Historical Board Games

These board games are based on historical events or different periods in history, from prehistoric times right up to recent times. You assume an identity and attempt to achive your goal, all while trying to maintain as much historical accuracy as possible.

Related categories include Railroad Games, Strategy Games, and War Games.

Age of Napoleon: 1805-1815  BUY NOW  $45.00 $35.95    SAVE $9.05 !   

A colorful boardgame for two players that is based on the rise and fall of one of the greatest military commanders in history: Napolon I, Emperor of the French. One player commands the forces of France and its allies and tries to achieve domination of the European continent. The other player leads a coalition of nations aiming to force Napolon's abdication once and for all. The game not only represents the military units with playing pieces but also elegantly integrates famous events, important personalities and random factors by using playing cards. Age of Napoleon contains three different scenarios, starting in 1805, 1809, and 1813.

In Alexander the Great - Founder of an Empire, players follow the young Macedonian King and his small but effective army on their long campaign of conquest in the East. They march with him through the Near East to Persia, and then well into the Indian Empire. On the way, enemies are subdued, cities are founded, and magnificent temples are built. As a result, Alexander will rule a huge empire, where all citizens enjoy the same rights. It's frontiers are the Danube in the West, the Caucasus Range in the North, Egypt in the South, and the Himalayas in the East. If this young visionary hadn't become ill and died much too soon, he would have surely expanded his empire further West as he was preparing to. In Alexander the Great players earn points for conquering provinces, building temples and founding cities. The winner is the player who has the most points at the end of the game!

Immerse yourself in the action in American Civil War: Gettysburg and experience the grandeur of detailed 3D battlegrounds inspired by such famous conflicts as Little Round Top and Pickett's Charge. Take command of both the Union and Confederate forces as they fight their way into the heart of the northern aggressor or hold fast against the rebel invaders. Out maneuver and out flank other armchair generals in intense multiplayer action and secure your place in the annals of history. Let the battle commence! Windows download.

Journey forth from the homeland, which produces wood, stone, tools and cloth, from which to build ships used in the acquisition of resources. Resources enable you to increase your population and develop your settlement into a city. Be prepared for pirates as you strive to aquire wealth and power. A game for 2-4 players. This game design is based upon the popular electronic game title, artfully executed by the master of Catan, Klaus Teuber.

Battlestations: Midway blends intense 3rd-person action with epic, large-scale naval combat and brings to life the great Pacific battles of the World War II. From the chaos of Pearl Harbor, through the Philippines, Java and the Coral Sea all the way to the epic Battle of Midway. Innovative gameplay lets players take direct control of over 60 different warships, planes and submarines from a 3rd-person perspective. Players can instantly switch to and control nearly every vehicle in the battle. Windows download.

Britannia is a historical board game that broadly depicts the millennia-long struggle for control of England, Scotland, and Wales! The game begins with the Roman invasion of 43 A.D., continues through the many struggles between Angles, Saxons, Picts, Norsemen, Scots, Irish, and other tribes, and ends with the Norman invasion of 1066. Britannia allow players to re-create this epic history, re-enacting important battles in some cases, altering the course of history in others. The game rules discourage players from making historically unrealistic moves, but also give players the freedom to alter Great Britain’s history in important ways, creating countless interesting “what if?” scenarios. This updated version of the classic game features streamlined play, as well as all-new graphics and components.

In Castle Merchants, players take on the roles of merchants during the Medieval period trying to sell their wares to the various castles in the land. Each castle has certain goods they are interested in obtaining and the first merchants to visit a castle receives a better profit for their goods than the late comers. Driving their horse carts around the countryside, the merchants have to navigate different paths as the landscape changes during their journey. It will be up to each merchant to decide the best course of action and path to take. One thing they all have to be wary of is unstable regions where a rock slide can make a path impassable. The first merchant that manages to fill their purse with 18 gold pieces wins the game!

4000 years ago in the Cradle of Civilization, mighty Empires fought for water, resources and the arable land in the Fertile Crescent. Play the Egyptians in chariots of war, Babylonians in bronze armour, screaming Nubian warriors, and the Assyrians behind their walls of stone. Develop your country by producing commodities and sell them to your neighbours. Raise glorious armies and wage wars of conquest. Roll over the plains in the childhood of Mankind with your Chariots of War! Windows download.

Even today in China, the unmistakable evidence of a fascinating story is everywhere. Hundreds of years ago, the country teetered on the brink of a change in power. Regional rulers fought continuously with each other with only one goal in mind: to become the new Emperor. They erected imposing houses and sent their emissaries to the regional courts. This fascinating game of domination combines multiple tactical possibilities with simple-to-learn rules and a short playing time! China is based on the award-winning game Web of Power by master game designer Michael Schacht.

Commands & Colors - Ancients allows you to re-fight epic battles of the ancient world! Here the focus is on the two rivals for power in the Western Mediterranean - Carthage and Rome. Will you, as Hannibal, triumph over larger Roman armies - or as Scipio Africanus, will you beat Hannibal with newer tactics of your own? Units in both armies can only move and fight when ordered. The command playing cards supply those orders, providing an element of luck that creates a fog of war and presents players with both challenges and opportunities. You must maximize your opportunities by playing your command cards judiciously. How well you handle the diverse units, their weapons, and the terrain, will determine victory.

Will you be the next Emperor of Rome, or food for the lions? In Conquest of the Empire it is the 2nd century AD, and the 200 year Pax Romana of Augustus Caesar has come to an end. With the death of the Philosopher-Scholar Emperor Marcus Aurelius, the Roman Empire is without a competent leader. Chaos has descended on the land and several contenders for the throne have emerged. Use diplomacy to pacify your stronger enemies and your mighty Roman Legions to crush the rest! Conquest of the Empire features over 300 historically accurate, professionally sculpted miniatures, and improved Classic gameplay as well as rules for the all new Conquest of the Empire 2!

Rediscover a modern American classic that celebrates one of America's greatest loves: railroads. Use your initial investment to build track, pick up commodities where they are grown, mined, or manufactured and deliver them where there's a demand. When you complete a delivery, you make the money you need to buy larger, faster trains and expand your railroad empire. Win the game by building the most effective railroad empire! There are disasters and you can be locked out of a profitable hub if you're not quick. With over a million variations, Empire Builder never grows old.

More than thirteen years of design and development have gone into the making of Europe Engulfed, which is GMT Games' first offering to the block-game enthusiast. It covers the entirety of World War II in Europe from September 1939 to the end of 1945. Europe Engulfed plays fast with its focus on playability and making players feel the pressures their historical counterparts were under. The game achieves this level of playability without sacrificing historical detail. The entire campaign is playable in a single 10-to-14 hour day once players become familiar with its elegant game systems!

Summer, 1756: Frederick the Great is alarmed to learn that almost all of Prussia's neighbors have formed an alliance, whose purpose he suspects to be the annihilation of Prussia. Therefore Frederick makes a preemptive strike against the most vulnerable member of that alliance, Saxony, which surrenders a few weeks later. But this is only the opening round of an epic struggle that would later be known as the Seven Years War. Prussia is completely encircled by her enemies, led by the greatest continental powers: France, Austria, and Russia. On her side, Prussia has only England and Hanover. Accurately based on history while maintaining a slim set of rules, Friedrich offers wide open spaces for brilliant chess-like moves and great depth for decision making.

In the Shadow of the Emperor takes players to Germany in the late middle ages. It is a time of flourishing popes, and a pompous aristocracy. In such a volatile climate, no dynasty can remain in power for long. Several aristocratic families seek to acquire the crown of the emperor, but this decision lies in the hands of the seven elector. Two to four emperor candidates use their knights and cities, marry their barons, and work to influence the electors. But all efforts are useless if the candidate is not elected to be emperor. In the shadows of the properly elected emperor are always those who want to displace him and become the new emperor!

Gates of Troy is an epic turn based strategy game that covers the Trojan Wars, lets the player take control of mighty heroes such as Achilles and Hector, allows you to assault the Gates of Troy, and even build the Trojan horse itself! Windows download.

Players compete to become Master of the Hanseatic city-states during the 14th Century. They criss-cross the Baltic Sea in a merchant ship, always on the lookout for a chance to acquire valuable wares. They also set up networks of market booths within the cities, which permit the goods to be re-sold at the right time and a player’s power to increase. At the end of the game, the player with the most establishments and the greatest profits, is the winner. Hansa is an addicting, tactical travel and trading game for the whole family.

Hector and Achilles - The Trojan War is a colorful, exciting and fast playing card game for two players set in the times written about by Homer. One player leads the Trojan army, the other the Achean army. In a series of battles the players try to beat their opponent. Famous heroes of the Iliad are helping them achieving their aim.

Slip on the role of clever court attendant and try your luck in the court of Louis XIV. Influence his next decrees. Relax in his radiance on his countless cushions. Bribe ministers and buy generals. Spin intrigue and spread your net in the empire of the Sun King. Every plan is right -- if it works! A careful plan and provident use of information gained in the court can help you fulfill your mission -- and win the game!

From the cliffs of Pointe-du-Hoc to the hedgerow battles in the Corentin Peninsula and beyond -- Memoir '44 airdrops you into the key battles that turned the tide in Western Europe during the summer of 1944. Omaha Beach, Pegasus Bridge, Operation Cobra... Step in and command your troops on the battlefields that defined History in the 20th century! Memoir '44 is a unique historical game where players command a horde of little plastic Army men facing-off in dozens of WWII battles on an oversize hex game board. Each battle scenario mimics the historical terrain, troop placements and objectives of each army. Deploying forces through a variety of Command cards, the smart commander uses the unique skills of his units -- infantry, paratroopers, tanks, artillery, commandos and resistance fighters -- to its greatest strength.

In the height of its glory Carthage was the greatest power in the ancient world. With trade routes throughout the entire Mediterranean there was no other nation to dispute its strength. Goods, gold, and slaves poured in to the majestic city – the source of its might. Countless mercenary armies were constantly bought to ensure that all who threatened Carthage or its interest would be dealt with. However, another Empire was also on the rise. The city of Rome too had begun to gain strength. The Romans soon decided openly to challenge their Carthaginian rivals. The time of the Punic Wars had begun. Windows download.

Grapple with real life missions from both Allied and Axis perspectives. The campaign begins with Jagdpanther and Churchill tanks battling in Caumont and concludes with the tank units of the 9th US Armored Division vying against Wehrmacht troops and the German Air Force for the Bridge of Remagen. Deploy over 85 different units, with diverse characteristics and capabilities, including riflemen, artillery, tanks, and air support. Plan your attack based on historically accurate battlefields drawn from authentic strategic maps, geographic information, and images from the battles themselves. Windows download.

Operation Victory is a historical turn-based strategy game of tactical action that puts gamers in beautifully rendered environments and at the heart of some of the most challenging missions in World War II. The player commands a team of soldiers fighting in varied and spectacular locations, such as the French port of Dieppe, the Mediterranean island of Sicily, out in the Atlantic Ocean, or deep within German-occupied territory. Operation Victory provides an in-depth, compelling and interactive tactical-warfare game experience appealing to both novice and veteran gamers. Windows download.

Your destiny awaits you on the battlefield. As a Roman General on a quest to forge an empire, you will be transported back to the dusty battlefields of Egypt, the frozen lands of the Gauls, and finally to the heart of the Empire itself, Italy. Your quest will be no easy task as the lands you seek to conquer are heavily defended by thousands of powerful troops. Command the forces of 3 civilizations - the disciplined Romans, the ferocious Gauls, and the religiously fanatical Egyptians. Windows download.

It's 1543, and Puerto Rico is beginning to blossom. You have the opportunity to become very wealthy by owning the most fruitful plantation. Carefully decide if you need to play the role of settler, mayor, builder, craftsman, trader, or captain to grow your plantation. Puerto Rico is an exciting game played over several rounds, with players choosing one of the seven roles in the game. Each role allows a player to do a specific action. For example, the settler may take a quarry tile; the mayor may place a colonist; a builder can build a building for less; the craftsman gets one additional good; a trader may sell one good, and finally the captain loads his goods on to the ship to the old world first.

Baroque palaces, wide boulevards, and elegant bridges: St Petersburg. On May 16, 1703, Czar Peter the Great lays the foundation for the first building. Quickly impressive buildings are erected that are ever more grand and beautiful. Such buildings bring the aristocracy glory and the players victory points. But you need traders to bring the rubles necessary for all this magnificence, otherwise, the buildings are empty and bare. But the competition never sleeps and may grab needed cards right from under your nose. St Petersburg: the card game of beautiful living on the Neva. Saint Petersburg is a tactical game for Russian building tycoons.

In Senator players take the roles of powerful Roman statesman! In this game of diplomacy, backstabbing, and resource management, players seek simultaneously to protect Rome, advance their family, and ultimately abolish the power of the senate and claim the title of Caesar. The ancient world of the Roman Republic was a tumultuous and dangerous place. In Senator, Rome will be faced with a myriad of challenges, such as economic turmoil, revolt, plague, and the wars against Rome’s many enemies. As senators of Rome, players must work together to resolve the dangers facing the Republic while plotting their own devious agendas. In the quest to become emperor, will you risk the Republic itself?

Shadows Over Camelot is a unique collaborative game featuring a malevolent twist! As the incarnation of the Knights of the Round Table, you join forces against the game itself in an attempt to protect Camelot. But beware, all is not as it seems among these noble Knights. One of your number might yet turn out to be a traitor-in-waiting, biding his time while sowing havoc and destruction from the shadows! Featuring a richly illustrated gameboard of Camelot and its surroundings, finely carved miniatures of the Knights and their foes, and seven Quests to embark upon - Shadows Over Camelot is your gateway to many a memorable game night among friends!

In The Great Dalmuti, life isn't fair. One round you're at the top of the heap, and the next you're peasant scum in this fast-paced card game of medieval one-upmanship! Players take their places in the pecking order and try to get rid of the cards in their hands. The faster you do, the higher you'll go. But don't get comfortable, because in a single hand even the lowliest serf can knock you back to the fields. Sound unfair? Sure it is! But the sweet taste of victory could make it all worthwhile.

Step back to the dawn of recorded time. Take command of a young dynasty in fertile Mesopotamia. Here, between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, lies the cradle of civilization. Here, as the Bible tells, rose man's first cities: Ur, Nineveh, and fair Babylon. The game of Tigris & Euphrates lets you play a part in the epic saga of the rise of these great urban centers. Your dynasty struggles to develop and control the most vibrant culture in the rich land between the two rivers. Create the best balance between markets, temples, settlements, and farms, as you and your people try to forge your own new civilization and dominate the storied valleys of the Tigris and Euphrates.

In Mesopotamia, between the Euphrates & Tigris rivers, lies the cradle of civilization. Farmers cultivate the land, traders sell their wares, and priests offer the masses their religious support. As kings seek to lead their dynasties to fame and power, conflicts are unavoidable and only the most clever and successful king will emerge as the winner! By taking his excellent board game to a card format, Reiner Knizia has simplified some aspects of the game, but it remains Knizia and Euphrates & Tigris!

Who doesn't know of the wonders of the ancient world? They are the world renowned gigantic monuments made by the hands of men to honor or glorify God. The most famous of these are known today as the seven wonders of the ancient world. Will the unfinished Tower of Babel be known as the eighth? Monuments cannot be erected by individuals, and each player needs the help of the others to complete his work. The others of course expect something in return, and the challenge is to get the right help at the right time. When should the pyramid be finished? How many building pieces are needed to complete the temple of Artemis? Should I play a trade card or not? The players must answer these and other questions turn by turn as each tries to be the greatest builder of the ancient world!

In 1945, unlikely allies toppled Hitler's war machine, while humanity's most devastating weapons forced the Japanese Empire to its knees in a storm of fire. Where once there stood many great powers, there now stood only two - the United States and the Soviet Union. The world had scant months to collectively sigh in relief before a new conflict threatened. Unlike the titanic struggles of the preceding decades, this conflict would be waged not primarily by soldiers and tanks, but by spies and politicians, scientists and intellectuals, artists and traitors. Twilight Struggle is a two-player game simulating the 45 year dance of intrigue, prestige, and occasional flares of warfare between the USSR and the USA. The entire world is the stage on which these two titans fight. The game begins amidst the ruins of Europe as the two new superpowers scramble over the wreckage of WWII and ends in 1989, when only the United States remained standing.

Egypt 1926. The Valley of the Pharaohs holds many secrets, but none so great as the Scepter of Amun-Ra. In this grand adventure you play a character tasked with collecting the legendary Scepter. As you make your way to the Valley of the Pharaohs you will face desert bandits, blinding sandstorms and the ill wishes of your fellow players. But safe haven and good fortune can be found within the oasis of the friendly Bedouin. If you’re feeling lucky you can spin the Wheel of Fate. Collect resources to overcome obstacles or lay obstacles to hinder your opponents. Roll doubles and you control the mummy, but beware no one masters the mummy for long. Valley of the Pharaohs comes packaged in an authentic wooden book-box and is played on a beautifully illustrated map of Egypt. Cast metal playing pieces, metal coins and individual character cards provide rich context and detail to this exciting game of fortune and peril.

Live out the most exciting years in the life of Joan of Arc, the ultimate female warrior, in the ultimate epic battles! As you progress through her campaigns, other great military medieval leaders will join your cause and bring their own unique fighting abilities and characteristics into the fray. Orchestrate your troops through eight massive maps featuring formidable strongholds, lavishly detailed cities and myriad landscapes, from rolling hills to thick forests and flowing rivers. Experience firsthand the sheer intensity and savage brutality of medieval castle sieges brought to life in amazing lifelike 3D. Slash and slay enemies from a thrilling third-person perspective view. Wield the sword to your advantage by executing unique combo attacks with perfect timing to devastate the enemy. Windows download.

An action strategy title set within the era of World War II that will appeal to all levels of PC gamers and war enthusiasts. The game opens with the player dropping paratroopers into Europe to disrupt the entrenched Axis forces ahead of the main invasion forces set to land on D-Day. Players must take command of their forces and turn the tide of Axis aggression while conquering fortress Europe, using a vast amount of authentic infantry, vehicles, and weaponry. Windows download.