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Better Tactics
#1
I've been playing GMT's Simple Great Battles of History. It's a good series. All my Roman games are based on the Marian legion. If they ever reprint them, I'll buy some that use the pre-Marian legion.<br>
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Do any of you people have any house rules that make these games match more closely what we know about the tactics of the Marius-Sulla-Caesar era? There, I've opened a can of worms with that one!<br>
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I know about consimworld, but nearly all the post there are play oriented rather than simulation oriented.<br>
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I am looking for house rules that would increase the feel of what the armies of this era actually did tactically speaking.<br>
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I'm not sure if Jenny will appreciate this thread since it concerns a commercial publisher's product, so feel free to email me if you prefer.<br>
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<p></p><i></i>
Tom Mallory
NY, USA
Wannabe winner of the corona
graminea and the Indy 500.
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#2
I think the world of Ancient wargame players is fairly divided between those who feel GBoH is a good representation of Ancient Combat, and those (like me) who feel it is a rather lousy simulation. The former seem happy with the game as is, and the latter I would guess play other things (though there are few enough tactical games on this period at the moment).<br>
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You can check the [url=http://patriot.net/~townsend/GBoH/gboh.html" target="top]GBOH Page[/url] for house rules, but I doubt you'll find much of that sort there (lots of other interesting things, though).<br>
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If I may suggest an alternative tactical game for the Ancient period, try [url=http://www.soa.org.uk/resource/articles/strategos.htm" target="top]Strategos[/url] from the Society of Ancients by Philip Sabin. Sabin is one of the leading historians on Roman warfare, as well as teaching courses on Conflict and Conflict simulation at KCL in the UK. While Strategos was designed as a miniatures game, it can easily be played as a boardgame (this is how I mostly have played it - cannibalizing parts from other games as required). The basic game includes some 48 scenarios from Marathon to Philippi, and most scenarios are playable in 1.5 to 2 hours.<br>
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There is also a simple computer version of the game available from the SOA as well, that allows PBeM. Rumor has it that a version 2 might be on the way soon (updating the game with the suggested optional rules + scenarios that are freely available on the [url=http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/Strategos_rules/" target="top]mailing list[/url]).<br>
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At £5, the price is not exactly frightening. <p>Strategy <br>
Designer/Developer <br>
Imperium - Rise of Rome</p><i>Edited by: <A HREF=http://p200.ezboard.com/bromanarmytalk.showUserPublicProfile?gid=strategym>StrategyM</A> at: 8/31/04 12:01 am<br></i>
Regards,

Michael A./MicaByte
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#3
I went to that link StrategyM. Thanks for the tip. It sounds like since I am a boardgame player I'd be better off with the old rules, (the ones that use hexes). Do you have a link to those?<br>
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You know it occured to me that maybe what a game developer should do is create a simulation at the tactical level, the player taking the role of a legion commander. At the scale of a century this would give a player about 60 units to manage. He would have some heavy infantry, light infantry/archers/slingers, and some cavalry. He would have to fight them all efficiently to win. This is obviously a different game scale than the GMT games, but maybe it is the best way to solve the problem. Just a thought. <p></p><i></i>
Tom Mallory
NY, USA
Wannabe winner of the corona
graminea and the Indy 500.
Reply
#4
<strong>It sounds like since I am a boardgame player I'd be better off with the old rules, (the ones that use hexes). Do you have a link to those?</strong><br>
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Phalanx is very "chess-like", in that there are no dice involved in the game. So victory (or defeat) is entirely up to skill instead of luck. It was published in Slingshot (the SOA journal) issue 165.<br>
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Legion is available for sale directly from the Society. Its somewhere in between Phalanx and Legion. The components is simple cardboard stock that you'll have to cut out yourself.<br>
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Strategos is a simpler game than Legion; but actually a better simulation and game IMO (I own all three). As mentioned, it is very easy to convert to a boardgame - which is my preferred way to play it (with miniatures, I prefer more complex rules).<br>
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Again - at £5 for Strategos and £3 for Legion, I would consider getting both of them, if you want to try the hex system as well.<br>
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I'm not quite sure I understand your suggestion. Personally, I lean more towards Prof. Sabin's approach - zooming out to focus on the grand-tactical view to achieve a better "simulation". This puts the focus much more clearly on the General's "game", IMO.<br>
<p>Strategy <br>
Designer/Developer <br>
Imperium - Rise of Rome</p><i></i>
Regards,

Michael A./MicaByte
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