1795 The Therlidorians Expansion for 1793 Patriots & Traitors

From the Publisher:

1795: The Thermidorians is an expansion for 1793: Patriots & Traitors.

Ownership of the base game is needed to play this expansion.

English version of the game.

Game Components:

• 1 location tile
• 15 Tarot sized playing cards
• 4 customized wooden pieces
• 1 rules manual

Game Info:

• Designer: Jason St. Just
• Artist(s): Marc von Martial
• Developer: Uwe Walentin
• Hist. period: French Revolution
• Game length: 30 – 120 minutes+
• Players: 1 – 5 players
• Age: 14+ years
• Complexity: 5 / 10
• Solitaire: yes 10 / 10

Elevate your political scheming with 1795 The Thermidorians An Expansion for 1793 Patriots & Traitors, an immersive historical module from Sound of Drums. Designed for 1 to 5 players with a flexible playing time of 30 to 120+ minutes, this expansion continues the dramatic story of the French Revolution following the fall of Robespierre.

Integrating seamlessly into the core game, 1795 The Thermidorians adds new area control dynamics, custom wooden pieces, and a high-stakes event deck. Players navigate a treacherous ideological line between emerging Royalists and radical Sans-culottes. With the introduction of the Thermidorian political faction, you must secure the survival of the Republic without sliding back into monarchy or mob rule. It is an essential strategic addition for fans seeking historical precision and tense, asymmetric hand management.

Historical Setting & Political Theme

1795 The Thermidorians An Expansion for 1793 Patriots & Traitors plunges players right back into the volatile crucible of the French Revolution, shifting focus to the historical fallout of July 1794. Robespierre has fallen, and the bloody era known as "The Terror" is winding down. However, vacuuming out the radical Jacobins allows suppressed factions—the Royalists and the urban Sans-culottes—to step back into the light.

The namesake political faction of this expansion, the Thermidorians, aims to establish a stable, moderate Republic. They must walk an incredibly sharp line. Lean too far to the right, and the monarchy returns; lean too far to the left, and mob rule tears Paris apart again. Failure to strike this balance means facing the dreaded "Dry Guillotine" of political exile.

Core Gameplay & Major Mechanics

As an expansion, this module builds directly upon the acclaimed, asymmetric Card-Driven Game (CDG) mechanics of the base game. Designed by Jason St. Just, the expansion adapts gracefully across all player counts, scaling cleanly from tight 1 to 5-player matchups with an average playing time of 30 to 120+ minutes.

The expansion infuses the baseline political tug-of-war with fresh tactical tools:

• New Location Tile: Alters the physical landscape of Paris, adding fresh area majority calculations for controlling the streets and assembly halls.
• Tarot-Sized Playing Cards: 15 multi-functional event and strategy cards add historical dilemmas, laws, and reaction capabilities to player hands.
• Custom Wooden Pieces: Four newly designed faction meeples expand the game's premium physical aesthetic on the main board.

The semi-cooperative pressure cooker remains active. Factions must bicker internally over laws and coups while simultaneously managing the outer borders where foreign monarchies threaten to crush the young Republic.

High Replayability & Dedicated Solo Play

Wargamers and fans of historical strategy value this expansion for its ability to dramatically alter late-game state trajectories. By providing the Thermidorian player with a slight starting advantage that quickly decays into structural vulnerability, every round presents fresh tactical trade-offs. Furthermore, for single-player history enthusiasts, the game features a fully integrated 10/10 Solitaire system, making the expansion just as cutthroat and satisfying when played completely solo.

BOARDGAMEGENERAL ADVICE

Expert Recommendation

1795: The Thermidorians is a brilliant modular expansion that we at Boardgamegeneral recommend to intermediate strategy gamers and dedicated historical wargamers who already own and appreciate the base game, 1793: Patriots & Traitors. It is not a standalone product.

If your gaming group enjoys politically charged, highly interactive titles like The Republic of Rome, Martin Wallace's Liberté, or the multi-faction friction of GMT’s COIN series, this design will feel right at home. The greatest strength of this expansion is how it subverts the original game's power balance. The Thermidorian faction requires a completely different mindset: you aren't trying to build a radical regime from scratch; you are desperately trying to stabilize a careening political vehicle while everyone else tries to hijack it.

The production value matches the high standard set by publisher Sound of Drums, utilizing gorgeous Tarot cards and crisp Marc von Martial artwork. The potential drawback is that it adds more complexity to a rulebook that already demands careful reading. It is best suited for veterans of the base system rather than absolute beginners.

Verdict: A deeply atmospheric, mechanically rich expansion that beautifully chronicles the chaotic final chapters of the French Revolution. Highly recommended for fans of asymmetric card-driven strategy.