Here is Part 3 of Mark’s “Advice on Peloponnesian War, from 38-year old Mark” as published in his original article from The General. You can find Parts 1 and 2 here and here. Enjoy the article! – Gene
System Mechanics
Once the game system’s strategy has been picked, the solitaire interaction begins. The strategy matrix first evaluates whether the player’s operations have placed it in acute jeopardy (Defensive Strategy). Athens reacts to its strategic position being threatened. The highest Athenian concerns are the Saronic Gulf (Aegina and Salamis), Gulf of Corinth (Naupactus), its key allies (Chios and Corcyra), and the Hellespont. Sparta reacts to long-term threats to the Peloponnesus, then threats to its key allies (Corinth and Thebes), and counterattacks Attica if Syracuse is threatened.
Historically, both sides were aware of their opponent’s vulnerable points. An example was Demosthenes establishing a small fortification in the Pylos space, that caused the Spartan army in Attica to immediately decamp and move directly to Pylos. In the same manner the player, when it suits his purposes, can threaten a critical location and get one of these pressure points to invoke an automatic response, thus furthering an ongoing strategic plan.
Another key system mechanic is the player’s knowledge that success on his part will lead to him changing his allegiance. Now it would appear that this would allow the player to disperse his forces while scoring points, in the hope that he will switch sides and exploit this manufactured positional weakness. Due to the Auguries, however, the probability of conducting more than five operations in a single game turn is so low that the possibility of dispersal is limited. If the player threatens a vital space, the game system will effect a response which causes a re-concentration of forces when necessary.
If a defensive strategy does not occur, then the system will attempt to generate an operation based on its current strategy. Tables 1 and 2 show the probabilities of a given space being chosen as the non-player’s objective. Table 1 illustrates each side’s Area probabilities for each strategy. Table 2 gives the space probabilities for each combination of Area probability and space probability.
An examination of the tables shows that for each side, most Areas are equally probable given the current strategy. Particularly important locations such as Syracuse, Amphipolis, Decelea, and the Hellespont are first among equals. Using this knowledge, you should consider which contingencies are most likely, and leave certain kinds of forces available as a reserve or to preempt probable game system operations.
MAP B (Graphic Representation of Athenian Strategy Matrix):
KEY: 1: Defensive Strategy; 2: Cut LOC; 3: Cause Rebellion; 4: Attack Spartan Ally; 5: Attack Sparta
Specific Strategies
With the knowledge of what the system is capable of and what it is likely to do in a given situation, how should you respond? The key at all times is to score points and draw down the opposing Bellicosities to ensure an end to the war. It is very important to limit your exposure to defeats. Each defeat costs you 15 points and requires two victories to offset. Two defeats require three of your victories just to break even. Since you are not likely to have more than five operations in any one turn, the impact of two defeats would see you break even or worse by the end of the tum, with nothing to show for three years of conflict.
What is Meant by “Limiting your Exposure to Defeat”
You should avoid moving small forces along routes where a skirmish with a superior force can occur, especially a skirmish that guarantees a battle. It is better to assemble the army from different points and alter its route or use a larger force to ensure safety. This problem can also be turned into an opportunity by assembling a force equal to the enemy blocking force, creating the opportunity for winning a victory during the Operations phase and another during the Combat phase. For Athens this is usually a naval force and for Sparta a land force where the additional +2 combat modifier gives your equally-sized force an edge.
Sometimes the game system will conduct an operation which attacks both a space and an inferior-sized force within its ZOI. This could lead to a double defeat and a loss of 30 victory points. If the inferior force has not yet moved, then an operation that uses the vulnerable force can move it out of harm’s way. It is better to risk the siege and one defeat than to also lose the force and all progress for the game turn. Another response is to send a leader with reinforcements to that location to shift the situation in your favor, and perhaps snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.
Another aspect of the game is: Which side you want to play? The process is random, but you have some impact on that randomness. If you want to constantly switch sides, you will alternately lower a side’s Bellicosity dramatically, then subsequently build it back up again. Because you lose one point of Bellicosity for each defeat and gain only half a Bellicosity point for each victory, both sides diminish in fervor over the course of the game. This usually results in the game lasting six to ten game turns.
In a long war you will attempt to maximize the number of operations you run each game tum to generate the largest number of battles. Assuming you attack vulnerable positions (mostly through sieges), the SCI should move heavily in your favor. This approach will score many points but almost guarantee that you will switch sides during the next game tum. The non-player side will have its Bellicosity lowered while your side will have its Bellicosity increased. This will cause a “two steps forward, one step back” phenomenon, whereby the respective Bellicosities will recover when actively controlled by you, resulting in a longer game. Obviously, the longer the war goes the more frequent the opportunity for fate to step in and muck up your plan, especially via the Auguries. This technique’s weakness is that in order for the treasury to support five operations, the size of the forces is naturally limited by force availability and the amount of talents in the treasury. Use of small forces gives the game system its best chance to inflict losses, while the unexpected Auguries die roll prevents you from having a requisite number of operations needed to recover your score.
The alternative is to choose (and remain) one side for most of the game. This is done by using your operations very judiciously to remain in control of that one side. This technique usually works best with Athens. Make sure that the SCI doesn’t get above +3 for any game turn. Through the use of ravaging, you lower the non-player Bellicosity quickly while gaining sufficient points to win (assuming that a surrender comes early in the war), perhaps enough by game turn three to achieve an automatic victory. The relatively low SCI should prevent you from switching sides quite as often.
The dangers in this ploy are your vulnerability to any defeats which the system may inflict, since you do not develop a surplus of Victory points. This strategy sometimes is forced upon the player due to the Auguries or an unexpected bold stroke from the game system.
Whenever hostages are taken, direct assault becomes prohibited. If this is to your benefit, so much the better. If this hampers your strategic plans, then maneuver the game into an armistice. This is most easily manufactured by taking one side below a Bellicosity of six and reducing the treasury of the other, presumably the side you control, to 1,000 talents. The armistice removes the effect of hostages for the remainder of the game and pumps large sums of money into the treasuries, allowing an increased tempo for operations.
Besides these general game approaches which apply to both sides, there are other peculiarities that are geographically and militarily unique to each of the belligerents. The strategies posed by the system are consistent with the history of the war. Due to the uncertainties implicit within the game design you should at all times use your military and economic assets in the most efficient manner possible.
Articles in this Series: Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4
Author: Mark Herman
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