- BGG rating
- 8.7
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Rules assistance for Simple GBoH
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 2 players
- 90 min
- 10+
- Complexity 3.0/5
Rules assistant for Simple GBoH
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Simple GBoH is an expansion for Caesar: Conquest of Gaul released in 2000 for 2 players, 90 minutes per game, and ages 10 and up. It was designed by Richard H. Berg and Mark Herman and its main mechanics are Hexagon Grid.
Expansions
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About the game
A significant simplification of GMT's popular Great Battles of History series, this is a set of rules that allows you to play scenarios from many of the various GBOH games and their expansion modules. Many of the more fiddly aspects of the system have been dramatically simplified (shock combat, missile combat, orderly withdrawal, elephants, leader activation), or eliminated entirely (rout/rally, individual orders, strategy ratings, momentum, trumping). The rules for SGBOH are the same across all the GBOH settings, so there is no problem moving from game to game. Scenarios also play much faster, from 1-3 hours instead of the old 4 hrs and up. Scenarios provided list approximate playing times as well as balance assessments for all the scenarios (of 53 scenarios, 11 are rated as "even"). Note that this is not a standalone game; ownership of at least one GBOH title is required. Games that only require SGBOH rules (have SGBOH scenarios and game-specific rules included) - Chandragupta - Chariots of Fire - Devil's Horsemen - Hoplite Games requiring SGBOH playbook - Alexander - SPQR - Caesar: The Civil Wars - Caesar: Conquest of Gaul - Cataphract Games requiring SGBOH battle manual - Many C3i scenarios from above Games that are not supported by SGBOH - Ran - Samurai - Lion of the North - War Galley - Caesar in Alexandria - but it is very SGBOH-like apparently - Siege of Alesia Contents: - Simple Great Battles of History Rules (Nov. 2004 edition has updates for several scenarios) - Simple Great Battles of History Charts - Simple Great Battles of History Playbook containing SGBOH scenarios for Alexander, SPQR, Julius Caesar, Conquest of Gaul and Cataphract. In March, 2017 GMT released a new Second Edition of Simple GBoH.
Mechanics
Designers
Publishers
- GMT Games
Questions and answers
Simple GBoH 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 Simple GBoH 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.
The catalogue lists Simple GBoH for ages 10 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.
Simple GBoH has a complexity rating of 3.0 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.
Simple GBoH 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 Simple GBoH are: Richard H. Berg and Mark Herman. 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 Simple GBoH as an expansion for Caesar: Conquest of Gaul. Expansions add new content, rules or scenarios to the base game and usually cannot be played on their own, so you need Caesar: Conquest of Gaul to use it. Check that your edition of Caesar: Conquest of Gaul is compatible, as some expansions were revised between editions.