Spartan: Tactical Warfare in the Hellenistic Age, 500-100BC

About this board game

Spartan: Tactical Warfare in the Hellenistic Age, 500-100BC is a two-player tactical wargame from 1975, with an approximate playing time of 120 minutes. It covers warfare from the rise of Greece through the beginning of Roman ascendance.

Part of SPI’s PRESTAGS series, Spartan uses a shared set of common rules alongside exclusive rules that highlight important features of warfare in its historical period. The game includes 400 counters and scenarios spanning Greek, Macedonian, Persian, Roman, Carthaginian, and other opposing forces.

The scenarios are divided into two broad chapters: Greek Ascendance and Roman Ascendance. Together, they include 17 battles, ranging from the Persian Wars and conflicts among Greek powers to Rome’s clashes with Pyrrhus, Carthage, Macedonia, and Antiochus.

• Greek Ascendance: Marathon, Plataea, Corinth, Mantinea, Cheronea, Granicus, Issus, Arbela, and Ipsus.
• Roman Ascendance: Heraclea, Asculum, Beneventum, Cannae, Zama, Cynoscephelae, Magnesia, and Pydna.

These engagements include famous matchups such as Greeks versus Persians, Macedonians versus Persians, Romans versus Carthaginians, and Romans versus Macedonians. The scenarios also cover the rise and fall of Persia and Carthage, giving Spartan a broad historical scope within its tactical format.

Exclusive rules add period-specific elements, including instructions for using elephants and special leaders. With its collection of historical scenarios and compact tactical focus, Spartan offers a rules framework for exploring some of the defining battles of the ancient Mediterranean world.