A Wargamers Needful Things: Sound of Drums

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1793 Patriots & Traitors

The French Revolution, Year II

Sound of Drums

To get us into the correct mood, here is a compilation of songs from Marat/Sade by Judy Collins:

The above is a paean of praise to Jean Paul Marat. He was a central figure in the early years of the French Revolution. At times, he was forced to hide in the Paris sewers from the Old Regime pre-revolution. In doing so he contracted a nasty skin disease that not only covered him in sores, but he also released a very malodorous odor in the area around him. Apparently, modern science has stopped the debate of what it was by analyzing some of his blood. Thank you, Charlotte Corday; more on her in a minute. It appears to have been a fungal infection with a secondary bacterial infection. They believe it might have been Seborrheic Dermatitis. Whatever it was, even his friends in the National Assembly kept a wide berth from him.

The French Revolution was the first of its kind in the Western World. Wait, you say, what about the American Revolution. Sorry, they were completely different animals. The American Revolution was more about taxation and representation than about real freedom, thanks to the Magna Carta and Charles I for losing his head. Englishmen, and the American Colonials, had much more freedom than in other countries at the time. The French Revolution happened because of basic human rights that the average Frenchman did not have. They effectively were all chattels to the Crown and nobles. Just as Sam Colt made every man in the United States equal, the Guillotine made every Frenchman equal. Oddly, it was designed by a man who did not like the death penalty and was looking for something much more humane. So, back to dear Charlotte Corday. She removed Marat from his suffering with a large knife to the chest. She was absolutely fearless at her trial in the National Assembly. She had struck down Marat because she felt he was guilty of the death of the most prominent Girondins, moderates that you can play in the game. When she was brought to the Guillotine by Charles-Henri Sanson, first the royal executioner and then the high executioner during the Revolution, he tried to shield her from its sight. She asked him to please move out of the way because she was naturally curious about the machine. When Sanson was asked who was the bravest soul to meet the Guillotine, his answer was always Charlotte Corday. I happen to like Mr. Sanson very much. He ripped off the bandages on Robespierre's face before relieving him and that young Angel of Death Saint-Just of their heads (my apologies if the designer is somehow related).

I know that I have jumped around a bit and only scratched the smallest surface of the French Revolution. My love for the subject and some of the personalities is unbounded. My disgust toward Robespierre and his cronies also knows no bounds. So, as you can see, I do know a lot about the historical period and have some strong biases towards the events and people. Which leads, finally, I know, to this game in question. I am pretty giddy about having in my hot little hands a game where I can try to right all of the wrongs, in my eyes, that happened during the Terror. This phrase the Terror was for the longest time associated only with the French Revolution. It has only been in the latter half of the 20th century that the phrase has been associated with many more horrible historical happenings and periods.

So, what comes inside the box:

1 Paris board (62x 62cm)

1 France board (30 x 30cm)

5 faction sheets

10 location tiles

150 wooden influence cubes

95 Tarot sized playing cards

47 customized wooden pieces

1 multiplayer rules manual

Solo / 2 player rules manual

4 player Aid Sheets

5 Cotton bags

This is what Sound of Drums has to say about the game:

Hist. period: French Revolution

Game length: 30 – 120 minutes+

Players: 1 – 5 players

Age: 14+ years

Complexity: 5 / 10

Solitaire: yes

"For more than three years now, the banner of Revolution has been fluttering over France. Sure, the old structure has fallen but still the people clamor for change. There is a shortage of bread and on the borders the Austrians and Prussians are ready to invade. The press has become mighty popular, publicly denouncing traitors and calling the populace to arms. There are some that believe that the Revolution has gone far enough, but for others it has yet to begin. The land bubbles with intrigue and unrest. These are dangerous times. Now that the monarchy under Louis XVI has fallen who will dare to take the reins as the nation crumbles?

1793: Patriots & Traitors recreates the chaos that tore up France in the years 1792-1794 as it has never been done before!

Each of the players belong to a political faction, each with their own objective. Although engaged in a brutal political tug-of-war, they WILL have to work together to prevent the armies of Austria, Prussia and Sardinia-Piedmont from reaching Paris, thereby crushing the Revolution and ending the game prematurely…for everyone!

1793: Patriots & Traitors is a very compact CDG game that makes use of multi-functional playing cards to allow the players a broad range of decisions…and rest assure that every decision made has its consequences. With them, the players will be able to influence a number of areas in Paris (National Convention, Palais-Egalité, the Paris streets…) or the provinces. Each controlled area offers certain benefits…or will help them to perform a Coup d’Etat or Civil War if things turn for the worse…

Also included are the various revolutionary protagonists such as Robespierre, Danton, Marat, Brissot who can help their faction to achieve their objective IF they are not arrested or assassinated in the meantime!

Core mechanic is the possibility of making of laws for the new Republic which will change the game rules or even alter the board…of course: it’s a Revolution!

Be prepared for a warm and asymmetrical game of high replayability that will allow you and your fellow patriots to relive the French Revolution: from the heated discussions in the National Convention to the angry streets of Paris and from the cheering crowds around the bloody guillotine to the gun smoke filled battlefield of Fleurus!

1793: Patriots & Traitors is a true aristocratic banquet for 1 to 5 lovers of history by the hand of Jason St. Just.

Marc von Martial, one of the best graphic artists in the business, is in charge of the artwork. Gamers can expect beautiful era style maps and beautiful customized wooden meeples! They will not be disappointed by his skills and love for the detail."

Three of the five different player boards of the factions

So, we have a CDG (Card Driven Game) that has definitely been manufactured in the Eurogame fashion. I mean it actually has meeples. How much more Eurogame can you get.

The Map/Board is really a rather bland street map of Paris at the time and is mounted. The top of the board has two circles marked Oui!/Non!. These are for voting in the 'Convention Nationale'. Across the bottom of the board is the turn record track. This is a stylized calendar with the new months of the Revolution. These are a series of circles with period pieces of art inside them. The track 'Tracé du Temps' starts with the Month 'Frimaire' (November/December) to ' Thermidor' (July/August). There is a total of 21 months in the calendar. Next up is the ten Location Tiles that fit into the Paris board. Two of these are marked as the Convention Nationale and the Place de la Révolution (the place where the Revolution split both hairs and necks). These tiles are placed on the board due to gameplay and setup. They all have a very nice period artwork of each respective area. Once these are added to the board it really spruces up the board. There is a smaller mounted board with a map of France and some cities near it from the time. This is used for the various attempts of the other European states and their royals to end the Revolution and put a fat Bourbon back on the throne in France.

Then we have the five mounted Faction sheets. These give all of the pertinent information the player needs to know about each faction. The factions are:

Jacobins (Radicals)

Royalists (Ultra-Conservatives)

Cordeliers (Ultra-Radicals)

Girondins (Moderates)

Feuilants (Conservatives)

The game comes with two Rulebooks. The first is for one to two players and is 12 pages long. It is in full color and the rules are typed in double columns. It also comes with a good number of play examples. The second Rulebook is for Multiplayer games. This one is 32 pages long. In all respects it looks like its smaller sibling.

There is a Leader card Players Aid that strangely shows all of the Leader cards and their effects etc. For those of a historical bent these are some of them:

Marquis de La Fayette (Yes, that one)

Jacques Brissot

Camille Desmoulins

Mme Roland

Joseph Fouché (Yes, that one)

Georges Danton (Yay!)

Louis de Saint-Just (Boo!)

There is a three-page fold out that lists all of the Action Cards and their uses. There is a two-page fold out that lists all of the Law Cards that you can vote for or against. The Paris Board Player Aid shows all of the Paris Location Tiles and their benefits. There are five bags of colored wooden cubes (red, gray, yellow, blue, purple) that are used to show influence in the different boards. The 47 other wooden pieces represent everything else needed to play and even include a balloon. Then there are five cotton bags to keep all of the pieces from the separate factions.

The 95 'Tarot' sized cards are a sheer pleasure to behold. These include the Laws, Actions, and Leaders cards that are used to play the game. The cards are nice and large. They also come with either a period piece of artwork or the portrait of the Leader they represent.

This is most definitely a Eurogame and you can see and feel it in the wonderful production standards of all of the game pieces and boards.

This is quite a hand of historical cards. You have Robespierre(ugh!), Marat (sans his odor), and even Napoleon.

One thing about the game that you should know before playing is that it does have a 'sudden death' feature that makes every player lose without any recourse. This is true if you are playing solitaire, two-player, or multiplayer. If any of the reactionary armies surrounding and attacking France take Paris, the gig is up. I assume the reason being is because of the actual historical situation that France found itself in this time period. France was split by many parties with many different agendas. It was also surrounded by almost the entire continent of Europe who declared war on France to stifle the Revolution before any of its horrible ideas (at least in the other Royals eyes), were exported into the other countries of Europe. Kings and Queens are like that, they are none too fond of revolutionary ideas and the like that could possibly make them lose not only their fortunes but also their heads. The historical situation was extremely volatile for both the citizens of France and Europe as a whole. Only the complete ineptitude of the anti-revolutionary armies, and some extremely good luck, allowed the Revolution to continue. So, the chance of the Revolution being squashed by reactionary forces was in reality pretty high. This was probably put in by the designer to try and make the game as accurate as possible. Considering the lengths he took to be historically accurate in the rest of the game leads me to this conclusion.

Aww a cute little Guillotine

It does help with a game like this to have a grounding in the actual history of the period. To attempt to make this game friendlier to a wider audience would mean that it would have to, in essence, be dumbed down. If you do not know who Ms. Corday is, or what 'The Mountain' in the Convention Nationale was, would put you behind the eight ball while trying to play this game. There are CDG games that are very simple and only scratch the surface of what they are representing. Please be aware that this game is not one of them.

So, the entire essence of the game is to put your faction into power. However, as mentioned, you also have to defend France's borders. Becoming the first faction means nothing if the Prussians or Austrians are marching down Paris's streets. Above all in the game do not lose your head both literally and figuratively. The game gives you myriads of ways and decisions that you can make to win. It can also be a harsh mistress and back you into a corner.

After the 21st turn victory is determined by the player who has the most influence in the Convention Nationale, Caserne/Champ de Mars, and in the Provinces.

Victory is automatic in one of three ways. These are:

Paris is overrun by one of the Coalition Armies.

The Royal Family is saved which results in an immediate win for the Feuillant player.

One of the players has initiated a Civil War or Coup d'Etat and also emerged victorious.

Handy little tote bags to carry your swag from the Revolution home

Besides being as historically accurate as possible this game is also fun. What better way to spend a Saturday afternoon or evening than destroying your enemies and seeing their heads presented to the crowd? You get to pass laws, or defeat them, to hem your enemies in before the final blow. You can dress like a Roman and pray to the Goddess Virtue. Okay, you cannot really do that. Unless of course the other players have no problem with it. I am once again enthralled by a game that gets history correct and makes it enjoyable while doing it.

Thank you so very much, Sound of Drums, for allowing me to review this seemingly simulation built into a CDG. The game to me is a wonderful labor of love from Mr. St. Just. Even if it does stick in my craw that I have to congratulate someone with that name. If at all possible, in your playthroughs make it so Danton, even though strictly a Jacobin, and the Girondins live through that prig Robespierre's and Saint-Just's Terror.

Robert Peterson

1793 Patriots and Traitors

Sound of Drums

This is a link to my review of Sound of Drums game Eylau 1807: Battles of Napoleon Volume I:

Eylau 1807 Battles of Napoleon Volume I by Sound of Drums - A Wargamers Needful Things

Eylau 1807

Battles of Napoleon Volume I

Sound of Drums

A Uwe Walentin Design

I will confess up front that I am a Napoleonic fanboy, and not only in my choice of wargames. If I had my way, some of the decor in my house would be of the Napoleonic variety, much to the chagrin of my better half. To top it off, the Battle of Eylau has for some reason always been my favorite Napoleonic battle to read about and to wargame. So, I might look a little more harshly on a wargame based on the battle compared to others.

The Battle of Eylau need not have happened. After the destruction of 90% of the Prussian Army in the 1806 campaign, Napoleon was trying to come to grips with the Russian Army who were allies of the Prussians. Time had moved inexorably forward, and it was now almost full winter. Both Armies had pretty much gone into winter quarters. The Battle of Eylau was mostly caused by Marshal Ney disregarding his orders (He might have been the 'Bravest of the Brave' but he was certainly not the brightest of the bright) and causing the Russian Army to stir. Both armies finally met at Eylau in typical norther European weather. The battle was technically named Battle of Preussisch-Eylau, this being the town's actual name. However, the slaughter in the snow would make a more accurate description. The Russian Army was as tenacious as always, as Frederick the Great, Napoleon, and others came to find out. Sometime during the battle, a raging snowstorm took place to make the soldiers and generals jobs that much harder. Marshal Murat at the head of 10,000 French horsemen is usually credited with stopping the battle from becoming Napoleon's first defeat. It ended as the first check and not the outright victory that Napoleon had encountered. The battle was summed up by this conversation between Napoleon and Marshal Soult: Napoleon told Marshal Soult, "The Russians have done us great harm," to which Soult replied, "And we them, our bullets were not made of cotton." This famous interaction between a commander and his troops also took place at Eylau: "At the battle of Eylau, seeing his horse grenadiers lowering their heads as bullets whistled around, Lepic uttered the famous words: "Heads up, gentlemen, these are bullets, not turds!" (Haut la tête, messieurs, la mitraille ce n'est pas de la merde !)."

This is what comes with the game:

two 88 x 56 cm map sheets

1120 counters (15 mm)

220 alternative counters (15 mm)

40 grey and 42 black cubes

20 blue and 20 green cube

2 army charts

2 OOB charts

2 play aid charts

2 tally sticks

2 counter trays

4 custom dice

1 rulebook

This is what Sound of Drums has to say about the game:

"Battles of Napoleon is an epic game series that simulates the most famous battles of Napoleon on a tactical scale sharing an elegant and cohesive ruleset.

The series portrays the most important aspects of battles of the Napoleonic era with easy to learn and remember rules, intuitive mechanics and procedures. This enables players to focus less time consulting the rulebook and more time on strategy, tactical decisions and gameplay.

The system focuses on the “cat-and-mouse game” of coordination and timing of the various formations of the different arms without unnecessarily complex or excessively thematic gameplay that too often compromises game-flow.

The scale of the series is appr. 150 meters per hex. Infantry units are battalions; artillery are batteries, and cavalry are represented as regiments.

EYLAU 1807 contains 1120 large (15mm) counters, 280 alternative counters, 2 huge map sheets (each 86 x 55 cm) with large hexes, 4 charts and tables, 125 wooden cubes, 2 counter trays, 1 rules manual and 4 customized dice.

Thanks to the successful funding on Gamefound and the unlocked stretch goals the components of the game are upgraded: the dice are customized and the charts and tables are deluxe (printed on 2mm grey carton) and the game includes 280 alternative counters.

The Game includes 5 scenarios: The fight for night quarters (small scenario), Murat’s massive cavalry charge, Davout’s attack, Lestocq saves the day and the Grand Battle scenario

Marc von Martial, one of the best graphic artists in the business, is in charge of the artwork. Gamers can expect beautiful, era-style maps and counters, and they will not be disappointed by his skill and love for detail."

One thing about the game that was brought up before it was released was the map. This wasn't a discussion about how excellent it looks but the fact that it has a white overlay to it. Apparently, some people wanted to see the little brown buildings in the town etc. Well, here is a news flash. The battle was fought in the middle of a hard winter during a snowstorm. I thought from the very beginning that the map color added to the game and actually added to the historical immersion of it.

Before I dive into the various components that come with the game there is something very important I have to say. That is, this game has some of the finest materials that I have seen in a game. It truly looks like the labor of love that it is. I was impressed by their earlier Hellas game, review link below, and its pieces but I am blown away by what you find inside this box. Now to be clear, I am talking about what comes in the 'regular', seems a pity to use that word, game box. I was lucky enough to get some of the special items from Mr. Walentin like the mounted map and the special dice. These only added to the magnificence of the ensemble.

Unfortunately, my descriptions and the pictures do not do the game components justice. However, I will list off what comes in the box to the best of my ability.

So, let us start off with the map. As mentioned, it comes in two pieces. The size is a little over 22" X 34". I remember that we were supposed to change over to the metric system in the early 1970s, but I digress. It is simply a real wonder of an understated style. It is designed to show a landscape draped in winter and in this it succeeds admirably.

Next up are the counters. Many games have huge amounts of counters. Usually, these counters are on the small size and rather hard to read, but not with all games. These come in around 5/8". This size is quite sufficient for most people to be able to see the pertinent information. They also have a small picture of the different Marshals and Generals, and they use what we have come to call the NATO symbols. The game places a lot of emphasis on command and control of the different units, as it should in a Napoleonic battle. So, being able to read the different Corps and division numbers is very necessary. The actual game units only take up two and 3/4 of the countersheets. The other 7 1/4 are the counters used in gameplay. The counters also come prerounded. I know this puts a damper on those of you who revel in piles of cut off pieces of counters. There are two types of alternative counters. The first is a set of alternative Marshal and General counters which have a flag instead of a small portrait. The other are 'Pollard" markers to show unit loss of strength. The game has regular loss counters of one number on each. The "Pollard" ones have four numbers on each side of the counter, and you put the correct number toward the front of the counter. Each counter also has a line or a column side. The game also comes with small wooden cubes to keep track of the different parts of the game. These are all uniform and do not have flash or bits of wood hanging off the ends.

The Rulebook and the Scenarios, Notes, & History Booklet come in magazine type style. They are both in full color. The Rulebook does come with examples of the rules and play. The Rulebook comes in at 33 pages and the other at 19. The size of the lettering could be a little larger. However, the size of the Rulebook would then become a bit unwieldly. It comes with two large colorful foldout Orders of Battle, one for each side. The two identical Player Aids are made of the same material as a mounted map. All of the charts and tables needed to play are on them. You also get two foldouts to keep track of orders etc. These are also made of the same material as a mounted map. It also comes with two Tally Sticks, (more on them later), along with four custom dice. The entire game, except the map, is a bloom of color like a Napoleonic battle should be.

Strangely, for a game this size, the designer attempted to make it as easy as possible to play and remember the rules, without the constant checking and cross referencing that is needed in some game systems. The game is listed as a 5/10 on the complexity scale and the game length is listed as 180 minutes. This time is naturally based on knowing the rules and system and not for complete tyros. For a large game like this that is pretty amazing. The amount of counter clutter on the map has been cut down to as small as it can be. Mr. Walentin was trying to design a game series that would involve the player and be historical and yet still be extremely playable. I believe he has succeeded admirably in his assignment to himself. You get all the flavor of a Napoleonic battle without all the fluff and added rules that other systems use.

The gameplay is the very meat and potatoes of our chosen hobby. There are many beautiful games that gather dust on numerous shelves because of coming up short in this aspect. This game, and series, will not be one of them. The weather is also a large part of the rules and indeed that of the battle. Augereau's Corps staggered toward the Russian lines in a snow whiteout and was almost destroyed by the Russian cannon. This led to one of the most magnificent feats of the entire Napoleonic Wars. Murat led forward 10,000 French horseman who cut their way through the Russian Army and then repeated the process on the way back. The tableau has been used by numerous painters of the Napoleonic Wars.

The game is won or lost by the amount of each army's fatigue points. As usual, you lose fatigue points for eliminated units, commanders, and the loss of objectives. However, you also lose fatigue points for each order that you issue. The way that fatigue is kept track of is also different. Instead of just having an army fatigue number that if you hit or go under, your side loses. The black and gray cubes are used to keep track of it. Essentially you have a stock of cubes at the beginning of the battle and scenario. You can win or lose them according to the rules above. When one side loses all of its cubes it has lost the battle. You can play with the historical weather, or you can roll a die to see what it is that turn. Now onto the Tally Sticks. Instead of having to find a bone or possibly a slide rule these are just included to help the player keep track of the army fatigue points etc. that are used in the game. These are a small but elegant addition to the game.

I am going to break another one of my review rules now. That would make two in this month. While I will not mention the actual price, I can tell you that it is way below what a lot of other companies would charge for a game this size and is designed so well. There are so many outlets for buying games that I feel that it is not to the grognards' advantage to mention just one price. I do understand that it is best to send the money straight to the companies. However, some companies do sell their games to outlets that sell them for as low as the KickStarter prices. The grognard community as a whole is an older group. A lot of us are on fixed incomes and the 'younger' ones are dealing with college tuition for their children and many other things. In this day and age every penny counts.

Please take a look at the other games that Sound of Drums has released and also take a look at the ones forthcoming. In their Battles of Napoleon Series, the next game is the Battle of Quatre? bras. That one, like Eylau, is a battle that could have gone either way.

Robert Peterson

Eylau 1807 Battles of Napoleon Volume I

Sound of Drums

My review of Hellas: History of the Ancient Seas I:

Hellas: History of the Ancient Seas I by Sound of Drums - A Wargamers Needful Things

Hellas: History of the Ancient Seas I

Sound of Drums

Once again, we are headed to the era of classical Greece. Only this time we will add the smashing of timber to the sound of hoplites crashing into one another. Sparta and Athens are locked in a deadly duel for the hegemony of Greece. Both sides have allies and mighty warriors and great generals on their side. You can hear the shouts of Brasidas and Alcibiades in the distance, along with a hundred or more generals. Pericles had put Athens into a position where she could fight an all-out war for about a decade (contrary to popular belief, rowers were usually not slaves and were highly trained war machines), and war is not cheap. Athens depends on its famous 'Wooden Walls' to keep the foe at bay. Sparta is nearly unbeatable on land. The contest at times resembles a fight between a dolphin and a bear. They each bellow at each other waiting to try and come to grips with the enemy.

This is what comes with the game:

1 large 84 x 60cm mounted map board

241 wooden playing pieces

38 playing cards

74 Talent coins

2 recessed double layer Player Sheets

for tracking Troops & income

2 Play Tracks for development & Resource tracking

2 Play Aids with Resource Icons, Cost Table, and Stability Status

"Archimedes" solo mode Rules & Cards

1 Rulebook

The second edition includes a printed German & French Rulebook

Historical Period: Ancients

Game Length: 180 minutes

Players: 1-2 Players

Age: 14+ years

Complexity: 5/10

Solitaire: yes

This is another one of them newfangled 'Eurogames' that we here have heard about. Heck, this here game even comes with Meeples! Meeples no less. All kidding aside, this is another game that shows us that a wargame does not have to fit into a tiny little hex covered hole. Yes, you can have your cake and eat it too. Hellas is a delightful wargame that is trussed up in its Sunday finest to give you both great gameplay and sartorial splendor.

The map and box are large ones. It also comes mounted; truth be told an unmounted map is getting harder to find these days. The map is a beautiful reproduction of a map from ancient times.

The names of the cities and areas are all done so that Thucydides himself could find his way around it. The shape and distances have been a played with, so that all of the important areas of the Peloponnesian War fit on the map. The map consists of areas and cities. It runs from Sicily in the east to Ionia in the west. It is extremely colorful and very vibrant looking; this of course fits the Eurogame model.

I could go on and list every different Player Aid that comes with the game. It would probably just bore you though. They are all mounted and are just as much artwork as the map is. It is good to be a wargamer in 2024. The wooden meeples etc. are another fantastic

addition to this wonderful game. There are two Rulebooks. One is for the game rules, and the other is for the 'Archimedes' solitaire play. The Rulebooks are in full color and are in magazine form.

The cards are also well done. However, they are the only parts of the game that I would consider 'average'. They fit right in, but do not really have an artistic flourish about them.

The game plays as either a solitaire or two-player one. One player is the Spartan player and the other the Athenian. You can play the game as an empire builder or more of a strictly wargame. The game itself is pretty easy to learn and play. However, the nuances of play give you a myriad of choices. The player is given so many choices in their fight for hegemony of Ancient Greece. There is a 'normal' setup for the game and a Peloponnesian War scenario. The only thing about the Peloponnesian War scenario that gives me pause is the starting

talents, money, for both sides along with how much income both sides bring in. The scenario has Sparta having more in the bank and more coming in than Athens. I do not believe that is historical, at least until Persia opened its purse to Sparta. So, you have economic warfare along with land and sea. This game is dripping in historical immersion.

Play is relatively quick and very fun. While it might look like Axis & Allies 400 B.C.E. it is definitely not. You need to have your thinking cap on to come up with a coherent long-term strategy.

The game also has three expansions. These are:

I New Markets - This expansion makes it so the merchandise that is shown on the map for all of the different areas is to be now random.

II Pirates and Barbarians - These two new additions to the game are placed by the player but are controlled by the AI. They could help your side or turn against you in a heartbeat.

III New Armies - This comes with wooden blocks and stickers. This adds the Fog of War to the game.

This is what Sound of Drums has to say about Hellas:

"The game series “History of the Ancient Seas” is the ultimate journey through these exciting times. Build new fleets in your city to explore unknown lands, conquer islands and build a great empire.

In HELLAS, the first installment in the “History of the Ancient Seas” game series, you will lead one of two great City States – Athens or Sparta.

HELLAS is originally a two-player game, but the “Archimedes” solitaire bot allows you to play HELLAS in full solitaire mode!

Your goal is to become the leading empire in known world. To achieve this, you will need to build armies and fleets to increase your military might, expand trade routes, conquer islands and provinces, develop your military skills, economic efficiency and culture, while always keeping an eye on the wealth, happiness and stability of your people.

The game is played in highly interactive micro-impulses. The heart of the game is the “action cycle”. An action chosen by a player can’t be chosen by the other player in his upcoming segment. And each action can only be chosen a limited number of times each turn. There is always more you need to do than you can actually do.

You will move your wooden meeples (representing legions, ships, armies and fleets) across the beautifully illustrated map from the center of the Hellenistic world to the shores of Persia in the east and the sandy beaches of Sicily in the west to expand your trade network and increase your trading status.

War or peace: That is your decision! You can expand your empire by leading your people to war! But war is costly, and the outcome is uncertain. You can lead your empire to the golden age of civilization by keeping the peace and bringing stability and wealth to your people without following the path of war. Offer terms to aggressive enemies to distract or delay them, but always be prepared to defend your empire."

Thank you, Sound of Drums, for allowing me to take this game out for a spin. I have to use that worn out phrase 'easy to learn and hard to master' to help describe it. For anyone who is into gaming and Ancient History this is the cat's meow. However, if you are just looking for a great playing and easy to learn game this is also your cup of tea.

This is a little teaser about Sound of Drums 'Battles of Napoleon' series. I will have a review forthcoming on Eylau 1807. This is what Sound of Drums has to say:

"The bloody winter battle of EYLAU 1807 will be the first volume in this series. Special rules like the possibility to launch a massive cavalry charge and features like snowstorms, Russian Cossacks and the French Guard add distinctive flavor of the battle.

EYLAU 1807 will contain 1020 large (5/9”) counters, 2 huge maps (each 22”x33”), charts and tables.

Marc von Martial, one of the best graphic artists in the business, is in charge of the artwork. Gamers can expect beautiful era style maps and counters, and they will not be disappointed by his skills and love for the detail.

The first volume EYLAU 1807 is a great hit on Gamefound and is shipping early 2024. It will be followed closely by QUATRE BRAS 1815 and LIGNY 1815. The collection of data, like precise orders of battles, map research for WATERLOO 1815, BORODINO 1812 and AUSTERLITZ 1805 are in the works."

Volume I: EYLAU 1807 (released & shipping)

Volume II: QUATRE BRAS 1815

Volume III: LIGNY 1815

Volume IV: WATERLOO 1815

Volume V: BORODINO 1812

Volume VI: AUSTERLITZ 1805

Volume VII: DRESDEN 1813

Robert

Sound of Drums

Hellas: History of the Ancient Seas I

Battles of Napoleon

Sound of Drums

This is just a brief look at Sound of Drums and their upcoming games. The pictures are about their Eylau 1807 game that is coming soon.

"For thousands of years soldiers all over the world followed the sound of drums marching into battle or marching far away from their homes into unknown territory following a leadership. The Macedonian fighters followed Alexander the Great to India, the French Grognards marched into battle following the “pas de charge” up the hills at the Battle of Waterloo. Military drums have been used for martial music, communication, drill, honors music and military ceremonies."

"My name is Uwe Walentin, born in 1970 in southern Germany and playing games since I can remember. I love history, books and board games."

The Gorgeous Map

"At the age of 13 I discovered my first wargame (“Waterloo” by international team). From there my wonderful journey of learning about (military) history with the help of games started. A fascinating hobby.

From 1993 to 1997 I worked for different French game publishers before creating my own game company: PRO LUDO. We published and distributed a huge range of games (like “Ticket to Ride”) but I had never the courage to publish what I really love: Strategy games with a historical context and wargames. In 2006 I sold my company and in 2008 I quit the gaming industry to work as a professional football coach in different countries in Europe."

Map Inset

"During these years I did not lose my passion for board games and had many ideas working in my mind.

In 2021 I decided to found my company SOUND OF DRUMS to design and publish the games I always wanted to. Dedicated to traditional strategy and wargames with a lot of experience in quality (i.e. components) “Eurogames-style” publishing, I am convinced that we will find a new way how to design and publish wargames. We will break with a couple of traditions (no ZOCs, please!) and will implement new procedures and game components to our designs. The goals of our designs are highly interactive game play with a minimum of downtime and although being epic in scale keeping the games playable."

Setup at the Beginning of the Game

"We are shipping as we speak the game series “History of the Ancient Seas” and will publish this summer “Battles of Napoleon – Volume I: Eylau 1807”. The first part in a game series covering the major battles in the Napoleonic era on a tactical level. Eylau will be followed by Quatre Bras, Ligny, Waterloo, Borodino, Austerlitz."

Lestocq is Arriving

"This fall we will present a fantastic game about the French Revolution by Jason St. Just and late fall a game series by Carl Paradis.

We have many more titles in the pipeline like “Roma Victoria Semper” and “Neither King Nor God”. All epic in scale, highly playable, with gorgeous game components."