Peloponnesian War Unofficial Errata


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Peloponnesian War cover Peloponnesian War is a 2019 GMT Games release updating the 1991 Victory Games release The Peloponnesian War 431-404 B.C. It is a solitaire or two-player board game covering the two Peloponnesian Wars and the subsequent fall of Sparta. Unfortunately, many of the original game's rule ambiguities and omissions were retained in the update. Given the absence of an official errata document at the time of this writing, I have collected from the designer's comments on various online fora and The General Vol. 28 No. 1 answers to questions where the rules are unclear. In the case of The General, I have relied upon answers to questions about rules that haven't changed in the new version of the game.

Revision History
Revision 1.0.32019-12-16 

Added going home to an enemy-occupied space and hostages effect timing clarifications.

Revision 1.0.22019-12-14 

Added first turn skipped phases, friendliness/control, and Euxine LOC Source clarifications.

Revision 1.0.12019-12-12 

Added but not controlling to occupying condition in Fortress Space Occupation errata.

Revision 1.02019-12-09 

First publication.

Peloponnesian War Unofficial Errata

Daniel F. Savarese

Version 1.0.3

Errata

These items resolve errors, omissions, imprecisions, and contradictions in the rules and components. The resolutions are drawn from the designer's online comments and The General Vol. 28 No. 1.

Amphipolis Marker

The Naupactus and Byzantium exceptions in 5.1.1 Building and Moving an Expedition also apply to Amphipolis, for which a reminder marker is also provided.

Coalition Spaces

For the purpose of 5.4 Cause Rebellion Strategy and other rules, a coalition space is any space named on the Post-Combat Movement Table.

Battle Loss Priorities

Battle losses should be prioritized according to the priorities given in 5.7.1 Skirmish Procedure. In addition, skirmish and battle losses should be fulfilled with Athenian or Spartan units before any Allied units.

Fortress Space Occupation

At the beginning of 6.3 Siege Resolution, immediately after removing siege markers from any spaces no longer containing a besieging Army, move to the Going Home box all Forces occupying, but not controlling, an unfriendly fortress space without a siege marker. Note, a leaderless Force cannot besiege a fortress. Nor can an Army that just won a battle in the fortress space.

Thebes and Corinth Revenue

8.1.1 Thebes & Corinth says Spartan revenue should be reduced by an additional 200 talents for each of Thebes or Corinth that is controlled by the Delian League. The player aid summary states the amount as 500 talents. The rule book is correct.

Armistice Preconditions

The player aid summary item for 9.3 Armistice Determination is incorrect. Follow the rule from the rule book.

Armistice Turn Advancement

After determining the number of turns an armistice will last, advance the game turn marker that number of spaces. You still advance the turn marker one space in 9.4 End of Turn segment.

Clarifications

These items clarify potentially ambiguous parts of the rules. The resolutions are drawn from the designer's online postings and The General Vol. 28 No. 1.

First Turn

The 10.3 1st Peloponnesian War and 10.5 Fall of Sparta scenarios do not skip 3.0 Political Phase and 4.0 Strategic Planning Phase on the first turn.

Nicias Bonus

Nicias provides a bonus to the armistice duration roll only if he was selected as a leader during the Leader Selection Segment according to 3.4.1 Nicias. He does not provide a bonus if he enters play by some other means.

Cape Taenarum to Syracuse

The Cape Taenarum to Syracuse connection is not a Line of Communication. Naval Zones of Influence do not extend across it.

Rebellion, Friendliness, and Control

An enemy space that rebels becomes friendly to you and is under your control. An enemy space that you occupy with a Force is under your control (after establishing control during 8.0 Administrative Phase), but not friendly to you (unless it contains a rebellion marker).

Euxine LOC Source

If Byzantium were to rebel, Athens would have its revenue reduced (see 8.1.3 Athenian Sea LOC) because Byzantium would be considered enemy-controlled. Yet Athens would remain immune to siege unless a Peloponnesian League Force occupied Byzantium or a combination of Forces otherwise blocked a path to the Euxine LOC Source (see 6.1.1 Long Walls of Athens).

Unactivated Unit Battle Participation

Unactivated units in an Assembly Space participate in a battle triggered by a skirmish even though they do not participate in the skirmish.

Combined Battle Land Unit Participation

In a Combined Battle across a Naval LOC, all Land SP's will participate in any subsequently triggered Land Battle. Participating land units are not limited by 5.1.4 Naval Transport limits.

Going Home to an Enemy-Occupied Space

A unit may not return to an enemy-occupied space via the Post-Combat MovementTable unless it is a fortress that has not yet fallen to siege. This is especially important with respect to enemy-occupied Sparta, which is not a fortress space. Units with no place left to go are eliminated.

Hostages Effect is Immediate

Immediately after hostages are taken, the 6.6 Hostages effect takes hold. If the player side takes hostages and the non-player side is currently using an Attack Athens or Attack Sparta strategy, the non-player side may not launch any further operations that turn. You do not roll for a new non-player strategy.

Additions

These items are my own interpretation of the rules that have yet to be confirmed or invalidated by the designer.

Land-Connected Navies

If a naval battle—or an interception where the intercepting naval units participate—involves two spaces, those spaces must be mutually reachable by two or fewer Naval or Combined Lines of Communication. For example, naval units in Megara accompanied by cavalry could not battle enemy naval units in Pegae. Only the cavalry units could intercept or battle the units in Pegae (which would be a null battle if the Pegae force contained no land units).