Command & Colours: Akragas (406 BC)

An enjoyable game of C&C Ancients playing the Syracusan side. It proved to be a narrow victory for my AI opponent.

 

The battle was very close. I thought I had a perfect opportunity to gain victory when I managed to co-ordinate a line advance of my heavy infantry units in the centre. Unfortunately it didn't generate the results I was hoping for. Within a move the Carthaginians had  counter-attacked and destroyed the final unit to get a fifth banner.

One Hour Wargames: Romans v Goths

I hadn't played a game from the Ancients period yet so I decided to try a line-up of Goths v Romans set in the Late Antiquity period using the Dark Age ruleset.

I decided to go for a straightforward deployment for both sides.

The Romans had a superior force composition as the Auxiliaries (warband) were rated as elite and the cataphracts were treated as armoured cavalry. This proved to be very helpful in hand-to-hand combat.

The Goths got off to a poor start and this continued with their activation rolls and the impact of disruptive command events. In contrast the Romans had better luck and a particulary memorable command event with the drawing of the inspirational leadership card. This had a major boost to the hotly engaged army at this vital juncture.

Here was the moment when the Gothic general and his unit of warband was destroyed. 

The game ended with a rout of the Gothic forces with the loss of four units - I conceded on behalf of them ending the game on turn 7. 

I enjoyed the game. Even though it was a basic line-up the use of my command event and activation rules, the break-off option I've devised and the influence of unit morale ratings all contributed to make it an interesting and involved contest.

 

 

 

My Collection: Advanced Heroquest

This game has been in my collection since it came out in 1989. A great follow up to the brilliant Heroquest. 

I never got the Terror in the Dark supplement but I did obtain a copy of the rulebook and was able to use the tables for the additional monster races that interested me. I was never particularly fond of the Skaven and much preferred the traditional undead and orc monster selections.

The components still look great. The rules and design still stand up against modern game systems.

Memoir'44: Omaha Beach

This is a tough scenario for the Americans. I used my Equipment Pack landing craft which makes the game more atmospheric.

The tanks are important to get a breakthrough and reach behind the German defensive line.

 The close up shows the daunting task these troops had to get up the beach.

I was playing the Americans against my AI opponent which didn't have much luck in card draws. Getting a breakout and forcing my way beyond the bluff was an important achievement and earned me a satisfying victory. 

My Collection: Age of Napoleon

Here is the setup for the Austerlitz Scenario for the First Edition Phalanx Games version. It really is a lovely looking game with a beautiful board and large, chunky, thick counters.

The rules aren't that difficult to master and the use of cards introduces the variability and period flavour as the conflict rages back and forth and the diplomatic landscape constantly shifts. A fine addition to my collection picked up at a very reasonable price at my local wargame show Claymore a couple of years ago.

 

 

My Collection: Stellar Conquest Avalon Hill (1984)

Another one of my Bookcase games produced by Avalon Hill, this one a classic 4X space exploration and empire builder. I believe it inspired a lot of video games which came later.

The artwork is very retro and the overall look reminds me of the 1950s science fiction vision. When I play this game I put myself in that kind of placeand not the more modern Star Wars / Star Trek representations of the future.

There is quite a lot of paperwork and a record sheet for each player needs to be completed. I suppose this is a feature of the time the game was published. I don't really mind this that much but playing the game solo becomes quite an involved experience. There are some good solo rules in the Avalon Hll General magazine that I'm going to use.

I did get some assistance from space cat, perhaps a little too much!