The sound of the polis
POLIS
Designer: Fran Diaz | Publisher: Devir
PLAYED
Journey back to the 5th century BCE: a time of mighty warriors, wealthy traders and cunning rulers scheming to expand their empires. The ancient Greek world is split between two rival city states: refined Athens and warlike Sparta, both vying for economic, cultural and military supremacy.
It sounds like the premise for a swords-and-sandals cinematic epic, but Polis, a reworking of the 2012 game Polis: Fight for the Hegemony, is a thoughtful and absorbing twoplayer game that casts you and your opponent at the rulers of two great powers, only one of which can seize control of the Hellenic realms. In theory, it’s a wargame. It certainly looks like one, with plenty of cubes to shove around a map divided into land and sea regions.