Epipolae: The Athenian Expedition in Sicily, 415-413 BCE

Sicily, 415 BCE. The Athenian expedition to Sicily was one of the great campaigns of antiquity: a grand adventure to remote shores, featuring a massive fleet and army, that was heavily financed, and benefited from the complete commitment of its citizenry. The goal was the subjugation of all Sicily in order to secure another source of grain. It was simultaneously bold and foolish, and it ended in disaster. But it nearly succeeded.

For the first time, Epipolae brings Volko Ruhnke’s Levy & Campaign Series to the Ancient World, portraying 5th-century BCE Greek military operations with a focus on logistics and maneuver. Players will raise and equip their armies and navies, build alliances through diplomacy, and ravage, siege, and battle their way to victory.

Historically, the Athenians were initially led by three leaders: Nicias, Alcibiades, and Lamachus. Nicias planned to circumnavigate around Sicily, settling a dispute on behalf of an ally, then parading the majestic and renowned Athenian fleet in a show of strength on the return voyage home to Greece. Alcibiades aimed to travel around Sicily conducting diplomacy, building a coalition of city-states, bringing the entire island into Athen’s imperial alliance known as the Delian League. Lamachus was inclined to immediately besiege and capture Syracuse, the strongest city in Sicily, before they could react and adequately prepare.