From: Roberto Chiavini Subject: Two reviews Xenophon (Strategy & Tactics 203) This Joseph Miranda's design tries to recreate the Persian civil war of late V century - early IV century before Christ, the period of Xenophon's march of the 10.000 and of the Anabasis. It's a strategic design, mostly based on a previous effort by the same author, Charlemagne. Graphics for the game, by Joe Youst e Beth Queman are ok, especially the map (but even the counters are not bad). The hexagonal map cover Greece and the Middle East, and the part of Asia that goes till India. The map is divided in districts (satrapies) that are important for the game. Counters represent the various kind of units involved (militia, cavalry, phalanxes, elephants, etc.), all rated for combat and organization points. Turns are yearly, with two scenarios, from 401 to 395 and from 401 to 387 B.C. Each turn is divided in two equal halves, one for each player. Sequence of play is rolling for random events (very important and perhaps the single most interesting part of the game, especially solitaire), then picking stratagems (one of Miranda's most usual rules, present in several of his strategic or operational designs), trying diplomacy to win over Neutral or Enemy satrapies (rolling on a table with a few modifiers: if you don't succeed, your adversary may gain stratagem markers), then taxing cities, pay for maintenance and recruiting new units; after that, the phasing player take the levies that each satrapy gives him each year and finally start the operation segment. This is the principal phase of the game: each stack of units (up to ten) moves, battles, creates colonies and/or pillages them (and the cities already on the map to get additional talents to spend in his treasury), spending a part or all his operation points (that are equal to the lesser value of the units in the stack plus a die roll, with a leader doubling this roll). So, combat is part of movement and each stack must battles by himself; as is not possible to take units during movement (while is possible to leave them), it's very important to make a combat strategy a few turns before the attack (if possible). Combat comes in three different CRT (normal, skirmish - if you have at least 50% cavalry-light units, combined arms - equal part of phalanxes and cavalry/light units) with results varying from retreat to total annihilation. There are also rules for foraging (very simple: each hex on the map has a foraging value; any unit over the limit is eliminated, if you don't spend a stratagem marker (the "market" one) or have a supply train to spend instead. Victory is based on controlling cities, satrapies and colonies, plus a few other variations. Even if more indicated for two players, the game could be played solitaire, with only a little hindrance and a little less enjoyment for the player. The system, even if very slow and needing a lot of die rolls, seems to work for the period and the game flows nicely from a turn to the other, with the conflicting parties hurting each other (and trying to win over the neutral), with possibly a couple of decisive battle (as in the real history). I rate this game 7 in a 1-10 scale.