Caesar in Alexandria

About this board game

Caesar in Alexandria is a two-player ancient warfare game from 2001, with an approximate playing time of 300 minutes. As Volume 9 of the Great Battles of History series, it recreates Julius Caesar’s dangerous confrontation with the Egyptians in 47 BC.

This challenging simulation combines simultaneous land and naval operations. Caesar’s Roman forces control the center of Alexandria, including the Palace and Inner Harbor, while the Egyptians hold the Outer Harbor, the surrounding city, and the land approaches. The Roman position includes the VI, XXVII, and XXXVII legions, archers, auxiliaries, and field artillery; Egypt counters with heavy, medium, and light infantry and a numerically superior galley fleet.

The Romans must defend their position while trying to seize the Heptastadium, the bridge linking Alexandria to the island of Pharos and its lighthouse. Every turn brings difficult choices: reinforce the inner defenses, continue the assault on Pharos, transport troops to the island, or send battle galleys around Pharos into the Outer Harbor against the Egyptian fleet.

• Conduct land and naval operations in the same battle.
• Use the SGBoH command and activation system to create tension and uncertainty.
• Fight through an urban battlefield where street-fighting shapes the land rules.
• Play with rules from both Great Battles of History and War Galley: Naval Warfare in the Ancient World.
• Use the included small scenarios for quicker games.

On land, Caesar in Alexandria is closer to Simple GBoH, reflecting the close-quarters nature of the conflict. With only one major option to pursue each turn while the opponent weighs several difficult alternatives, the game delivers a tense contest between defense, assault, transport, and fleet maneuver.