Command & Colors: Ancients (hereafter CC:A) is deceiving. After the first few sessions I was disappointed, the game seemed too simplistic and abstract. CC:A, though, has a depth with belies its simple rules and mechanics, and which only becomes apparent after repeated play.
This review assumes familiarity with the mechanics of the Command & Colors system shared with Memoir 44, Battle Cry, and Battlelore. If you are reading this, you probably already know the basic card play mechanic and the resulting orders for ‘X’ units on left/center/right. If not, there are many other reviews on BGG that you should read first in order to best understand this review.
Instead, this review will focus on several key mechanics that make CC:A a good simulation of ancient warfare (far better than is generally recognized) while remaining any extremely fun and playable game. I will also compare CC:A to Memoir 44 and Battlelore, in order to demonstrate why CC:A is the best of the bunch (I haven’t played Battle Cry and can’t comment on that).
I feel I must apologize for the length of the review. I tried to accomplish three things: first to compare CC:A to its Command and Colors siblings, second, to explain why it’s a great game, and finally, to provide some historical basis for why I thinks is a better simulation than is generally acknowledged. If you want to skip the historical references, I italicized them so you can pick them out easily
Components
First a word about the game’s components. Due to the number of comments on BGG about GMT components, I’ll go more in depth here than for most of my reviews. Please feel free to skip ahead to the game play section if components aren’t a big concern of yours.
The map
The map in the base game is marginal. It is a heavy cardstock map (GMT’s ‘deluxe map’) similar to that found in Twilight Struggle. Usually, paper and cardstock maps don’t bother me since I simply cover them in plexiglass. But for a game like CC:A, this is a less than ideal solution, since CC:A is a very portable game otherwise: simple to teach and quick to play. Lugging around a piece of plexiglass hurts the game’s portability.
Don’t believe those that say the map doesn’t lay flat, a simple back fold will fix that every time. A more vexing problem is that, due to the way the map is sliced for folding, when laid flat the map ends don’t meet in the middle, leaving a small gap in the middle of the map. 993
I also don’t care for the large game title in the middle of the map, but that tends to disappear once the action gets started.
The mounted map found in expansions #2 and #3
Fortunately there is an easy map fix out there. Buy either expansion number 2 or 3; each includes a true hard mounted map. For a game this good, you’ll want the expansions anyway (all of them!) so this is not a big deal to me.
update: Newer versions come with a mounted map, problem solved!
The dice
Yes, I’m nit picking but I didn’t really care for the dice either (particularly the now-retired hollow ones in the first edition). Again, though, there is an easy fix: the really nice wooden dice from Valley Games. According to their site, the dice will be back in stock in September 2008 – or you can check ebay if you can’t wait. Again, a small investment ($7) that will increase your appreciation of a fine game.
Valley Games custom dice
The blocks
For certain games, I love plastic miniatures. Descent is a game that absolutely requires them, and in Memoir 44 they work well. For CC:A however, blocks are flat out better than miniatures. First of all, they are more colorful. I like Memoirs green and field-gray armies fine, but Battlelore’s single color and shared sculpt armies just don’t cut it for me, and pretty much require hundreds of hours of painting to look good. By contrast, CC:A blocks looks great after a few hours of applying stickers. Second, in their straight lines they are move evocative of the dressed lines of troops that made up the ancient battlefield. Third, with so many different troops types, the cost of miniatures would have been prohibitive. And the variety of unit types is one of CC:A’s main strengths. Finally, the blocks are easier to move as a group.
Dress those lines soldier! 581