Hannibal & Hamilcar 2018

Hannibal & Hamilcar: Rome vs Carthage is a 20th anniversary edition of Hannibal: Rome vs. Carthage, an asymmetrical card-driven game for 2 players set in the time of the epic struggle between ancient Rome and Carthage. It presents a conflict between two superpowers of Antiquity from the classical Clausewitzian perspective, according to which a power only reverts to military operations when there is no other way to achieve political dominance. The 20th Anniversary Edition includes new scenarios and variants. The original rules and components were updated and certain game mechanics have been streamlined, while producing exactly the same game results as before. The original game has been further enriched by the addition of two new expansions: Sun of Macedon and Price of Failure.

Hamilcar, set during the First Punic War, is a stand alone companion game sharing components and using similar mechanics but a different map. It introduces a naval system and naval battles. Both players compete for control of the Mediterranean Sea in a conflict that will be described as a war between an elephant and a whale - the struggle of a land-based empire versus the world’s naval power. Rome's goal was to break through the island chain of Sicily, Corsica, and Sardinia - Carthage's defensive line to contain Rome on the Italian peninsula.

In both games players use Strategy Cards for multiple purposes: moving generals, levying new troops, reinforcing existing armies, gaining political control of the provinces involved in the war, and introducing historical events. When two armies meet on the battlefield, a second set of cards, called Battle Cards, are used to determine the winner. Ultimately both players seek victory by dominating both fronts: military and political.