Le Fléau de Martina (2023)

Le Fléau de Martina comes with two scenarios and one campaign from the battle of Yarmouk in 636 to the assassination of the third calife in 656. After several defeats against the armies of the Arab Caliphate, the old Byzantine emperor Heraclius presides over an empire practically cut in two. Far from lamenting, the emperor is determined to continue the fight at any price. Tensions are at their height because in addition to the military struggle, Heraclius' health and war efforts make the question of his succession more important than ever. Empress Martina is his second wife and the mother of nine of his eleven children. Two siblings will only complicate the succession and thereby compromise the resistance against the Arabs. But despite early Arab victories, Syria is not yet subdued and casualties from fighting and epidemics are high on both sides. Each side stands to lose if they are not careful. While Byzantine armies rally in Asia Minor and Egypt, Arab troops are bogged down in sieges of cities and ports across Syria. Will the Byzantines be able to regroup and reverse the situation with a military coup. Will the Arabs be able to parry the attack and complete the conquest of the Levant? This game sees two armies confronting each other as they seek to reorganize their forces. The Byzantine player must retake Syria and, at the same time, avoid the loss of Egypt and Asia Minor while managing a succession crisis. The Arab player must secure the Syrian terminus of the trade route to Mecca but also seize the Egyptian breadbasket and perhaps even Constantinople. Units: 1 counter= from a few hundred to 2000 men Fleets: 1 counter= circa 100 ships Map: around 50km per hex Turn: One year Difficulty level: 6/9 —description from the publisher