COMMANDS & COLORS ANCIENTS

Expansion 5 – Epic Ancients II

Available from GMT Games

Epic Ancients II allows players to re-fight some of the battles of the Ancient World on an Epic scale. Epic Ancients was first introduced in Expansion 3, where four scenarios were included to be played on a double-width board. This expansion of the Commands & Colors series brings that initial introduction into focus with additional scenarios, a new Command card deck and an updated Rule Book.

The box includes

• Updated Rulebook
• A special Command deck of 100 cards, modified for Epic play
• Two wooden card holders
• Eight double-sided scenario cards covering larger battles from Marathon in 490 B.C. to Arausio in 105 B.C.
• Two Player Aide cards explaining the Command cards

To play any of the scenarios in this set you need to own the Core set of C & C Ancients for the Battle Dice. You will also need Expansions 2 and 3 as the source of the gameboards. Instead of a battlefield of 13 x 9 hexes, the Epic field is 26 x 9 hexes.

The Battlefield is still divided up into three sections Right, Center and Left. The way to play Epic Ancients is with a team of four players per side. One player acts as the overall commander, each of the other three players per side is in charge of a section of the battlefield.

The overall commander has control of the hand of Command Cards. The individual section commanders have complete control over their units. The overall commander can play up to three Field Command cards in a turn, one for each section of the board. Each card is given to the individual commanders to execute. The overall commander may consult with only one of his section commanders after playing the cards. This must be done out of earshot of the other Field Commanders. The Field Commanders now proceed to execute the orders on the specific card given them. This may not always be in line with the plans of the overall commander. This system simulates that some commanders receive their orders by courier and not directly from the Supreme General.

The overall gameplay of Epic Ancients is the same as the individual games. The sequence of play is as follows:

• Play Command Cards, Order Units and Leaders
• Move ordered units
• Battle
• Draw new Command Cards
• Movement and Battle (Combat) for individual units is designated on the Player Aide cards included in the expansion providing the forces.

While you may not be always able to get eight players together to play the included scenarios of this expansion, when you can your experience will be much closer to what was faced by the actual commanders in the ancient world. I can recommend this expansion to wargaming clubs and larger groups who wish to experience the actual feel of ancient combat from a command point of view. Happy Gaming!

Scenarios Expansion 5

• Marathon 490BC Greek Persian
• Plataea 479BC Greek Persian
• Crimissos River 341BC Carthaginian Syracusan
• Gaugamela 331BC Macedonian Persian
• Hydaspes 326BC Macedonian Indian
• Paraitacene 317BC Successor(Eumenes) Successor(Antigonus)
• Beneventum 275BC Epirote Roman
• Bagradas 253BC Carthaginian Roman
• Clusium 225BC Gallic Roman
• Lake Trasimenus 217BC Carthaginian Roman
• Raphia 217BC Ptolemaic Selucid
• Cannae 216BC Carthiginian Roman
• Ilipa 206BC Carthaginian Roman
• Zama 202BC Carthaginian Roman
• Epic Dertosa 216BC Carthaginian Roman
• Arausio 105BC Germanic tribes Roman