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 Empires III: The Age of Discovery  BUY NOW  $59.99

Columbus has discovered the new world, and five major powers are vying to explore, colonize, and dominate these new regions. In Age of Empires III - The Age of Discovery, you control the economic destiny of England, France, Spain, Portugal, or Holland. Take turns allocating your nation's people and resources on the huge game board depicting newly-discovered North America. Your strategies influence Events in discovery, colonization, trade goods, shipping, capital building, and even warfare--all over the course of Three Ages. Each Event is resolved one at a time, each in a different way, but realistically related to money or population. This game has great appeal for its visual, hands-on method of play and a creative variety of game mechanics.

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!

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.

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!

Travel back in time to the Qin dynasty, when the Chang Cheng (long wall) was under construction, in the attempt to unify the provinces and protect them from the "Marauders of the North". Your mission is to build parts of the wall while simultaneously contending with other players to protect the wealthiest provinces. For every province that becomes protected by a player, he or she will collect a reputation point. The idea is to strategically place a fortified wall that will keep the Mongols from taking your points at the end of the game. You will use a combination of double-sided board maps, action cards, event cards, reputation counters, threat counters, and wall blocks to play this game. The person with the most reputation points after the final phase, when the Mongol attack occurs and negative points are thereby distributed, wins the game! The components are a nice quality with well done graphics and even the rule book is evocative of the antiquated paper style.

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!

In 1835, the British East India Company established a commercial office near the city of Darjeeling, home of the most sought-after tea varieties in the world: Darjeeling. Players will cross the entire region in search to gather the largest shipments possible for each individual tea variety in the region. The latest teas to be loaded are worth more victory points than older ones, as tea connoisseurs prefer the freshest cargo. Preferences for each tea variety also earns the players victory points when they are loading shipments. The amount and freshness of each variety of tea, and also the popularity of the teas will be determining factors in the outcome. The game ends as soon as one player has reached 100 victory points.

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!

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!

Giant walls protect the city of Hamburg against the ravages of the Thirty Years War during the 17th century. In Hamburgum, players guide families of Hamburg in the pursuit of wealth and prestige. Hamburg is the perfect place to do so as the city is largest and most prosperous in all of Germany. Products the families make to sell overseas include sugar, cloth, and a German specialty, beer. Players compete for the best building sites and the best berths for their shipping vessels. Ultimately though, they are competing for the most prestigious church donations as prestige decides the game. A great strategy game where actions are selected according to simple rules on the rondel on the game board, the reverse side of which offers another city, Londinium, and a different strategic challenge.

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 1846, Oregon was the land where gunslingers, lawmen, pioneers, and even whole families came to start new lives in the legendary West. As players gaze upon the land before them, they begin to plan how they will tame the area by building ports on the rivers and lakes, warehouses, post offices, churches, and train stations. And, of course, they will need to eat and will have to cultivate the land and grow food to survive. Players must choose the right times to farm and build as planning is necessary for survival here in the wilderness of Oregon!

It's 1901, and shopkeepers are setting up their stalls at the world-famous Portobello Market in London. You are determined to set up shop in the most profitable districts and snatch the best lanes, hoping to draw the wealthiest customers. Place a Market Stall in any lane where the Bobby is on duty, and set a customer onto an empty Square. Move the Bobby, if you like, but it can cost you. Action Tokens determine how many actions you perform during your turn. Gain or lose victory points for Stall placement, Customer class, Bobby movements, and scoring a District. Keep an accurate tally of your success along the perimeter Scoring Track. When a player places their last Market Stall, everybody gets a chance to close up shop before the final scoring. The player with the most Victory Points wins. An interesting Variant Rule is included for shopkeepers who prefer a less random game.

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.