2018 · (Web published)
300 Spartans: The 9 Card Thermopylae Game is a solitaire micro wargame. In the game, you will control the Persian forces and must fight the small band of Spartans warriors who are blocking your path at the Thermopylae pass in 480 BC. All units on the board are represented by dice which are rotated to show their current strength. You goal is to eliminate all the Spartan units so that Xerxes army can use the pass and continue their invasion of Greece.
The game uses a simplified Command and Colors system similar to C&C Ancients or The Great War. Each turn you will draw two cards and choose one to use to command certain troops on the board and one to use for its tactical event. Each card also has a Spartan Event, which will modify the way they fight and give them advantages against your troops.
The game is played using a total of 9 cards, 16 dice, and 2 cubes. One card contains the map for the game, another the turn and status tracks, and the other seven cards contain the game's activations and events. Each of those card has three sections on it 1.) Persian Command 2.) Persian Tactics and 3.) Spartan Event. You will only need to look at the relevant event for the current phase of the game.
Each turn is played out in a series of phases.
1. Card Draw Phase
2. Spartan Event Phase
3. Tactics Phase
4. Command Phase
5. Spartan Attack Phase
6. Victory or Loss Check Phase
7. End of Day Phase
Despite the small number of components and short playing time, the game presents a challenging experience and interesting historical narrative for this famous battle. Can you beat the historical result and lead your Persian soldiers to victory over the Greeks with minimal Persian casualties? Or will your soldiers get massacred by the Spartan war machine?
