
- BGG rating
- 7.2
Extra Impetus 1
- 2 players
- 90 min
- Complexity 3.0/5
- 2008

2008
Rules assistance for Impetus
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
For 2 players

What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Impetus is a board game released in 2008 for 2 players and 90 minutes per game. It was designed by Lorenzo Sartori and its main mechanics are Dice Rolling and Simulation.
Impetus is a set of wargaming rules that allows you to play battles from the Ancient, Medieval and Renaissance periods. It is produced by the same team that publish the Italian 'Dadi & Piombo' miniatures wargaming magazine. It is an extremely flexible system which allows players to recreate armies from a huge period of history - from Ancient Egypt, Romans and the Crusades right through to the Hundred Years War and Samurai. Impetus is designed to be played using miniatures in various scales: 6mm, 10mm, 15mm, 20mm, and 25/28mm are all catered for. Miniatures are based in elements - 60mm wide for 6mm & 10mm, 80mm wide for 15mm, and 120mm wide for 20mm & 25/28mm. The depth of the element is stipulated, but is not vital. This enables you to play the system with armies already based for other games systems. The game play is turn based, but is not traditional i-go/u-go. Players roll dice for initiative every turn, but units are able to react to enemy forces out of sequence. Units have 3 or 4 statistics, the most important of which is VBU, a combination of unit strength and morale. Combat is fast and simple. Units roll dice equivalent to their VBU in combat, with various modifiers giving bonuses to the number of dice thrown. Any score of '6' or double '5' score a hit. There is some record keeping required, as unit hits cause a reduction in VBU. When VBU is reduced to 0, the unit routs and is removed from the table. Armies are points based, with average armies ranging between 300-500 points. There are 15 army lists detailed in the original rules, usually in 'matched pairs'. These include Alexander's Macedonians & Later Achaemedian Persians, 2nd Punic War Romans & Carthaginians, Gauls & Caesar's Romans, Crusaders & Saladin's Army, and French & English armies from the 100 Years War.
Impetus 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 Impetus is 90 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.
Impetus has a complexity rating of 2.9 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a medium-light 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.
Impetus belongs to these categories: Wargame, Miniatures, and Medieval. Its main mechanics are Dice Rolling and Simulation. 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 Impetus are: Lorenzo Sartori. 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 Impetus as a base game. It can be played on its own with the components in the box and does not require any other title. Expansions, if any exist, add new content or rules on top of it and are listed separately in the catalogue with a link back to this base game.