Glory That Was Greece, Volume 1: The Battles of Leuctra and Mantineia

The Glory that was Greece is a series of games depicting several battles from the ancient world. The games are introductory in level and complexity, designed for fun and competitive play, while also depicting the history of the battles. This first volume in the series depicts the battles of Leuctra and Mantineia. After the Peloponnesian War, Sparta was the uncontested military leader of the Greek poleis. For almost three decades the Spartans were considered nearly invincible in an open field battle due to the strength and tactical organization of their hoplites. Beginning in 378 BC a coalition of cities from the northern part of Greece, led by Athens and Thebes, began to challenge Spartan power and for a short period of time, under the leadership of two great generals, Pelopidas and Epaminondas, the small city of Thebes achieved a lasting place in ancient history, making the acropolis of their city (called Cadmea and for a long time subject to the control of a Spartan garrison) a sort of paladin of freedom against Lacedaemonian power. The game’s battles of volume 1 in the series, Leuctra and Mantineia, depict the rise and fall of this short "empire", serving as an eulogy to one of the greatest military leaders of all time, Epaminondas.