Historical Background
After the inconclusive Battle of Pteria during the winter of 547, Cyrus pursued the Lydians to the very heart of their empire. Croesus was able to gather a large army to oppose the Persian invaders on the plain of Thymbra near Sardis, and the two forces fought a massive battle, chronicled by Xenophon in his “Cyropedia” (which some historians have labeled more fiction than history).
According to Xenophon, and later Herodotus, the outnumbered Persians formed a square, with archers and mobile towers in the center, sparabara spearmen in the front ranks, and two detached wings of cavalry, set back from the infantry. Cyrus anticipated the Lydians overlapping his square, and planned to counter Croesus’ heavy cavalry with men mounted on camels, which his generals had observed had a negative effect on Lydian horses. Additionally, his general Abradatas commanded a unit of scythed chariots in the front of the square, and the Persians employed other heavy chariots on the wings with their cavalry.
Cyrus’ plans worked to perfection, as the embattled infantry, buoyed by the both the accuracy of the archers on the mobile towers and the self-sacrifice of Abradatas’ chariots, held off their Lydian adversaries just long enough for gaps to open on the Lydian lines. The Persian camels forced the Lydian heavy cavalry to fight dismounted, and the Persian cavalry, led by Cyrus himself, surged into the breaches in the Lydian wings. Despite the heroic resistance of the Lydian infantry, Croesus’ army was crushed, and the shattered remnants withdrew into the wall city of Sardis, which fell a fortnight later. Lydia was annexed into the Persian Empire, and the stage was set with the future conflicts between the Achaemenid Empire and the emerging Greek civilization on the shores of the Aegean.
The stage is set. The battle lines are drawn and you are in command. Can you change history?
War Council
Lydian Army (use Greek blocks)
> Leader: Croesus
> 5 Command Cards 
> Move First 
Persian Army (use Eastern-X blocks)
> Leader: Cyrus the Great
> 6 Command Cards
Victory
8 banners
Special Rules
Persian Mobile Towers
The Persian towers, represented by heavy war machines, are heavy foot units composed of an elevated platform from which archers and commanders were able to effectively impose their will on the battlefield.
> Persian towers are heavy, range-only units.
> Persian towers roll 2d for ranged attacks, and 1d if moving on the same turn as the ranged attack.
> Persian towers have a range of four, NO close combat or battle back ability, and may move one hex per turn if ordered.
> Persian towers MAY FIRE OVER friendly units, but may not fire upon an enemy unit adjacent to a friendly unit, unless it has a normal clear line of sight.
> “Range Confirmed”: Persian towers may RE-ROLL any symbol hits it makes upon an enemy unit.
> Persian towers are not allowed to evade or retreat; flags have no effect.
> Persian towers are each a one-block unit; the elimination of both towers gives the Lydian player ONE victory banner.
> Leaders may stack with a Persian tower unit.
Leadership
The Lydian and Persian commands are reduced by one card, to 4 and 5 respectively, if either Croesus or Cyrus is killed. This is reflected by a player NOT drawing a card at the end of their next turn.
