The first game in I managed to lose from a strong position when Hannibal wan vanquished in battle and had nowhere to retreat to. I hadn't realised he could have counterattacked to take back the initiative during the battle. Bad move!
In the second game my Carthaginians absolutely dominated due to Roman uncertainly about how to proceed strategically and were ahead 11 provinces to 7 prior to Scipio Africanus making his appearance. Showing himself to be worthy of the name, he of the gens Cornelia promptly sailed to Carthage; four card plays later, he had taken it for the victory! I was a bit brassed off with myself for losing (again) from a strong position, but I suppose I can console myself with the thought that I'm in reasonably good company... In this case there were only two cards in the deck that could have stopped me relieving the siege of Carthage, and I had a nasty feeling the old man had them both in his hand. I gambled on him having only one of them and - predictably - paid the price!
Full marks to the old fulla - he once again showed himself to be a canny opponent and a good advertisement for the benefits of a regular diet of chess. No matter what the game, and no matter how unfamiliar its concepts might be, he is able to quickly assess what needs to be done to win and then goes about doing it. It has been a great few days and I'm not looking forward to their leaving tomorrow.
As for Hannibal, it is an intriguing game. It seems to require a curious mix of prudence and daring; no doubt the mark of a good player is knowing when each is called for. I think it will take me a while to get the balance right because - as the picture below shows - if I can lose from this position it is hard to know how I will ever win!
On that note, cheers, and all the best for 2012!
I'm not really a boardgames player, but this one looks pretty cool. I'd like to try it out as an after dinner game or something. Dean
ReplyDeleteIt looks great!!!!
ReplyDeleteUsed to play this lots when the Avalon Hill version first came out (1996-ish). A great game. Have not play for over 13 years but still have it, ready to find time to play again (I can find opponents so finding the time is the issue). My special skill was losing as Hannibal from a strong position. Reading your post, maybe it is not as speacial as I thought.
ReplyDeleteI played this a year or so ago- 'twas very good. Are you planning to use it with a campaign?
ReplyDeleteSimon
Dean - yes, it's a keeper. First game needed a lot of rulebook flipping, but the second not so much. Third game I think we'd have the rules about sussed. You might want to have an early dinner to play it in an evening though ;-)
ReplyDeleteHK - if you're a fan of the era I'd certainly recommend it.
Shaun - glad to hear someone else has managed to make a habit of snatching defeat from victory! I know it can be played by email, so if you felt like giving it a go, give me a shout.
Simon - I think it could be done, but I don't have a large enough circle of gaming buddies!
Cheers, all!
Aaron
Aaron,
ReplyDeleteI am interested in playing by email, but I have no idea how it would be done with the card management - is there an app out there that handles it? Contact me at shaun AT wizkid DOT com DOT au when you are ready for a game. I hope the board fits into one of the spare map drawers - I will have to check!
Sounds good, Shaun. I'll be in touch!
ReplyDeleteAn interesting game; I'll have to keep an eye out for it. I've just got Roma Invicta from the Society of Ancients. Have you seen it?
ReplyDeleteHi Mark - yes, I do have Roma Invicta somewhere. I've played it a couple of times, but it didn't grab me quite as much as this game has. Will be interested to hear what you think of RI when you get a chance to play it.
ReplyDeleteCheers,
Aaron
After finishing the current SYW game, Peter, Graham and I will be commencing a miniatures campaign using this game for the narrative map stuff. We will use amended Command and Colours rules, as per the notes for hex-less CaC in Slingshot 271, to play the miniatures games. It's a great game, both are.
ReplyDeleteThat sounds good, James. I enjoyed the campaign you did using your other PW rules too. I have a hexless variant for C&C, but have never quite had the stamina to play a campaign: it would have to be a solo one for me, unfortunately!
DeleteI'd be interested to hear how you plan to convert the board situation to C&C and vice versa, so will be checking your blog for updates!
Cheers, and thanks for dropping by,
Aaron