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| Designers | Richard Borg Pat Kurivial Roy Grider |
|---|---|
| Publishers | GMT Games |
| Players | 2 |
| Setup time | ~15 minutes per scenario |
| Playing time | 20 minutes - 2 hours |
| Chance | Medium |
| Age range | 12- |
| Skills | Hand management, Strategy |
| Website | http://www.gmtgames.com/ |
Commands & Colors: Ancients is a board wargame designed by Richard Borg, Pat Kurivial, and Roy Grider, and published by GMT Games in 2006. It is based on Borg's Command & Colors system using some elements similar to his other games such as Memoir '44 and Battle Cry designed to simulate the "fog of war" and uncertainty encountered on real battlefields.
Commands & Colors: Ancients focuses on the historic period of 3000 BC - 400 AD.
Components
The core game includes several hundred high-quality wood blocks in two colors for the Roman/Syracusan armies and Carthaginian army. Sheets of stickers representing different unit types must be affixed to the blocks prior to initial play. 16 small plastic counters representing "victory banners" and 7 larger plastic dice must also have stickers applied. Extra stickers are included for use as replacements. The game also contains a full color rule book, color scenario book, and two colorful two-page double-sided "cheat sheets" for players to reference during play for dice results and unit statistics. The board is a folded card stock which is laid flat for play. Hexagonal terrain pieces are laid on the board when called for by a scenario. A deck of command cards is included.
Gameplay
Units are arranged on the board according to maps and scenario descriptions in the scenario book. Players are dealt a number of command cards equal to their "command value" for the chosen scenario. Often players have different command values and therefore different amounts of cards. Players take turns playing their cards to "order" units, generally allowing the ordered units to move and conduct combat. Cards often refer to a section of the battlefield, either left, center, or right, or some combination of these. There are also many special cards that allow very specific actions. Play continues until one player earns the requisite number of victory banners for the scenario. Victory banners are earned each time a player completely eliminates an enemy unit or leader.
Expansions
Five expansions have been released for Commands & Colors: Ancients.
- Ancients Expansion Pack #1: Greece & Eastern Kingdoms
- Ancients Expansion Pack #2: Rome and the Barbarians
- Ancients Expansion Pack #3: The Roman Civil Wars
- Ancients Expansion Pack #4: Imperial Rome
- Ancients Expansion Pack #5: Epic Ancients II
Awards
Commands & Colors: Ancients won the 2006 Origins Award for Historical Board Game of the Year, the 2007 BoardGameGeek Golden Geek Award for Best 2-player Game, and was a nominee for the 2006 Charles S. Roberts Award for Best Pre-World War II Boardgame.
References
- Dr. Matt J. Carlson (2007-05-08). "Command and Colors: Ancients (Boardgame)". GamerDad.com. Retrieved 2008-06-23.
- "Origins Award Winners (2006)". Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts & Design. Retrieved 2008-01-13.
- "2007 Golden Geek Award Results". BoardGameGeek. Retrieved 2008-06-23.
External links
- Command and Colors: Ancients at BoardGameGeek
- CCAncients.net a web database and community for the game.