300: The Board Game
300: The Board Game Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Gameplay Summary
The Spartan player starts off with all of his Units (represented by counters) set up inside the canyon of the Hot Gates. The Persian Player starts off with his Units on the Coastal Plain which leads from the Persian Camp to the Hot Gates. During each round of play, the players participate together during all the phases of the game; there are no individual turns so the players are always in the heat of the action.
Each turn, both players draw Battle Cards that they can play to enhance their forces during the game. The players then march their forces forward to do battle. Each space where Spartan forces and Persian forces are adjacent to each other in the same row is called a Battle Space. Players add up the Attack Numbers of all their Units in a Battle Space, and then consult the Battle Chart to determine how many Battle Dice they roll. After rolling their Battle Dice, both players must remove Casualties from the board based on how much Damage their opponents inflicted with their Battle Dice.
At the end of each round, Ephialtes moves one space forward on the Goat Path, bringing the game one step closer toward its conclusion.
Object of the Game
Each Persian Unit has a Glory Number listed on it. If that piece is eliminated, the Spartans score Glory Points equal to that Glory Number, and record the points on the Glory Track. In a 2-Player Game, if the Spartan player scores 100 Glory Points, he or she immediately wins the game. If the Persian Player can wipe out the Spartans before they achieve 100 Glory, or if Ephialtes reaches the end of the Goat Path before the Spartans score 100 Glory, then the Persian player wins the game.
In a 3 player game, there are 2 Spartan players (each controlling a different row of Spartan Units) and one Persian Player. If one of the Spartan players achieves 50 Glory, then that player wins the game.
In a 4 player game, there are 2 Spartan players and 2 Persian players. If the Persians wipe out the Spartans (or if Ephialtes reaches the end of the Goat Path), then the Persian who has killed the most Spartans wins the game. The victory conditions for the 2 Spartan Players remain the same.
Components
- 1 Rulebook
- 1 Game Board
- 6 Battle Dice
- 26 Spartan Battle Cards
- 26 Persian Battle Cards
- 25 Spartan Units
- 42 Persian Units
- 1 Ephialtes piece
- 4 Spartan Glory Markers
Spartan Unit: [Insert image of Spartan Unit, defining Unit Name, Attack Number, and Defense Number]
Persian Unit: [Insert image of Persian Unit, defining Unit Name, Attack Number, Defense Number, and Glory Points]
Note: the source file contains these bracketed placeholders where the printed component images appear. They are transcribed as they appear in the source.
Among the Spartan Units are 5 Heroes (Leonidas, Stelios, Astinos, Dilios, and the Captain). These counters are considered to be both "Heroes" and "Units," so cards which apply to "Spartan Units" apply to Heroes also.
Among the Persian Units are 4 Leaders (Xerxes, Uber Immortal, and 2 Generals). These counters are also considered Units for card text purposes.
2 Player Game
The following rules assume that there is one Spartan Player and one Persian Player. Although most of these rules apply for 3-4 players, special rules for 3-4 players are included at the end of the rules.
Set Up
Lay out the game board between the two players, with the Persian Camp near the Persian Player and the Spartan Camp near the Spartan Player. Give each player their appropriate Units, and separate them by type. When placing counters on the board, always place them with their normal, Unwounded sides face up. The Wounded sides for both armies have a red border.
Arrange the counters as described in the following diagram:
[Insert Diagram with labels for each space:
A1-A6: Top Row
B1-B6: Bottom Row
C: Start of the Goat Path]
A1: 6 Persian Immortals A2: 6 Persian Cavalry A3: 6 Persian Infantry A4: Leonidas, 2 Spartans A5: Stelios, 2 Spartans A6: 3 Spartans
B1: 6 Persian Immortals B2: 6 Persian Cavalry B3: 6 Persian Infantry B4: Captain, Astinos, 1 Spartan B5: Dilios, 2 Spartans B6: 3 Spartans
C: Ephialtes
Place the remaining 7 Spartan Units in the Spartan Camp. Place the 2 War Beasts in the first Reinforcements Box in the Persian Camp. Place Xerxes, the Uber Immortal, and the 2 Persian Generals in the upper portion of the Persian Camp.
Each player shuffles his appropriate Battle Deck and draws the top 3 cards to form his starting hand. Whenever a Battle Card is played, discard it face up beside its appropriate Battle Deck. Place the 6 Battle Dice on the table within easy reach of both players. Place one of the Spartan Glory Markers on the "Start" space of the Glory Track (the other 3 Markers are not used in the 2 player game).
The Game Board
The Game Board is separated into several different areas, as described below.
Camps: Spartan and Persian reinforcements enter play through their appropriate camps. The camps are not considered spaces for purposes of card text. For example, the Persian Camp is not considered "adjacent" to space A1 or B1 on the map.
Coastal Plain: All 6 spaces on the left side of the board (A1, A2, A3, B1, B2, B3) are part of the Coastal Plain. No more than 6 Units can be present in any Coastal Plain space at any point during the game.
Hot Gates: All 6 spaces on the right side of the board (A4, A5, A6, B4, B5, B6) are part of the Hot Gates. Because of the narrow constraints of the canyon, no more than 3 Units can be present in any Hot Gates space at any point during the game.
Battle Rows: Spaces A1-A6 are part of Battle Row A. Spaces B1-B6 are part of Battle Row B.
Reinforcement Boxes: Whenever a group of Persian Units is destroyed, place it in the next Reinforcement Box in the Persian Camp. Whenever new Persian Units enter the board, they must be taken from the first Reinforcement Box (and the Units in all remaining Reinforcement Boxes are pushed forward toward the lower numbered boxes). If you run out of Reinforcement Boxes, then simply continue to make piles of Persian Reinforcements beside the board.
The 4 Persian Leaders (Xerxes, the Uber Immortal, and the 2 Generals) can march onto the board in place of any other Persian Units at any time during the game at the Persian Player's discretion. However, if any of the Persian Leaders are eliminated, they are removed from the game permanently.
Goat Path: At the end of every round, Ephialtes moves one space forward on the Goat Path. If he reaches the last space on the Goat Path, then the Persian Player wins the game.
Glory Track: Whenever a Persian Unit is eliminated, the Spartan Player scores its Glory Points by moving his or her Glory Marker forward on the Glory Track. If the Spartan Player ever attains 100 or more Glory Points, then the Spartan Player immediately wins the game (even if the Persians are about to wipe them out or if Ephialtes is about to enter the last space on the Goat Path).
Playing the Game
Each round of the game is separated into 4 phases in which both players participate (i.e., the players do not take their own individual turns in the 300 Board Game).
Draw Phase: Each player draws one Battle Card from his appropriate Battle Deck and adds it to his hand. There is no limit to the number of cards which a player can hold in his hand.
March Phase: The Persian Player marches his Units forward first. The Persian Player must march his Units forward towards the Spartans if he can. Each Persian Unit can move forward one space. Note that each space on the Coastal Plain can only fit 6 Units, and each space in the Hot Gates can only fit 3 Units. The Persians cannot march into a space that contains Spartan Units (and vice versa).
If there is room on the Board, the Persians must bring reinforcements from the Reinforcement Boxes (starting with Box #1, then Box #2, etc.) into spaces A1 and B1. If there is a lot of room, then the Persian Player can arrange the Units from the lowest Reinforcement Boxes into spaces A1 and B1 however he sees fit. The Persian Player can also march any of his Persian Leaders into spaces A1 and B1 at this time if he prefers.
Persian War Beasts are special Units. They take up the space of 3 Persian Units. So if you place a Persian War Beast on a Coastal Road space, no more than 3 additional Persian Units (or one other War Beast) can fit in that space. Inside the Hot Gates, a single Persian War Beast takes up an entire space.
After the Persians have marched forward, each Spartan Unit can march forward one space if the Spartan player chooses. The Spartans are never forced to march forward. If the Spartans march outside of the Hot Gates, they can fit 6 Units into a Coastal Plain space just like the Persians can. The Spartan player can march any of his 7 Spartan reinforcements out of the Spartan Camp into either of his Battle Rows if there is room. Once the last reinforcement leaves the Spartan Camp, the camp remains empty for the remainder of the game.
Switching Rows: Instead of marching forward, a Unit can switch to a friendly row that is beside it (for example, a Spartan Unit can move from space B5 to space A5).
Battle Phase: Check to see if there are Battle Spaces in each Battle Row. If the Spartans are adjacent to the Persians in a particular Battle Row, then both of those spaces are considered Battle Spaces. Note that Battles only take place between forces in the same row. Units in Row A cannot attack units in Row B, and vice versa.
If there are Battle Spaces in Row A, then that Battle is resolved first. Then, if there are Battle Spaces in Row B, then that Battle is resolved. Completely resolve the Battle in Row A before starting the Battle in Row B.
Each Battle is resolved in the following order:
Battle Start: Each player can play Battle Cards that say "Battle Start".
Attack: Each player adds up the Attack Numbers of all the Units in his Battle Space, and then consults the Battle Chart on the board to determine how many Battle Dice he rolls. The players then roll their Battle Dice and add up the totals to determine how much Damage they inflict on their opponents.
Special Note: Whenever the Persians attack from a Coastal Plain space into a Hot Gates space, the Persian player only gets to add up the Attack Numbers on 3 Units (or 1 War Beast) of his choice from his Battle Space. This represents the narrow entrance into the Hot Gates.
Casualty: After both players receive Damage from their opponents, they each remove Units of their choice from their own Battle Spaces to satisfy the amount of Damage inflicted by their opponent. First the Persian player chooses his own Casualties, and then the Spartan player chooses his own Casualties. Each Unit that is removed from the board subtracts its Defense Number from the amount of Damage that was inflicted. When there is no more Damage left (or if there are no more Units left), then the player is done removing Casualties.
Note that even though the Persian Player can only attack with 3 Units into the Hot Gates, all 6 of his Units are eligible to be Casualties. Therefore, the Persian Player can choose any of the Units as Casualties first (even those not chosen for the attack), and if the Spartan Player rolls high enough, all 6 Units can be wiped out.
Wounding Units: If any Unit chosen by a player has a Defense Number higher than the remaining amount of Damage, then that Unit is not eliminated. Simply flip that Unit over to its red-bordered Wounded side. If, however, a piece was already Wounded, then if it receives another Wound (even from 1 Damage), then that Unit is eliminated. Since Persian Infantry and Cavalry say "Dead" on their reverse side, they are always eliminated when selected as Casualties. Players aren't allowed to "spread out" the Damage among all their pieces. Each piece is chosen one at a time and must absorb as much of the remaining Damage as possible. Merely wounding a Persian Unit does not provide the Spartans with any Glory.
Reinforcements: When a group of Persian Units is eliminated, stack them in the next lowest Reinforcements Box in the Persian Camp (except for Persian Leaders, who are eliminated from the game). However, make sure the Spartan Player scores Glory Points for each eliminated Persian Unit. Whenever a Spartan Unit is eliminated, it is always removed from the game.
Conquer: If one player's Battle Space is completely wiped out, his opponent has the option to immediately move into that space with his successful Units. Neither player (Spartan or Persian) is forced to immediately advance into a conquered space if he doesn't want to. If a player's Units advance into a conquered space, then all the Units in the space right behind them also get a free movement forward. This only applies to the Units in the space right behind, not any Units that are 2 or more spaces behind.
Note that if a Persian army conquers a space in the Hot Gates, the Persian army can only move up to 3 Units (or 1 War Beast) into that space (even if he conquered the space with a larger force).
Glory Bonuses: Whenever the Spartans advance into a space out on the Coastal Plain, they receive Bonus Glory as indicated in that space (3, 6, or 12). This only applies the first time they move into a particular space. However, if the Persians enter the Hot Gates, then the Spartans lose Glory (3 points per space entered by the Persians). This also only applies the first time they move into a particular space.
Conquering the Last Space in a Row: If the Spartan Units in one row make it all the way to the last space on the Coastal Plain, then after the Spartans score their 12 Bonus Glory, they immediately pull that row of Units back into the Hot Gates and can rearrange their Units in that row however they see fit. The Persians must then immediately march Units from their Reinforcements Boxes back up to the Hot Gates. Once this has occurred, the Spartans are once again eligible to gain the Glory Bonuses for the spaces in that row again.
If the Persians ever conquer the last space in a Spartan Row, then if the Spartans do not earn 100 Glory by the end of that round, the Persians enter the Spartan Camp, surrounding the remaining Units and winning the game.
Ephialtes Phase: After the Battles in both Row A and Row B have been resolved, Ephialtes moves one space forward on the Goat Path. If he reaches the last space on the Goat Path, the Persian Player wins the game. Otherwise, a new round begins, starting with a new Draw Phase.
Playing Battle Cards
Each player may play several Battle Cards during each Round of the game. Each Battle Card indicates the Phase in which it can be played. Whenever a new Phase begins, the Persian Player has the first opportunity to play a Battle Card. After the Persian Player has a chance to play a card, the Spartan player can play a card, and so on back and forth until neither player wishes to play any more cards. If one player does not wish to play a card, his opponent can still do so.
Note: Ignore the letters "A" and "B" on the cards during the 2 Player Game.
Dilios
If Dilios the Storyteller is ever eliminated from the game, the Spartan Player immediately loses 10 Glory. If the Spartans achieve 100 Glory during a Battle but are about to lose Dilios during that same Battle, then they must lose the points for Dilios before determining if they have won the game.
In a 3 or 4 Player Game, both Spartan Players instead lose 5 Glory if Dilios is eliminated.
3 Player Game
In a 3 Player Game, two players play the Spartans and one player plays the Persians. The first Spartan Player controls the Spartan forces in Row A, and the second Spartan Player controls the Spartan forces in Row B.
During Set Up, the Spartan Players separate the Spartan Battle Deck into "A" and "B" decks (look for the "A" and "B" letters in the corner on the face of each card). The Spartan Player controlling Row A takes the "A Deck" and the other player receives the "B Deck". Each Spartan Player draws 3 cards at the start of the game as normal. The Persian Player gets to start with 4 cards.
During the Draw Phase, each Spartan Player draws 1 card as normal. The Persian Player gets to draw 2 cards. During the March Phase, the Spartan Player in Row A marches his forces before the Spartan Player in Row B.
During Set Up, each Spartan Player places his own Glory Marker on the Glory Track (and keeps a matching Glory Marker in front of him to remind him which Glory Marker is his own). If one Spartan Player ever achieves 50 Glory Points during the Battle Phase, then finish that Battle Phase completely (making sure the battles in both rows have played out). If at the end of that Battle Phase at least one Spartan Player still has 50 or more Glory, then the Spartan Player with the most Glory immediately wins the game (in case of a tie, both players share the victory). In this case, Ephialtes does not get to advance forward on the Goat Path for that turn.
4 Player Game
In a 4 Player Game, two players play the Spartans (see "3 Player Game" above for details) and two players play the Persians. This time, one Persian Player controls the Persian forces in Row A, and the other Persian Player controls the Persian forces in Row B.
During Set Up, separate both the Spartan and Persian Battle Decks into "A" and "B" decks as described in the "3 Player Game". Each player draws 3 cards to form his starting hand. During the Draw Phase, each player draws 1 card.
During the March Phase, the Persian Player in Row A marches his forces (and draws from the Reinforcements Boxes) before the Persian Player in Row B.
Each time a Persian Player eliminates a Spartan Unit, place that Unit in front of that Persian Player. If the Spartans are completely wiped out, or if Ephialtes makes it to the end of the Goat Path, then the Persian Player with the most defeated Spartan Units wins the game. If both Persian Players have the same number of defeated Spartan Units, then both Persian Players share the victory.