604 Thermopylae - Middle Gate (480 BC)

I had similar problem with some of the scenarios - arrows does not seem to work...

We ran this twice like each of the ones before. The Greek army won both times and dominated both times. It was interesting and I want to play it again and see if we can get the Persians to win. Not a bad map.

"I just want to clarify that the Passage through the Hills rule is triggered by playing any Leadership card and not just the Leadership in Any Section or Right Section cards?"

I realize that I am replying a decade later (!), but I'm curious as to whether you decided how to interpret the rule. Thanks in advance.

As noted 11 years ago, this is an odd scenario. Why on earth would the Persians attack the Spartan position? Their auxilia would probably get cremated by the hoplites defending the ramparts. Better to stand off and shoot until the Greek defenders are sufficiently weakened to make a frontal attack worthwhile.

Having said this, 2 x Line Command and 1 x Darken the Sky for 60 die rolls early in the game caused a massive four Spartan hoplite block casualties. Deciding that such appalling luck could not continue the Spartans did advance, and after a protracted battle and having only a dozen blocks remaining at the end they won 10-8. We can't work out why the stats above suggest the scenario is relatively balanced. Although we only played the one time the die rolls and the card draws went against the Persians - among other things, the infiltrating troops remained rooted to the baseline through lack of a leadership card. Given anything approaching average luck the Persians would have won comfortably. While this all make for a gripping encounter, a recreation of the historical Thermopylae it wasn't.

Two more games, and two close victories for the Persians (10-. In both, the Spartans advanced and quickly eliminated the Persian front line auxilia, but they recovered to sweep the Spartan sea flank before them and had mounted units occupy several rampart hexes. In neither game did the outflanking force play a significant part. It's a better scenario than I gave it credit for 10 weeks ago.

10:6 for the Persians, followed by 10:3 crushing win for the Greeks. In the 1st game the Persian centre scattered, but narrowly escaped Total destruction, and the light cavalry managed to destroy some ramparts. In the 2nd game, the Greeks advanced with admirable cohesion, maintaining the line. Though advancing in the centre, they managed to bring the flanks forward in support. The Persians accepted the melee in the centre and paid a terrible price, though they came within inches of fragmenting the Greek battleline. Xerxes with his chariots fell when the hoplite phalanxes reached him.