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The Great Battles of Magna Graecia: Part 1
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Rules assistance for Barbarian: Rome vs. The Gauls and Samnites, 315-200 BC – SPQR Battle Module
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 2 players
- 240 min
- 12+
- Complexity 3.7/5
Rules assistant for Barbarian: Rome vs. The Gauls and Samnites, 315-200 BC – SPQR Battle Module
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Barbarian: Rome vs. The Gauls and Samnites, 315-200 BC – SPQR Battle Module is an expansion for SPQR released in 2008 for 2 players, 240 minutes per game, and ages 12 and up. It was designed by Richard H. Berg, Mark Herman, and Dan Fournie and its main mechanics are Hexagon Grid.
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About the game
Barbarian is a tactical simulation of combat between the armies of Rome and her early barbarian foes, the Samnites and Gauls, from 315-200 B.C. To play Barbarian, you will need the game SPQR for maps, basic rules, and some counters. Barbarian can also be played with the Simple Great Battles of History Rules. As Rome strove to conquer the Italian peninsula in the Fourth and Third Centuries BCE, her most formidable opponents were not the advanced Etruscans, nor the crafty Greeks. Instead, it was the barbarian tribes that nearly overcame Rome: the savage warriors of Cisalpine Gaul and the fierce hill tribe fighters of Samnium. The nimble mountain warriors of Samnium taught the Romans the advantages of a more flexible formation over the ponderous phalanx. After suffering a sharp reverse at Lautulae, 315, the Romans recovered and dealt a counterstroke at Tifernum, 297 in two battles representative of the many fierce fights between these implacable foes. The political genius of the Samnite general Gellius Aegnatius welded former foes Samnium, Etruria, Umbria and the Gauls into a grand coalition that nearly broke the power of Republican Rome at Sentinum, 295. This battle, more than any other, decided the fate of Italy. Even as the Samnites and their peninsular allies were subdued, the Gauls arose to carry on the struggle. Calling on reinforcements from across the Alps, the Gauls invaded Italy in 225 and only by a stroke of fortune was this army trapped between two Roman consular armies at Telamon. The battle that followed was one of the most unusual in all of military history, with the Gauls fighting in desperation in two opposite directions, as Roman armies closed in from north and south. Finally, just after Rome had withstood Hannibal’s devastating invasion, Hamilcar, a die-hard Carthaginian officer, raised the Gallic tribes for one last great battle at Cremona, 200. In the end, Rome emerged victorious and dominated the Italian peninsula from the straits of Messina to the Alps.
Categories
Mechanics
Publishers
- GMT Games
Questions and answers
Barbarian: Rome vs. The Gauls and Samnites, 315-200 BC – SPQR Battle Module supports 2 players according to the catalogue. This is the publisher’s listed player count, so the game is designed for exactly that number of participants. Variants for other group sizes, if any, are described in the rulebook of your edition, so check it before setting up a different configuration.
The listed playing time for Barbarian: Rome vs. The Gauls and Samnites, 315-200 BC – SPQR Battle Module is 240 minutes. This is the publisher’s estimate for a full game. The actual duration depends on the group, the player count and familiarity with the rules: first sessions usually run longer, while experienced groups often finish faster. Setup and teaching time are not included in this estimate.
The catalogue lists Barbarian: Rome vs. The Gauls and Samnites, 315-200 BC – SPQR Battle Module for ages 12 and up. This is the publisher’s recommendation and reflects reading demands, rule complexity and small components rather than theme alone. Younger players can often join with help from an adult, so check the age guidance on your edition and consider your group’s experience with board games.
Barbarian: Rome vs. The Gauls and Samnites, 315-200 BC – SPQR Battle Module has a complexity rating of 3.7 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a medium-weight game. The rating reflects how much rules knowledge, planning and decision-making a typical game demands. Expect a longer first teach for heavier games, and use a preparation guide before game night.
Barbarian: Rome vs. The Gauls and Samnites, 315-200 BC – SPQR Battle Module belongs to these categories: Wargame, Ancient, and Expansion for Base-game. Its main mechanics are Hexagon Grid. Categories describe the theme and setting of a game, while mechanics describe what players actually do on their turns. Each mechanic links to a catalogue hub with similar games, which helps when you want something comparable.
The credited designers of Barbarian: Rome vs. The Gauls and Samnites, 315-200 BC – SPQR Battle Module are: Richard H. Berg, Mark Herman, and Dan Fournie. These credits come from the published game data and name the people responsible for the game’s design, not its illustrators or publishers. Designer pages on MeepleRules collect other titles by the same designers, which helps when you enjoy a game and want to find similar ones.
The catalogue lists Barbarian: Rome vs. The Gauls and Samnites, 315-200 BC – SPQR Battle Module as an expansion for SPQR. Expansions add new content, rules or scenarios to the base game and usually cannot be played on their own, so you need SPQR to use it. Check that your edition of SPQR is compatible, as some expansions were revised between editions.