Hannibal & Hamilcar

About this board game

Hannibal & Hamilcar: Rome vs Carthage is a 20th anniversary edition of an asymmetrical card-driven game for two players, with an approximately 200-minute play time. Set during the epic struggles between ancient Rome and Carthage, it presents a conflict between two superpowers of Antiquity.

Players use Strategy Cards for several purposes: moving generals, levying troops, reinforcing armies, gaining political control of provinces, and introducing historical events. When opposing armies meet, Battle Cards determine the winner, linking battlefield decisions to the wider contest for dominance.

Victory ultimately depends on controlling both fronts of the war: military strength and political influence. The game’s Clausewitzian perspective frames military operations as a means used when political dominance cannot be achieved by other means.

• Asymmetrical card-driven conflict for two players
• Strategy Cards for movement, recruitment, reinforcement, politics, and events
• Battle Cards used when armies clash
• New scenarios and variants in the 20th Anniversary Edition
• Updated rules and streamlined mechanics

The edition also enriches the original game with the Sun of Macedon and Price of Failure expansions. The original rules and components were updated while preserving the same game results as before.

Hamilcar is a standalone companion game using shared components and similar mechanics on a different map. Set during the First Punic War, it introduces naval systems and naval battles as Rome and Carthage compete for control of the Mediterranean Sea. Rome seeks to break through Carthage’s defensive island chain of Sicily, Corsica, and Sardinia, continuing the struggle between a land-based empire and the world’s naval power.

First released in 2018, Hannibal & Hamilcar offers a focused two-player contest across military and political battlefields.