SPQR (board game)
Encyclopedia
SPQR is a board wargame
designed by Richard Berg
and Mark Herman, and released in 1992 by GMT Games
, as part of the Great Battles of History (GBoH) series of games on ancient warfare. SPQR deals with battles fought by the Roman Republic
, and is designed to showcase the strengths and weaknesses of the Roman manipular legion
.
There are two editions of the game, the second having changes in some rules.
SPQR won the 1992 Charles S. Roberts Award
for Best Pre-World War II Boardgame and the Origins Award
for Best Pre-20th Century Boardgame of 1992.
, Zama
, Cynoscephalae, Beneventum and Bagradas Plains, plus a fantasy scenario pitting Rome
against Alexander the Great.
, 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
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 and fictional in nature.
Board wargame
A board wargame is a wargame with a set playing surface or board, as opposed to being played on a computer, or in a more free-form playing area as in miniatures games. The hobby around this type of game got its start in 1954 with the publication of Tactics, and saw its greatest popularity in the...
designed by Richard Berg
Richard Berg
For the television producer see Dick Berg.Richard Berg, trained as a lawyer, is a prolific wargame designer, and recipient of the Charles S. Roberts Hall of Fame Award in 1987...
and Mark Herman, and released in 1992 by GMT Games
GMT Games
GMT Games, probably the most prolific of the wargame companies in the 1990s and 2000s, was founded in 1990. The current management and creative team includes Tony Curtis, Rodger MacGowan, Mark Simonitch, and Andy Lewis...
, as part of the Great Battles of History (GBoH) series of games on ancient warfare. SPQR deals with battles fought by the Roman Republic
Roman Republic
The Roman Republic was the period of the ancient Roman civilization where the government operated as a republic. It began with the overthrow of the Roman monarchy, traditionally dated around 508 BC, and its replacement by a government headed by two consuls, elected annually by the citizens and...
, and is designed to showcase the strengths and weaknesses of the Roman manipular legion
Roman legion
A Roman legion normally indicates the basic ancient Roman army unit recruited specifically from Roman citizens. The organization of legions varied greatly over time but they were typically composed of perhaps 5,000 soldiers, divided into maniples and later into "cohorts"...
.
There are two editions of the game, the second having changes in some rules.
SPQR won the 1992 Charles S. Roberts Award
Charles S. Roberts Award
The Charles S. Roberts Awards are given annually for excellence in the historical wargaming hobby. It is named after Charles S. Roberts the "Father of Wargaming" who founded Avalon Hill. The award is informally called a "Charlie" and officially called a "Charles S...
for Best Pre-World War II Boardgame and the Origins Award
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 the 1979 awards were given at the 1980 Origins.The Origins Award is commonly...
for Best Pre-20th Century Boardgame of 1992.
Scenarios
The game includes five historical scenarios, CannaeCannae
Cannae is an ancient village of the Apulia region of south east Italy. It is a frazione of the comune of Barletta.-Geography:It is situated near the river Aufidus , on a hill on the right Cannae (mod. Canne della Battaglia) is an ancient village of the Apulia region of south east Italy. It is a...
, Zama
Zama
-Places:*Zama, Numidia, a principal town of the Numidian tribe the Massylii*Zama, Kanagawa, a city of Kanagawa prefecture, Japan*Zama, Mississippi, an unincorporated community in the United States*Zama City, Alberta, a hamlet in Alberta, Canada...
, Cynoscephalae, Beneventum and Bagradas Plains, plus a fantasy scenario pitting Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
against Alexander the Great.
Scale
The game maps are covered with an hexagonal gridHex map
A hex map, hex board or hex grid is a gameboard design commonly used in wargames of all scales. The map is subdivided into small regular hexagons of identical size.-Advantages and disadvantages:...
, 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 (board wargames)
Boardgame counters are usually small cardboard squares moved around on the map of a wargame to represent armies, military units or individual military personnel. The first modern mass-market wargame, based on cardboard counters and hex-board maps, was Tactics, invented by Charles S. Roberts in 1952...
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 and fictional in nature.
Expansions
A number of expansions were released for SPQR:- Consul For Rome (1992), adding the Battles of the TrebiaBattle of the TrebiaThe Battle of the Trebia was the first major battle of the Second Punic War, fought between the Carthaginian forces of Hannibal and the Roman Republic in December of 218 BC, on or around the winter solstice...
and the MetaurusBattle of the MetaurusThe Battle of the Metaurus was a pivotal battle in the Second Punic War between Rome and Carthage, fought in 207 BC near the Metauro River in present-day Italy. The battle gets a chapter in the classic The Fifteen Decisive Battles of the World by Sir Edward Shepherd Creasy... - War Elephant (1992), adding the Battles of MagensiaBattle of MagnesiaThe Battle of Magnesia was fought in 190 BC near Magnesia ad Sipylum, on the plains of Lydia , between the Romans, led by the consul Lucius Cornelius Scipio and his brother, the famed general Scipio Africanus, with their ally Eumenes II of Pergamum against the army of Antiochus III the Great of the...
and RaphiaBattle of RaphiaThe Battle of Raphia, also known as the Battle of Gaza, was a battle fought on 22 June 217 BC near modern Rafah between the forces of Ptolemy IV Philopator, king of Egypt and Antiochus III the Great of the Seleucid kingdom during the Syrian Wars... - Pyrrhic Victory (1993) adding the Battles of HeracleaBattle of HeracleaThe Battle of Heraclea took place in 280 BC between the Romans under the command of Consul Publius Valerius Laevinus and the combined forces of Greeks from Epirus, Tarentum, Thurii, Metapontum, and Heraclea under the command of King Pyrrhus of Epirus....
and Asculum - Africanus (1994) adding the Battles of BaeculaBattle of BaeculaThe Battle of Baecula was Scipio Africanus’s first major field battle after he had taken command of Roman interests in Iberia during the Second Punic War, in which he routed the Carthaginian army under the command of Hasdrubal Barca.-Prelude:...
and IlipaBattle of IlipaThe Battle of Ilipa in 206 BC was considered Scipio Africanus’s most brilliant victory in his military career during the Second Punic War. Though it may not seem to be as original as Hannibal’s tactic at Cannae, Scipio’s pre-battle maneuver and his Reverse Cannae formation was still a culmination... - Jugurtha (1998) adding the Battles of the MuthulBattle of the MuthulThe Battle of the Muthul was an episode of the Jugurthine War. This battle was fought in 108 BC between the Numidians led by King Jugurtha, and a Roman force under Caecilius Metellus. The Romans were victorious, and four years later Jugurtha was dead, executed by the Romans following his capture...
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 MarathonBattle of MarathonThe Battle of Marathon took place in 490 BC, during the first Persian invasion of Greece. It was fought between the citizens of Athens, aided by Plataea, and a Persian force commanded by Datis and Artaphernes. It was the culmination of the first attempt by Persia, under King Darius I, to subjugate...
and for the Jewish revolt against the Seleucid Empire - Barbarian (2008), adding the battles of LautulaeBattle of Lautulae-Battle of Lautulae:The Battle of Lautulae was fought in 315 BC between the Romans and the Samnites within the Second Samnite Wars. The Samnites won this battle .-Preceding the Battle:...
, TifernumBattle of TifernumThe Battle of Tifernum was an important battle of the Third Samnite War, fought in 297 BC near Città di Castello , in which the Romans overcame a determined Samnite army led by Gellius Statius...
, SentinumBattle of SentinumThe Battle of Sentinum was the decisive battle of the Third Samnite War, fought in 295 BC near Sentinum , in which the Romans were able to overcome a formidable coalition of Samnites, Etruscans, Umbrians, and their Gallic allies...
, TelamonBattle of TelamonThe Battle of Telamon was fought between the Roman Republic and an alliance of Gauls in 225 BC. The Romans, led by the consuls Gaius Atilius Regulus and Lucius Aemilius Papus, defeated the Gauls, thus extending their influence over northern Italy....
and CremonaBattle of Cremona (200 BC)The Battle of Cremona was fought in 200 BC between the Roman Republic and Cisalpine Gaul. The Roman force was victorious.During the end of the Second Macedonian War, tribes in Cisalpine Gaul rebelled against the Republic, sacking the city of Placentia...