Quartermaster General: Victory or Death – The Peloponnesian War

This weekend I played Quartermaster General: Victory or Death – The Peloponnesian War with my dad.  We found it to be a great two-player game and a good break from the original version of Quartermaster General (which is themed around World War 2).  This version is themed around the Peloponnesian War, where one side plays Athens and the Delian League - "the Demos", while the other side plays Sparta and Corinth - "the Oligarchs".  Each of the four has different strengths and weaknesses, and each gets a different number of cards and game pieces, which gives each a unique flavor.

Our first game was a learning game and we adjusted to the rules fairly well, being veterans of the original World War 2 version.  Victory or Death is similar to the original version in game mechanics, but allows for a little more variety in strategy.  We also found it a little more forgiving around a bad initial drawing of cards.  The more relaxed restrictions around supply were welcomed and allowed for more expansion without constant fear of losing supply lines to your units.  The addition of bribery tokens as a means to fix a broken supply line also was welcome, while also feeling thematic.

Each side won one of the first two games.  The components were of good quality and I learned more about the Peloponnesian War.  We also became more familiar with the geography of Ancient Greece after just two games.  I highly recommend it as a good, thematic two-player game that explores a time period often overlooked in wargames.