''SPQR'' is a
board wargame designed by
Richard Berg
Richard Harvey Berg (1943 – July 26, 2019) was a prolific American wargame designer. He was inducted into the Charles Roberts Awards Hall of Fame in 1987.
Early life, army, student and lawyer
Richard Berg was born in New York City. ...
and Mark Herman, and released in 1992 by
GMT Games
GMT Games is a California-based wargaming publisher founded in 1990. The company has become well known for graphically attractive games that range from "monster games", of many maps and counters, to quite simple games suitable for introducing new ...
, as part of the ''Great Battles of History'' (''GBoH'') series of games on ancient warfare. ''SPQR'' deals with battles fought by the
Roman Republic
The Roman Republic ( la, Res publica Romana ) was a form of government of Rome and the era of the classical Roman civilization when it was run through public representation of the Roman people. Beginning with the overthrow of the Roman Ki ...
, and is designed to showcase the strengths and weaknesses of the Roman manipular
legion
Legion may refer to:
Military
* Roman legion, the basic military unit of the ancient Roman army
* Spanish Legion, an elite military unit within the Spanish Army
* Legion of the United States, a reorganization of the United States Army from 179 ...
.
There are two editions of the game, the second having changes in some rules.
Scenarios
The game includes five historical scenarios,
Cannae,
Zama,
Cynoscephalae Cynoscephalae ( grc, Κυνὸς κεφαλαί, meaning "dog's heads") may refer to:
Geography
* Cynoscephalae (Boeotia), a town of ancient Boeotia
* Cynoscephalae (Thessaly), a town of ancient Thessaly
* Cynoscephalae Hills (Boeotia), a range of ...
,
Beneventum and
Bagradas Plains, plus a fantasy scenario pitting
Rome
, established_title = Founded
, established_date = 753 BC
, founder = King Romulus (legendary)
, image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg
, map_caption ...
against
Alexander the Great
Alexander III of Macedon ( grc, Ἀλέξανδρος, Alexandros; 20/21 July 356 BC – 10/11 June 323 BC), commonly known as Alexander the Great, was a king of the ancient Greek kingdom of Macedon. He succeeded his father Philip II to ...
.
Scale
The game maps are covered with a
hexagonal grid, each hex representing 70 yards of distance. Each turn represents about 15–20 minutes, although the rules are designed assuming a loose time scale. Each
counter
Counter may refer to:
Mathematics and computing
* Counter machine, a subclass of register machines
* Counter (digital), an electronic device, mechanical device, or computer program for counting
* Loop counter, the variable that controls the iter ...
represents 300 to 1000 fighting troops, depending on size and type. Since little is known about the terrain, numbers of men or types of units engaged, methods of combat, leaders and so on, these games, despite their high level of detail, remain essentially speculative in nature.
Expansions
A number of expansions were released for SPQR:
* ''Consul For Rome'' (1992), adding the Battles of the
Trebia and the
Metaurus
* ''War Elephant'' (1992), adding the Battles of
Magensia and
Raphia
* ''Pyrrhic Victory'' (1993) adding the Battles of
Heraclea and
Asculum Asculum, also known as Ausculum, was the ancient name of two Italian cities.
The first is Ascoli Piceno, the ''Ausculum'' in ancient Picenum (modern Marche). It is situated in the valley of the Truentus (mod. Tronto) river on the via Salaria. I ...
* ''Africanus'' (1994) adding the Battles of
Baecula and
Ilipa
* ''Jugurtha'' (1998) adding the Battles of the
Muthul and Cirta
* ''Deluxe SPQR'' (2008), combining the Basic SPQR game with all the above expansions, with the exception of Raphia from "War Elephant" and Cirta from "Jurgurtha". It also includes counters for the battle of
Marathon and for the Jewish revolt against the Seleucid Empire
* ''Barbarian'' (2008), adding the battles of
Lautulae,
Tifernum,
Sentinum
Sentinum was an ancient town located in the Marche region of Italy. It was situated at low elevation about a kilometre south of the present-day town of Sassoferrato. The ruins of Sentinum were partially excavated in 1890 and the results of the arc ...
,
Telamon
In Greek mythology, Telamon (; Ancient Greek: Τελαμών, ''Telamōn'' means "broad strap") was the son of King Aeacus of Aegina, and Endeïs, a mountain nymph. The elder brother of Peleus, Telamon sailed alongside Jason as one of his Argo ...
and
Cremona
Reception
''SPQR'' won the 1992
Charles S. Roberts Award for ''Best Pre-World War II Boardgame'', and ''Best Wargame Graphics'' for the map by
Mark Simonitch
Mark Simonitch (born December 30, 1957) is an American wargame designer and graphic artist. His game designs include ''Hannibal: Rome vs. Carthage'' and ''Ardennes '44'', and he has made maps for ''Wilderness War'' and ''Empire of the Sun'' among ...
; and an
Origins Award
The Origins Awards are American awards for outstanding work in the game industry. They are presented by the Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts and Design at the Origins Game Fair on an annual basis for the previous year, so (for example) the 1979 a ...
for ''Best Pre-20th Century Boardgame of 1992''.
Reviews
* ''
Casus Belli'' #72 (Nov 1992)
References
External links
''SPQR''at GMT Games.
*
an unofficial computer card game based on ''SPQR''.
Board games about history
Board games introduced in 1992
Board wargames set in Ancient history
GMT Games games
Origins Award winners
Richard Berg games
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