Overview
At a glance
Is this game right for my group?
ABG editorial scores on a 1–5 scale.
Harder to teach
High replayability
Highly interactive
Scales well
Deep strategy
How it plays
How does it play?
Pericles is a four player 'sandbox' design that covers the period from 460 BC to 400 BC. The players each represent one of two Athenian or Spartan factions.
Core mechanisms
Key systems that shape the decisions players make.
Area Majority
Compete to have the strongest presence in areas that award control or points.
Dice Rolling
Roll dice to introduce uncertainty into actions, production, movement, or resolution.
Hand Management
Time and sequence a limited hand of cards to preserve future options.
Negotiation
Make proposals, promises, or deals directly with other players.
Events
Triggered events alter the shared state, rules, or available choices.
Read the full game description
Pericles is a four player 'sandbox' design that covers the period from 460 BC to 400 BC. The players each represent one of two Athenian or Spartan factions. The game has a political and a war phase. During the war phase the players are US versus THEM. During the Political Phase it is ME versus YOU (Athenian faction versus Athenian faction and Spartan king versus Spartan king). The City State (Athens or Sparta) that gains the most Honor wins the war and the faction on the winning side with the most Honor wins the game. There are over twenty scenarios that cover portions of the war with playing times from 30 minutes (mini Theater scenario), 45 minutes (6 years of the war), 90 minutes (a decade of war), and then there are the three long scenarios that cover the 1st Peloponnesian War, 2nd Peloponnesian War plus the Campaign game. There are rules for 3 player, 2 player, and solitaire play.