Polis: Fight for the Hegemony

Polis: Fight for the Hegemony is a two-player civ-lite game set in the beginning of the conflict between the two major poleis of the 5th century B.C: Athens and the Delian League against Sparta and the Peloponnesian League. The winner will be the Empire with more population and prestige at the end of the game.

With a growing empire, feeding your people is the main goal. Wheat was scarce in Greece, so both players must secure other goods supply and the route to five markets in order to trade them for wheat. Each territory may give you different amount of wood, metal, wine, olive oil, silver and some wheat; these two last ones are hard to get but precious. It’s up to you if you want to get more of only one good or less from several of them. Every turn you get goods from a territory you must have some population there (supporting your Empire) but in the end they also have to be fed.

Fighting for the control of the territories and the sieges of the polis will be the job of your hoplites, your triremes will struggle to secure the routes to Egypt, Persia...so you can trade with them when the price is low, and a good use of your Diplomatic may convince a Polis to join your League easily.

A Polis may be your ally, but they are very proud of their independence, so you will have to create some Projects (statues, temples, artists, philosophers, games...) in order to gain Prestige which is needed for all your military manoeuvres.

Welcome to the 5th Century B.C., to the Polis' splendour, city-states of the Greek world which became the cultural reference of civilization in their age.

Blood and culture, glory and destruction, live together in this unique and thrilling historical period, when Athens and Sparta’s ambition lead both Polis to a "fight for the hegemony."

Before this confrontation, Greek Polis were threatened to succumb under the Persian power in the Persian Wars, with the risk of losing their identity and independence. To confront the possibility of disappearance gave birth to a strong Pan-Hellenic feeling in numerous Polis which joined together under the command of the main two, Athens and Sparta, and with a stiff conviction of fighting for their survival were able to overcome such a mighty enemy.

But after the victory, both powers, with confronted views on most practical issues (government, army, economy... and in their understanding of society or even life itself, became to distrust the rival Polis' growing power, starting a military and expansionistic rivalry which ended in a conflict between them.

In this so-called classic period, culture, arts and thought flourished, especially in Athens thanks to Pericles, but also, in an intermittent manner, the more powerful and now antagonistic Polis of Athens and Sparta fought for the Greek hegemony until the mutual destruction caused by the 2nd Peloponnesian War, which ended with Athens surrender but also with both Polis' final weakening.

Each player plays the role of either Athens or Sparta, expanding the power of the Polis, trying to attract other Polis to their side by diplomacy or force, administering their growing Polis league in a reasonable way, knowing when to expand without depleting the resources, trading to get the ever scant wheat, fighting enemy armies when necessary and winning prestige from their actions. Have fun!

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Rules Summary by Angioman

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Variant rule

Diceless SIEGE variant by the author

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Awards

• Juego del año Malacitano 2012 (Voted best game in Lex Friki Blog - 10/2012)
• Premio Interblogs 2012 (Voted "Discovery of the Year" in Spanish Boardgames Blogs - 01/2013)

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Microbadges

Polis: Fight for the Hegemony fan
Polis: Fight for the Hegemony fan

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Videos

Unboxing by 5mpj

ENGLISH
Nacho Gongora from Asylum Games demoes Polis at the BGG booth during Essen Spiel 2012

SPANISH
Video tutorial Jugando con Ketty - Part 1, Part 2 and "en vivo" (all by Diego Benavente)

GERMAN
Spielama.de - Review (by Benjamin Schönheiter)
Cliquenabend.de - Introduction and Rules explanation (both by Simon Reitenbach)