Age of Hannibal - Messana 264BC

 'Age of Hannibal' by the guys over at Little Wars TV is a superb game!

I am no ancients expert - indeed, my excitement over ancients is most succinctly exemplified by violent dudes and luscious ladies in the early 00s 'Spartacus' show, and bad experiences with 5th edition WRG and DBA. Anyway - these rules are superb.

I get that an ancients 'expert' will be all over rules mechanisms from WRG 5th and 6th through DBA then DBM etc etc etc...and to the evolution of javelin and kontos and points values of same, as i either fall asleep or drink their wine... 

I could argue that ancients 5th ed WRG was what got me into wargaming in 1980, and similarly what pushed me into other periods VERY quickly because of its lack of cohesion and the actual lack of anything which could be considered enjoyment...however, I digress.

 These rules incorporate a number of design mechanisms from years gone by - that said, they incorporate the Chipco mechanisms from the rules of the same name in the 90s / 00s.

• The morale clock (a d10 as indicator) counts down as your army takes hits over the opponent and vs a threshold number - meaning that units will start to degrade faster, and you will have to assign morale 'hits' as same degrades. Keeping on top of your opponent's actions re. the morale clock is the name of the game, whilst fighting for tactical advantage.
• Combat is beautifully simple (d8s plus mod-  beat for DMZ marker or double etc.), and thereby devastatingly final - command is what you  have to think about.
• The morale clock, as it works downward. thereby controls the number of units you can move - unless you remain cohesive - and in command; combat and hits and general movement and your opponent want to prevent same. 
• Units, based on troop type, also therefore have 'traits' that affect combat, morale, movement through others, rallying etc. It all works well - the main thing being that until you get the hang of your army, there's a lot to forget - show me a set of rules where that does not happen, and this improves with experience of the mechanisms and rules. 

This scenario has one problem however: the allies, Greeks and Carthaginians hate each other, but have decided today to fight their common enemy - the Romans (it's like MSNBC and ABC clubbed together to fight Fox News...but with less violence...).

I played the allies - and my daughter, having taken an interest in ancient history recently - would take the Glory of (early) Rome.

The game is very straightforward - and can be hacked for many ancient/medieval periods with ease. Worth consideration is an R.E.Howard based Hyboria campaign with it. that would be epic, and align with Tony Bath's excellent work in the 1960s in his legendary Hyboria campaign I think...   

The setup for Messana - Hanno with Carthaginians who have deserted the city at top left, Romans outside the city of Messana with enemies on flanks, and Hiero II with the Syracusan army, who have taken a break from bullying the Carthaginians, to fight a common enemy, at bottom right...

The might of Rome (and HAT 20mm plastic, and Airfix 1970s fort, and polystyrene covered in polyfilla...)

Greeks - famous for moral philosophy, democracy, and kebabs.

Appius Claudius finishes his apple

The Greek / Syracusan lines

Early attacks across the river

The Roman reserve

My opponent's nails done this morning - I have been asked to let the internet see this superb nail art...

...if 5 DMZ (demoralizations) or kills happen in the turn (bar skirmishers), then someone will lose on the morale clock - so those 'hits' have to be managed

Carthaginian troops stay silent - for now

Romans cross the river - the reserve and a foray face the Carthaginian forces

First hits on the Carthaginians

Heavy fighting with the skirmishers and Hoplites...

The new nails - and the attack against the Carthaginian elements

Hoplites under pressure...

Romans start to get the better of the Hoplites, who have ...let's say, questionable loyalty to the cause...

...though Carthaginians do not give up easily

The Hoplites are losing steadily...

...though cavalry actions on the flank persist

The Roman reserve - decides that it will take on the Carthaginian force...

...as the Greeks are beaten

...the end of the Syracusan/Greek element

The Roman reserve closes

The Final Battle

In the end, the Romans would defeat the disparate Carthaginian/Syracuse force, which could never seem to consolidate its efforts.

A truly great set of rules; simple, but not simplistic, without all the bullshit which would otherwise convert a game into an exercise in rampant futility. recommended. Game designers who do not want to make money from hardback books full of crap, but who give a shit about how the game plays, could learn a lot from these rules and scenarios.

1914 Battle

 Some action with the ww1 version of 'Iron Cross' and 'Seven Days to the River Rhine'.

'1914' is early war stuff, so cavalry and not tanks. We did not get to try the cavalry rules here, though they have nice mechanisms surrounding elements which have to be 'reconned' before establishing where the main force is vs scouting elements, which is a nice touch, and might see some hacking if this scale (units are battalions) were used for a ww2 version in terms of armour.

Other differences (as noted) include the scale - where a stand is a company and moves as part of a battalion sized 'line' unit, as opposed to 'Iron Cross' and 'Seven Days' which are tank to tank.

Now in the past, great fun has been had with WW2, WW3 and Arab-Israeli War versions for these rule-sets.

Advantages there have been very obvious, in terms of act / counter-act for tokens and general excitement, and despite a lot of play and refinement of the ww2 version, we have found that ww3 play - with tokens, and nail-biting action - actually 'feels' like fast moving action in 1980s West Germany (absence of artillery notwithstanding). 

Bekaa Valley 1982 action in 20mm with 'Seven Days'. This one was particularly 'down to the wire'.

Action in West Germany 1985 - in 1/200 with 'Seven Days'

 

20mm WW2 Eastern Front with 'Iron Cross'

 Therein lies the problem for ww1; the units are battalions with MGs - moving essentially in lines, and though we still have the move - counter-move etc, there is nothing like a large Main Battle Tank to break the monotony of an advance or defence. Obviously, those are absent here, and so I did question the validity of the 'game' mechanism for this type of confrontation. It does make for drab gameplay as it becomes a game of numbers, odds, and staying awake.

Little nuances like the activation chit, and the d6 conversion for d10 hits, become a chore rather than a nail-biting line in the narrative. 

'Seven Days to the River Rhine' for me, was the pinnacle of this design mechanism - it rocks along and is exciting - moving tanks, or revealing armour on the crestline, helicopter popups, infantry assaults at the infantryman level view...First World War feels regressive in nature due to the absence of same. 

That said, there is still a game here, but with lots of add-ons for ww1 'fun', such as MG proclivities and large calibre guns, and battalion upgrades etc.- perhaps a stretch. For ww1, perhaps 'Field of Battle' might be a more viable option, with that system's degree of battlefield chaos lending credence to the difficulties of command, rather than attempting to graft a system based on 'gamey excitement' onto a level and period of conflict where it can not exist in the same context as the previous offerings of this system. 

German MGs

The objective - guarded by French units

 

  

The French right flank, would fall to superior numbers

  

Red trousers

 

The German Assault

 

The last French company - more red trousers

Lots of command chits

Excellent 10mm units on both sides