Assyrian Wars

About this board game

Assyrian Wars is a 2–5 player point-to-point strategy game about maintaining—or overthrowing—the Assyrian Empire, with games lasting around 240 minutes. Set in ancient Mesopotamia from 722 to 605 BC, it covers the reigns of the last four great Assyrian kings and the empire’s eventual decline and fall.

One player leads Assyria against the other powers, while Babylonia, Mede, Elam, and Egypt seek to resist Assyrian rule. Temporary alliances can change during play, and competing trade interests may even create minor conflicts. The game can also be played solitaire.

Each turn represents the ruler period of an Assyrian king, with the final turn depicting the empire’s collapse. Turns are divided into impulses, and players follow the order of states on the impulse track as each card creates an impulse. Fixed home cards combine with randomly dealt cards, ensuring that every game develops differently.

Siege warfare is a central feature. The Assyrians are renowned for mastering rams, siege towers, and the undermining of city walls, while shield bearers protect bowmen from enemy fire. Across the map, 66 cities await capture, creating a broad campaign of conquest, defense, and resistance.

• Asymmetric conflict: Assyria faces all opposing players.
• Detailed siege warfare centered on fortified cities.
• Changing alliances and trade-related minor conflicts.
• Advanced military options including heavy and light infantry, bowmen, heavy and light cavalry, horsebowmen, and chariots.

In Assyrian Wars, every decision shapes the struggle for regional dominance. Can the Assyrian king preserve the empire, or will the rival powers free the ancient world from Assyrian tyranny?