- BGG rank
- BGG #4,824
- BGG rating
- 7.8
The Mission: Early Christianity from the Crucifixion to the Crusades
- 1 player
- 60–240 min
- Complexity 3.7/5
- 2020
- BGG rank
- BGG #13,007
- BGG rating
- 7.9
Sword of Orthodoxy: The Rise and Fall of Byzantium 420-1453
2024
Rules assistance for Sword of Orthodoxy: The Rise and Fall of Byzantium 420-1453
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 1 player
- 30–240 min
- Complexity 3.9/5
For 1 player
Rules assistant for Sword of Orthodoxy: The Rise and Fall of Byzantium 420-1453
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Sword of Orthodoxy: The Rise and Fall of Byzantium 420-1453 is a board game released in 2024 for 1 player and 30–240 minutes per game. It was designed by Ben Madison and its main mechanics are Area Movement, Dice Rolling, and Simulation.
Similar games
- BGG rank
- BGG #7,497
- BGG rating
- 8.0
The White Tribe: Rhodesia's War 1966-1980
- 1 player
- 120–180 min
- Complexity 3.1/5
- 2018
- BGG rank
- BGG #11,266
- BGG rating
- 7.7
Gorbachev: The Fall of Communism
- 1 player
- 30–60 min
- Complexity 2.0/5
- 2018
- BGG rank
- BGG #5,888
- BGG rating
- 7.8
Mrs Thatcher's War: The Falklands, 1982
- 1 player
- 100–250 min
- Complexity 2.7/5
- 2017
- BGG rank
- BGG #7,931
- BGG rating
- 7.6
Don't Tread on Me: The American Revolution Solitaire Board Game
- 1 player
- 240 min
- Complexity 2.8/5
- 2014
- BGG rank
- BGG #9,549
- BGG rating
- 7.8
Jeff Davis: The Confederacy at War
- 1 player
- 60–240 min
- Complexity 2.6/5
- 2019
- BGG rank
- BGG #17,690
- BGG rating
- 7.6
Gift of the Nile: The Rise and Fall of Ancient Egypt
- 1 player
- 60–240 min
- Complexity 2.8/5
- 2024
- BGG rank
- BGG #12,084
- BGG rating
- 7.6
The First Jihad: The Rise of Islam 632-750
- 1 player
- 30–120 min
- Complexity 3.5/5
- 2020
- BGG rank
- BGG #8,436
- BGG rating
- 7.2
Mound Builders
- 1 player
- 60 min
- Complexity 2.6/5
- 2014
- BGG rank
- BGG #13,278
- BGG rating
- 7.6
Death in the Trenches: The Great War 1914-1918 (Second Edition)
- 1–2 players
- 300 min
- Complexity 3.6/5
- 2022
- BGG rank
- BGG #7,885
- BGG rating
- 7.4
N: The Napoleonic Wars
- 1 player
- 60–240 min
- Complexity 3.1/5
- 2017
- BGG rank
- BGG #18,099
- BGG rating
- 6.6
Death in the Trenches: The Great War, 1914-1918
- 1–2 players
- 960 min
- Complexity 2.8/5
- 2005
About the game
Sword of Orthodoxy is a strategic solitaire game of the rise and fall of the Byzantine Empire, simulating its saga from 421 AD until the end of the 15th century – an epic thousand year tale of heroism, betrayal, intrigue, and spectacular cultural achievements. This game is a high-level strategic view of history. Details are cleverly simplified to make it playable and to emphasize the “cool stuff” of the period, like religious conflict, barbarian hordes, Byzantine politics, dynastic intrigue, scheming empresses, Greek Fire, Mongols, plagues, jihads, naval sieges, Khans, Caliphs, and Crusaders. Sword of Orthodoxy is meant to be a fun and challenging game on the salient themes of the actual period that whets the player’s appetite to learn more about this fascinating age.
Categories
Designers
Publishers
- White Dog Games
Questions and answers
Sword of Orthodoxy: The Rise and Fall of Byzantium 420-1453 supports 1 player 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 Sword of Orthodoxy: The Rise and Fall of Byzantium 420-1453 is 30–240 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.
Sword of Orthodoxy: The Rise and Fall of Byzantium 420-1453 has a complexity rating of 3.9 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a heavy 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.
Sword of Orthodoxy: The Rise and Fall of Byzantium 420-1453 belongs to these categories: Wargame, Medieval, and Ancient. Its main mechanics are Area Movement, 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 Sword of Orthodoxy: The Rise and Fall of Byzantium 420-1453 are: Ben Madison. 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 Sword of Orthodoxy: The Rise and Fall of Byzantium 420-1453 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.