Pharsalus: The Clash of Legions, August 9, 48 B.C.

Following the start of Caesar's Civil War in 49 BCE, Julius Caesar had captured Rome, forced Pompey and his allies to withdraw from Italy, and defeated Pompey's legates in Spain. The following year, Caesar was defeated at Dyrrachium, Greece and withdrew east into Thessaly. Pompey pursued, under pressure from his overconfident allies who accused him of prolonging the war to extend his command. The two armies met near the town of Pharsalus on 9 August 48 BCE.^[1]

Pharsalus is a two-player board wargame where one player controls the legions of Caesar and the forces of his allies, and the other the Roman Republican legions of Pompey. With a 22" x 28" hex grid map, and 480 counters, the game's complexity has been characterized as "somewhat more unusual than others — a step above the straight SPI PRESTAGS system."^[2]

Some of those complexities include:

• Units have specific facing (front, back and flanks), which vary according to the weapon they wield.^[2]
• Fatigue, which is brought on by running, fighting, and receiving missile fire, plays an important factor.^[3]
• A unit's efficiency is reflected in its combat power.^[3]
• Players are limited in the number of units they can stack on one space by a total strength allowance^[2]

Pharsalus was designed by Loren K. Wiseman and John Harshman, and published by GDW in 1977 as a ziplock bag game.