battle? We read about some of these battles taking hours to be decided. Did the enemy Phalanxes separate to catch their breath before beginning again, as I have recently read, or just struggle against each other and over the fallen until one side broke? Whatever is the truth of the above, we are definitely given two hard facts. That the designers Richard Berg and Mark Herman are two of the most esteemed and prolific wargame designers ever and that Roger MacGowan was the grand old man of wargame artistry. Let us see what manner of game they brought forth no matter what your views on the questions above.

 This is the 15th game in the Great Battles of History Series (GBoH). Once again with a GMT game, I am stuck on the horns of a dilemma. I really like all of the other games in the series. So, I am worried I might be too lenient in my review or too harsh. This is a list of all the games in the Great Battle Series:

Volume I (first edition): The Great Battles of Alexander

   Diadochoi: Great Battles of Alexander Module/1st edition

   Phalanx: Great Battles of Alexander Module/1st edition

Volume I (second edition "Deluxe"): The Great Battles of Alexander: Deluxe Edition

  Diadochoi: Great Battles of Alexander Module/2nd edition

  Phalanx: Great Battles of Alexander Module/2nd edition

  Tyrant: Battles of Carthage versus Syracuse

Volume I (third edition "Expanded Deluxe"): The Great Battles of Alexander: Macedonian Art of War includes Phalanx Module & Diadochoi Module battles

Volume II (first edition): SPQR

  War Elephant: Battles of the Diadochi 217-190 B.C. – SPQR Battle    Module

  Consul for Rome: SPQR Battle Module III

  Pyrrhic Victory: King Pyrrhus in Italy 280-279 B.C. – SPQR Battle    Module IV

  Africanus: SPQR Battle Module V

  Barbarian: Rome vs. The Gauls and Samnites, 315-200 BC –  SPQR Battle Module

  Jugurtha: Guerrilla Warfare in Numidia

Volume II (second edition "Deluxe"): SPQR (Deluxe Edition) includes Pyrrhic Victory, Consul for Rome, Africanus, War Elephant and Jugurtha Module battles

  Barbarian: Rome vs. The Gauls and Samnites, 315-200 BC – SPQR Battle Module

  Jugurtha: Guerrilla Warfare in Numidia

Volume III : Lion of the North: The Dawn of Modern Warfare, 1631-1632

Volume IV : CAESAR: The Great Battles of Julius Caesar – The Civil Wars 48-45 B.C.

The Great Battles of Julius Caesar: The Civil Wars 48-45 B.C. – Dictator

The Great Battles of Julius Caesar: The Civil Wars 48-45 B.C. – Veni Vidi Vici: The Battles of Nicopolis 48 B.C. Zela 47 B.C.

  Jugurtha: Guerrilla Warfare in Numidia

Volume V : Samurai: Warfare in the 16th Century Japan

Volume VI : Caesar: Conquest of Gaul

  Caratacus: The Roman Conquest of Britain

  Gergovia

  Battles of the Warrior Queen

Volume VII : War Galley: Naval Warfare in the Ancient World

Salamis

Volume VIII : Cataphract

  Attila: Scourge of Rome

Volume IX : Caesar in Alexandria

Volume X : The Devil's Horsemen: The Mongol War Machine

  Mamluk

Volume XI : The Siege of Alesia: Gaul, 52 B.C.

Volume XII : RAN

Volume XIII : Chandragupta: Great Battles of the Mauryan Empire – India, 319-261 BC

Volume XIV : Chariots of Fire: Warfare in the Bronze Age, 2300-1200 B.C.

Volume XV : Hoplite: Warfare in the Persian-Hellenistic Age 4th-5th Century BC

 As you can see, the games allows us to simulate more than 3000 years of warfare.

 Some of the games, mostly the ancients, have another interesting expansion or more correctly a different set of rules. These are available in:

Simple GBoH

Simple GBoH Battle Manual

 The battles that are included in the 2nd edition are:

Ephesus

Marathon

Plataea

Mycale

Tanagra

Delium

Cunaxa

Nemea

Coronea

Leuctra

Mantinea

 This is another blurb from GMT Games about the battle of Plataea:

"And you get to fight what was the biggest land battle in European history up until Napoleonic times, the immense Battle of Plataea (truly the deciding engagement of the Greco-Persian Wars):  two maps and about 250 combat counters covering The Greek Contingents from 26 City-States under Pausanias, Spartan Regent and General, vs. The Persians, Medes, Asians (Bactrians, Scythians, Indians and a whole lot of others) and seven Medized Greek city-states, under Mardonius, Persian Commander and son-in-law of The Great King, Darius I."

 It is also one of the most interesting battles to refight because the sheer size of the armies means that you are dealing with lots of different terrain. Almost all of the ancient battles were fought on level plain terrain.

 This is what GMT Games has to say about it:

"Hoplite, the 15th volume in the Great Battles of History series of games, allows players to recreate classic battles from the pre-Alexandrian Persian-Hellenistic Age, the heyday of the Hoplite (heavy infantry fighting in packed formation). This period is often considered to feature the birth of Western Warfare, as opposed to the Persian/Eastern style, which relied on archery , light cavalry, and mobility.

Exactly how hoplite warfare was fought – what really happened when “the bell rang” – is highly disputed by ancient military historians, even today. Hoplite allows you to test out your theories (well, our theories, using your dice) with eleven of the great battles of this era, from the Battle of Leuctra, featuring the huge 60-man deep phalanx of Beotarch Epaminondas … to the classic confrontations with the Persian missile-armed troops against the classic Greek hoplite phalanxes.

Hoplite uses detailed mechanics meant to convey all the possibilities of this style of warfare, from The Hellenic Law of Inertia, to Drift to the Right, to the special capabilities of the Persian Light Cavalry (Harassment and Dispersal) to three different levels of Hoplite advance to Combat (the Run Don’t Walk rules) and a whole lot more.  We even still have some good old chariots!

The package includes Simple GBoH versions for each of the battles along with special rules that highlight the hoplite style of warfare."

This is what comes with the game:

4 full-color countersheets

3 backprinted 22"x34" mapsheets

2 Player Aid Cards

Rules booklet

Scenario booklet

Simple GBoH Player Aid

Rout Point Tracking Aid

One 10-sided die

The Phalanx Counters

 Due to the nature of Hoplite warfare, the maps have to be a bit plain and without too much contour. This is nothing against them it was just the nature of Greek Hoplite battles. The Hoplite Phalanx was even less maneuverable than the Macedonian one, or so we are led to believe. So, the maps have to show us the exact nature of the different battlefields. Indeed, six of the maps have no terrain or contours at all, but this is definitely historical. The maps that do have differences in terrain and some vegetation are nicely done. The counters are the older standard 1/2" in size, with Phalanx counters being 1"x 1/2" in size. Then there is one large counter that is 1"x 1". This represents the double-sized Theban Phalanx, with the Sacred Band included in it, that was used in the two Thebes versus Sparta battles. Because of the sheer number of battles included the hex and counter size we as wargamers were accustomed to are used. They are a bit busy with both a picture of the leader or troop type along with all of the different values needed to play. I did need to hold them close to look at them before I memorized the different troop types etc. 

  The Rules Manual is 32 pages long. It is your standard fare GMT rulebook. It is in full color and uses double-column printing. It is also chock full of examples of play. Only the normal rules for the game are included in this Rules Manual. You would need to have your own copy of the Simple Great Battles of History 2nd Edition rulebook to use the Simple GBoH versions of each scenario. The Scenario Book is 46 pages long. It is identical to the Rules Manual as far as looks and setup goes. Each of the 11 scenarios/battles starts with a Historical Background write-up. Then we get into the meat and potatoes of the setups and special rules for each one. They also include a 1/2 page or better map with all of the units depicted in their starting position. This really helps with the setup of each scenario. The last four pages are the Simple GBoH rules changes for the game. The Scenario Book is very well done. It is written and shown in a style to get the player up and spearing the enemy in no time.

 There is a one-sided player aid that is 8 1/2" x 11" and is made of card stock. It has the Rout Points for both sides along with the turn track. There are six other player aids. These are 11" x 17"fold outs. So, each one has four separate player aid sheets. Each player aid has a twin so that both players can have their own. There are two that are used with the normal rules and one that has the Simple GBoH Charts and Tables.

 All of the components together make a grand ensemble to lead even the tyro to the battlefields of Ancient Greece.

More Counters

 This is a GMT Games synopsis of the Simple GBoH rules:

"Simple GBoH is designed for players who want a faster, less die-roll-heavy version of the GBoH system, while retaining as much of the historical flavor and insight of the original rules."

The Rules Manual

 The scenarios in the game really make this game one of the best, if not the best, game of the GBoH Series to learn the ropes with. While two of them are quite large, most of the other ones are very small battles as far as counter density. The lack of any different terrain in those same battles makes it even easier. GMT Games has the complexity listed as six on the scale, and a solitaire suitability of eight on that scale. Both scales top out at ten. So, it is an in-depth game but not a game where you would have to read a doctorate thesis to learn how to play, even if you do not use the Simple GBoH rules. Yes, there are a lot of die rolls. There are also a lot of markers. However, the markers do make it a lot easier to keep track of where you are and what you are doing. One of the rules I really like is 6.22 which discusses the Advance to Combat Table to find the rate of movement of your Hoplite troops (This does not affect Spartan Hoplites because of their training and moving to music). You can start your planned move with your Hoplites to find that they have either walked, trotted, or run towards the enemy, throwing your perfectly aligned line of troops into confusion.  

Rout and Turn Track

 My favorite battles to play are the two that match Sparta against Thebes several decades after the Peloponnesian War was won by Sparta. These two battles would be Leuctra and Mantinea, although Coronea is another good pick. I like playing the Spartans and try to beat Epaminondas and the Theban Sacred Band. Why? I have actually no idea at all. I just do. Both are also on the smaller side so you can play them out quicker than the larger scenarios. Time in the 21st century is not on our side. I do prefer to use the Simple GBoH rules also. Not that the full rules are bad, it is again just a time thing.

 The game will teach you that your light troops (Light Infantry, Peltasts, Skirmishers, Javelinists, Archers, and Slingers) are not to be disregarded. They can help by causing casualties, cohesion hits, and possibly wound or kill an opposing leader. The cavalry, both light and heavy, are pretty much seen as the red-headed stepchild during this period of warfare in Greece and its environs. In Asia both of them came into their own. In fact, the Persians were horse lords like the Medes before them. They too can be much more useful than you might expect. True, they do not have stirrups but even before they were invented the cavalry was a major arm in Near Eastern Armies. Leaders, and their survival, are essential to your armies. The Activation and Orders parts of the game are simpler than the other GBoH games. The designers wanted to make these as simple as possible in this game. The game is won by making your opponent's army withdraw. This is accomplished by accumulating rout points against your opponent. Each scenario has a Withdrawal Level listed for each side. Once that number is reached or surpassed that army loses. Different troop types and leaders have different rout points assigned to them.

Simple GBoH Charts and Tables

 This is the 2nd Edition of Hoplite. However, other than fixing some errata this is pretty much identical to the 1st Edition. If you have any interest in the time period at all or you just want to play a great wargame and learn somethings in the process this is your game. So, put on your greaves, cuirass, helmet, and Hoplon and then pick up your spear and join me.

 Thank you, GMT Games, for allowing me to review the 2nd edition of this really excellent game, from an excellent series. Take this from a man who was reading Plutarch when my first child was being born. The nurse suggested I put the book down and watch the birth. 

Robert Peterson

GMT Games

Hoplite 2nd Printing

Peloponnesian War  431-404 BC

by

GMT Games

 The Peloponnesian War, which is really the apotheosis of Ancient Greek History, needs no introduction. Where else could you find Socrates while fighting at the Battle of Potidaea saving Alcibiades' life. Let alone the life of Alcibiades himself, one of the most successful Generals for both Sparta and Athens! The War was the culmination of Athenian and Spartan ambitions after the Greeks successfully defeated the Persian Empire in the Greco-Persian war. The Athenian Empire, quaintly called The Delian League, was by 431 BC growing ever larger. Sparta and Athens had already clashed once before, but the status quo was upheld. Now, this war would be to the death, or more correctly to the humbling of the loser.

 This game is a remake of  Mark Herman's 1991 Peloponnesian War. This was the first solitaire game that had the player switching sides, depending upon how well the player was doing at that moment. The player sometimes had to switch several times throughout the game. It also had the usual two-player and an optional multi-player setup available to play. For those of us who have the 1991 version, what would be the reason(s) to buy this new version? First and foremost - aesthetics. This new version's components are the usual top notch ones found in GMT Games. The second is that the original was produced twenty-eight years ago, so any kinks in its armor have been worked out. Third is a bit of a surprise that I will be talking about in a bit. let us have a look at the components:

Rules booklet
Play book
Mounted Game Board: 22x34 inches
2 Counter Sheets
1 pad of VP Record Sheets
1 Athenian Strategy Matrix
1 Spartan Strategy Matrix
2 Player Aid Cards
2 Six-sided Dice 

 The first thing we will talk about is to me the greatest part and selling point of the game. GMT Games has lied. The Peloponneian War not only contains the War from 431-404 BC, but comes with two extra special treats. These are only found if one reads the info on the back of the box. The Player also gets a scenario about the 1st Peloponnesian War which runs from 460-443 BC. Just like some TV ads: 'but wait there is more'. There is a third scenario called the fall of Sparta which goes from 400-362 BC, and shows the growth of Thebes to become the military powerhouse of the Greek peninsula. This allows the player to use counters representing Epaminondas and Pelopidas on the Theban side, and Agesilaus on the Spartan. For those of us who keep a copy of Plutarch's life always within in reach, this is a dream come true.

 This is the sequence of Play:

Political Phase [3.0] (not conducted on the first turn)

◦ Side Determination Segment [3.1] 

◦ Event Segment [3.2] 

◦ Delian League Rebellion Segment [3.3] 

◦ Leader Selection Segment [3.4] 

Strategic Planning Phase [4.0] (not conducted on the first turn) 

◦ Strategy Determination Segment [4.1] 

◦ Confidence Reset Segment [4.2] 

Operations Phase [5.0] 

◦ Player Side Initial Operation Segment [5.1] 

◦ Non-Player Side Initial Operation Segment [5.2] 

◦ Continuing Operations Segment [5.3] 

◦ Going Home Segment [5.4]

 Combat Phase [6.0] 

◦ Siege Determination Segment [6.1] 

◦ Battle Resolution Segment [6.2] 

◦ Siege Resolution Segment [6.3] 

◦ Going Home Segment [6.4] 

Rebellion Phase [7.0] 

◦ Continued Rebellion Segment [7.1] 

◦ Rebellion Expansion Segment [7.2] 

◦ Helot Rebellion Segment [7.3]

 Administration Phase [8.0] 

◦ Revenue Collection Segment [8.1] 

◦ Unit Construction Segment [8.2] 

Armistice & Surrender Phase [9.0] 

◦ Bellicosity Adjustment Segment [9.1] 

◦ Surrender Determination Segment [9.2] 

◦ Armistice Determination Segment [9.3] 

◦ End of Turn Segment [9.4]

 Even though this is a long and involved game, the actual rulebook is only 21 pages long. This includes the rules for solitaire play. The playbook is separated into two parts. The first is twenty-four pages long and includes the setups for each of the scenarios and the rules for two-player games. The second is twenty-two pages long and includes a background and history of the Wars included in the scenarios. It also includes an excellent 'The Game as History' section. This compares the game setup and play in each of the two-year turns throughout the Peloponnesian war scenario from 431-402 BC. The historical write up is a great refresher or introduction to those of us who do not dream of fighting as a hoplite.

 The components, as have been mentioned, are first class. The addition of a mounted mapboard is always an excellent touch to a wargame. The map is a point-to-point move type. I always prefer hexes, but this leads to the designer having to do a lot of extra work on movement. The two Strategy Matrix cards are also hard mounted on cardboard. The counters are thick and come pre-rounded. This is no big deal to me either way. I would rather spend the outrageous cost of buying a clipper on another game anyway! The pictures and info on the counters are easy to read and understand. The game strangely does not come with an AAA price attached to it. For a mere $65 US you can pick this up at GMT Games. This might be a nice price point for those of us who already have the first 1991 edition. 

 The game play in many ways can represent, or bring to life, the history of the age. If this isn't a plus in any historical game then what is? However, the game allows the player to do whatever strategy he feels like. It does not shackle the player to only play a certain way. Some games do that to make it feel 'historical', but not Peloponnesian War. What if Sparta decided on its own early in the war to implement a strategy like Alcibiades talked them into using only much later in the war. What if Athens instead of playing turtle decided to actually force a confrontation with Spartan hoplites? This one is not recommended, but hey its just a game. You do not have to worry about dying or being exiled if you lose a battle, let alone the war.

 Oddly perhaps, at least for me, we have to talk about the cover art on the box. Some appear annoyed at its non-historical look. The ships look much too large. The ship in the foreground looks like it is getting ready to ram the one you are looking from, and its sail is also up. Naturally the sail would be stowed and only rowing power should be used in battle. To me it is also a bit odd because the marines on your ship do not seem poised for battle, nor are there any projectiles in the air. However, if it is meant as a friendly ship it seems to be sailing much too close for comfort. I guess we will have to ask the artist Eric Williams just what is happening. To my way of thinking it could have a picture of a rusty nail on the cover and I wouldn't bat an eye, as long as the game inside was to my liking. 

 Leaders are very important to the game, and are a bit of a two edged sword for the player. Leaders are chosen randomly, and there is the rub. For every great leader you can pull there is an equally mediocre one waiting for your fingertips. Talents (money) is what makes the Peloponnesian War go round. This is the first war in history that we have records of how much it cost to wage war and send expeditions. Pericles had amassed enough talents to see Athens through a five year war. Once that money was drained the exorbitant taxes that Athens imposed on the Delian League went a long way to losing the war for them. The higher taxes they imposed, the more cities that revolted from the League. Sparta being essentially an agrarian society based on slave labor did not have the same problems putting an army in the field. The cost of running a naval war was ruinous to both sides. In reality Persian gold is what won the war for Sparta. The Persian gold is represented in the Event Segment as a large plus to Sparta if rolled. There is a possibility of Sparta getting 1000 talents added to their treasury by Persia. The game rules also give you a reason to invade Sicily if you are playing the Athenian. If the Athenian player can conquer all of Sicily it is worth 1000 talents to them.

 Playing as Athens you must try to use your naval assets to attack the Spartans and their allies where they don't expect it. You will also have to deal with numerous revolts from your 'Empire'. Try to douse those flames as quick as possible. This is not easy and you might end up playing whack-a-mole throughout the Aegean. The Spartan player has the advantage and it shouldn't take him twenty years to understand that Athens can't feed itself. Park your army right in front of Athens and then try to pick off the Athenian Allies and close off the northern Aegean to them. 

 One of the other questions is what if you already own 'Pericles' from GMT. First, consider yourself lucky, then understand that they are two entirely different games. The Pericles game is at least half devoted to the politics of both sides. This game is more devoted to the actual wargaming aspect of the war. Though both are great solitaire games, Pericles can also be played by one to four players, making it a good game if you can get a group together for game night. Peloponnesian War is a one to two player game.

 So is it worth it? Does a bear, never mind. Yes, Virginia it is worth every penny, even if you already own its sire. The addition of the two additional scenarios, especially the 'Fall of Sparta', make it incredibly easy to recommend this game to anyone. Show me where you can game the rise of Thebes in any game, except as tactical battles from the era. The history of Greece is in your hot little hands, especially when playing solitaire. Does Athens and its 'ahem' empire continue to grow or do the hoplites of Sparta bring an end to the glory of Pericles? Again, not to belabor the fact, does the Theban Sacred Band crush any Spartan that comes up against it or fall in glory as it finally did at Charonea? Here are some links to the game etc.:

Peloponnesian War:

https://www.gmtgames.com/p-710-peloponnesian-war.aspx

Peloponnesian War Rulebook:

https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/gmtwebsiteassets/PeloponnesianWar/PW_Rulebook.pdf

GMT Games:

https://www.gmtgames.com/

Robert