GMT GamesPericles: The Peloponnesian Wars

I think there's a really cool game here, but the rules are just terrible. I found the rules extremely confusing, they should have done more and/or better blind playtests from the rule book. There are plenty of online resources to help someone learn the game, but I don't feel like using online resources should be a requirement to learn a game. I hope a second edition does a huge revision of the rule book for future players.

The learning curve is steep. Probably the best mil-pol game out there for members of a democracy. Politics determines actions on the campaign map.

Pericles: The Peloponnesian Wars, from GMT Games, is a game of politics and warfare set in the 27 year struggle between Athens and Sparta in the 5th century B.C. Each faction, the Athens and the Spartans, have two political sub-factions. The sub-factions within a city-state must work together to defeat the other city-state, but they are also competing against each other as well. The game starts with the Aristophanes phase, in which players draw an Aristophanes card which sets the tone for the round- an event card. Next, the sub-factions within each city-state debate political issues like war & peace, military operations, league status, holding the games, and more. A single tug-of-war track represents the players power in the debate, and chits move along the track to determine control. After an issue has been chosen to debate players each select a card from their hand and play simultaneously. The number in the corner offers how many spaces it can move along the track in your direction, and the difference decides where it will go. However, a bonus may be given for specific issues, and it may also allow a player to claim strategos from the common pool- the game's currency. After issues have been decided whoever has the most issues on their side is the leading faction of the city-state.Next, players move to the theater map, where they take turns placing their issues facedown in the various locations. The issues stack, so the first one down will be the last one resolved. Military operations can be resolved by moving units into the location, adding up opposing strengths, then committing a number of strategos. Then, the player for each city-state draws a card and the number in the corner is added to that side's overall strength. Casualties are then determined and lost. League actions let you do things like convert allied bases into city-city state bases and more, while diplomacy allows you to spread influence and treachery around the board. There are several more kinds of issues and actions to be taken, as well. Successful actions will result in the sub-faction responsible gaining honor points, the game's victory point system. At the end of the round players check for sudden-death victory conditions, then continue to the next round if no one has one. Additionally, scenario victory conditions may apply as well.Pericles: The Peloponnesian Wars is very reminiscent of designer Mark Herman's earlier game Churchill. Churchill had the same the debate/wargame mechanic. There, it was three powers debating (Roosevelt, Stalin, and Churchill), and then the wargame part played out as almost a cooperative game. The dynamics in Pericles are much better, where the sub-factions must work together to defeat other, actual human players. It leads to a whole new level of depth and interaction. In that sense, Pericles is the superior game. Indeed, the debating mechanic works better here as well, with the two player "tug of war" as opposed to the three player free-for-all.Pericles is a very well-designed game, and it can be a lot of fun. The problem here is the complexity. This is a very rules-heavy game. Each mechanic is not terribly hard to understand, it's just that there are so many of them. This is a game that you and your group really needs to commit to, because it is not an easy game to learn or to teach. If you like heavier games and your group doesn't mind the complexity, you will really enjoy this game. I felt that Churchill approached but never quite exceeded my tolerance for board game complexity, but, unfortunately, Pericles did. In many ways it is a striking, engaging, and innovative system- one that I hope to see emulating in the future- but it just can't quite make it over the handicap of its complexity. I strongly urge players to at least try this game, if for no other reason just to delight in the new and exciting system and dynamics (two teams of two against each other, but only one winner). So my recommendation is a strong try it before you buy it.The Discriminating Gamer

This game is insanely steep and complex, if you played "Twilight Struggle", liked it, played Churchill and thought it was too simple. then picked up a COIN game and liked that too... this game may still be too complex for you. But if COIN didn't scare you off and you have exactly 3 friends who want an epic game, this is well worth a shot, as the dynamics of play are very unique and thoroughly enjoyable. Its like Churchill but the axis are actual players that fight back.