Punic Nightmares

Punic Nightmares is a hex-based wargame for 2 to 4 players set in the ancient Mediterranean and inspired by the Punic Wars. Players take command of Rome or Carthage and compete for control of the Mediterranean world across a yearly cadence of four seasons.

Each turn, players move their Armies, Navies, and Commanders across the map, resolve combats using a ratio-based system where terrain and positioning matter more than dice luck, and manage a single resource called Imperium.

Imperium fuels three things: bidding on six independent Regional Powers (Macedonia, Numidia, Celtiberia, Gallia, Syracuse, and Massilia), playing Tactics Cards drawn from historical events such as Lake Trasimene, Cannae, and Zama, and accumulating Victory Points.

Commanders like Hannibal and Scipio grant powerful bonuses in battle, but their capture or death yields Imperium and Victory Points to the enemy.

Victory is achieved by capturing key cities, accumulating Victory Points, or forcing the opposing side to concede. A 4-player "Broken Allegiances" scenario splits each side into two teams, with Africa and Southern Italy under Carthage and Hispania and Northern Italy under Rome, where coordination and shared resources decide the outcome.

—description from the publisher