
- BGG rank
- BGG #7,034
- BGG rating
- 6.8
Pocket Battles: Macedonians vs. Persians
- 2 players
- 30 min
- Complexity 1.9/5
- 2012

2009
Rules assistance for Pocket Battles: Celts vs. Romans
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.
Pocket Battles: Celts vs. Romans is a board game released in 2009 for 2 players, 30 minutes per game, and ages 8 and up. It was designed by Paolo Mori and Francesco Sirocchi and its main mechanics are Area Movement and Dice Rolling.
A war game that fits in the pocket! When pressed for time and table space and the hankering for battle hits, this is the perfect remedy - and it is portable! Tiles represent troops and troops make up units in your army: just determine the size of the battle and create your own army from a pool of existing troops. Each tile hits on certain rolls, and some can only melee while others can shoot. Some tiles also have special traits which can affect their whole unit or their whole army. Armies fight in three sectors - the battlefield. The goal is to eliminate at least half the value of your opponent's army. Celts vs. Romans is the first in the Ancients line and also the first in the Pocket Battle series. Each Pocket Battles game will feature two armies from a particular era or genre (yes, fantasy and sci-fi, we are looking at you). The basic rules of the game are fairly simple; two armies face each other in battle. The armies are split into three columns and two rows. Players must decide, at the start of the game, how many points they will give to their armies, determining how many points it will take to defeat the opponents army. (At least half of the points). On you turn; you have to choose which faction of your army you will send off to battle! Attacks are made by using Order Tokens. If no Order Tokens are present on a unit, it costs just 1 token to issue orders to that unit. Issuing orders to the same unit in the same Battle Round would cost you the number of tokens present on the unit, plus 1. (So if there is one existing token on your unit, it would cost you two additional tokens to activate; if you had three tokens on the unit, it would cost you four additional tokens, and so on). After a round of battle, you may choose to redeploy you units. (Units may move from the back of the row to the front of the same row, from the back of a row to the back of another row, or from the front of a row to the front of another row). Redeployment will not cost you any Order tokens. The battle is over when one army defeats the other. Contents: 60 tiles, 6 dice, 20 wound/order tokens, 2 player aids, 1 set of rules. Romans: 1 aquilifer, 5 archers, 4 auxiliares, 1 ballista, 3 cataphracts, 3 cavalry, 1 centurion, 1 imaginifer, 1 imperator, 5 legionaries, 1 onager, 3 praetorians and 1 scorpio. Celts: 1 champion, 1 chariot, 1 druid, 2 gaesatae, 1 hero, 3 horsemen, 4 javelinmen, 3 noblemen, 3 noble cavalry, 4 slingers, 5 warband, 1 warchief and 1 warrior queen.
Pocket Battles: Celts vs. Romans 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 Pocket Battles: Celts vs. Romans is 30 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 Pocket Battles: Celts vs. Romans for ages 8 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.
Pocket Battles: Celts vs. Romans has a complexity rating of 1.9 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a 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.
Pocket Battles: Celts vs. Romans belongs to these categories: Wargame and Ancient. Its main mechanics are Area Movement and Dice Rolling. 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 Pocket Battles: Celts vs. Romans are: Paolo Mori and Francesco Sirocchi. 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 Pocket Battles: Celts vs. Romans 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.