Beware the Ides of March

Game Design: John Theissen
Map Art: Ilya Kudriashov
Hex Number: 80
Duration: 90 minutes
Players: 2
Solitaire Suitability: High
Theme: Ancients
MSRP: $50.00

Beware the Ides of March is an operational hex-and-counter game cover the Liberators’ Civil War – the conflict which saw erstwhile allies Mark Antony and Octavian team-up against Brutus and Cassius. It was here that Rome’s fate was decided once and for all: would the republic be restored, or had it fallen irrevocably to despotism?

The war between the Second Triumvirate and Caesar’s assassins was decided in two battles a few weeks apart - but it didn’t need to happen that way. Designer John Theissen (Antony and Cleopatra, Campaign of Nations) presents players with an operational sandbox. It models the realities of the conflict: the logistical challenges of supplying an army in the ancient world, the uncertainty of combat, and the dangers of sea travel. You will need to be bold, but every action carries with it significant risk, and just as was the case historically, you are not protected from the consequences of failure.

Theissen’s designs are some of the most approachable and streamlined in operational gaming. Rolls on tables simulate sudden storms, external invasions, internal revolts, and the effects of plague. Together these create texture and give context to your decisions. We feel John’s games deserve a wider audience, and pursuant to that, have endeavored to make Beware the Ides of March as approachable as possible – an ideal introduction to hex-and-counter gaming at this scale and scope.

• 34” x 22” mapsheet
• Half-sheet counters
• 28-page rulebook
• 40 wooden discs
• Six-sided die