During its early years, Command Magazine on several occasions used extra space on its counter sheets to publish major variants to previously published games. Sometimes this was to indulge in some pretty fantastic alternate history stuff (Tiger of Ethiopia) or looks at a major what-if (Plan 1919) but in a few cases it allowed a completely new historical game (Xenophon, Successors) to be included. Pyrrhic Victory from Command No. 19 is one of these, using a mere 39 additonal counters and six pages of rules to turn I Am Spartacus into a passable simulation of one of the Roman Republic's defining moments, the war against Pyrrhus in 280-275 B.C. It was this war that proved that the Roman military system was superior to the long-established Alexandrian system and paved the way for Rome's rise to world power.
For a description of the basic system, refer to I Am Spartacus. This review will scan the differences.
For Pyrrhic victory the time scale has been changed from the monthly turns of I Am Spartacus to turns representing three months. This has little game effect, but does illustrate the arbitrariness of time and space scales in ancient period wargames. Things moved at a different (and slower) pace than later times.
Because the war with Pyrrhus occurred about two centuries earlier than the events of Spartacus, there are a number of map changes. A number of cities depicted on the Spartacus map didn't exist yet, and some cities important in 280 BC were decidedly less so 200 years later. So all on-map cities are ignored and replaced with eight markers representing the important cities for this war. In addition, the three rebel sanctuaries of Spartacus are ignored.
In Spartcus fleets play a minor role, but in the interstate conflict of Pyrrhic Victory naval forces played a major role, so another three markers and expanded rules add a naval component to the game.
About half of the remaining counters add the new leaders required while the rest add Pyrrhus' army.The Romans use units from the I Am Spartacus counter mix, with legions limited to a maximum strength of 5 (instead of 6-8).
A few of the slave units from Spartacus are used to represent various auxilliary units and the wild tribes outside the civilized zones of Carthage, Syracus, Rome and Epirus. As in the earlier game, units are full color iconic depictions of the warriors.Because it represents a traditional interstate power-politics war rather than a slave revolt, PV has a very different feel from Spartacus, but a familiar one.
The main problem for the Pyrrhus player is his army. On the one hand the units are very powerful. The six phalanxes, Agema and Thessalonian horse and Epirot Royal Foot Guards are all virtually guaranteed to decimate their foes in combat. But at the same time, they are very fragile, with all but the Epirot guard having just two steps. In a fight with a comparable number of legions the Greek troops will lose the battle of attrition with the 5-step Roman legions.
Fortunately for Pyrrhus, he won't necessarily face equal numbers. The Romans start with just four legions and have to raise the rest.
Unlike Spartacus, which depicts the core of a huge empire that extends far off-map, PV shows the adolescent Rome that has just secured its immediate neighborhood and is now looking further afield. Only four areas (Latium, Etruria, Sabina Montes and Campania) start Roman. Each player can raise new units or replenish existing ones each Spring using replacement points earned through control of provinces. Fertile provinces provide two and mountains one, giving Rome seven and Pyrrhus four RPs from their starting territories. Basically the Roman can raise a new legion every year, with some supporting auxilliary units.
Additional special rules cover elephants, sieges, and some special units.Victory is determined by scoring victory points. Most come from controlling provinces, although some can also be acquired by eliminating key units and leaders. As befits a Republic, no Roman leader is vital, and if they all die the Roman player can simply draft new ones from the Spartacus countermix. Only if Rome is captured do the Romans lose immediately. On the other hand, Pyrrhus' war depends on his personal fate, and if he is killed, he loses, no matter what the point score.
Setting up the game will take about 20 minutes and the entire five-year 20-turn war can be played in an evening.
Recommendations
(Yes) For wargamers: If interested in ancient warfare this is an interesting match up between two dissimilar military systems. Both sides are challenging to play.
(No) For collectors: Nothing special.
(No) For Eurogamers: In addition to the normal intricacy of hex-and-counter wargames this is a variant, requiring cross-referencing between two sets of rules and noticing many exceptions and changes.
Showing posts with label I Am Spartacus. Show all posts
Showing posts with label I Am Spartacus. Show all posts
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Monday, September 1, 2008
I Am Spartacus review
I Am Spartacus is an area movement-and-counter wargame depicting the slave revolt of 73 BC that shook Rome and inspired the Kirk Douglas movie "Sparatcus."
The game, which was the issue game in Command Magazine No. 15, covers the revolt from beginning to end in monthly turns. Units are Roman legions and groups of rebellious slaves of similar size. The counters are the larger 5/8-inch size that Command Magazine often used with full-color iconic warriors. Each unit is rated for its combat strength. Nearly all the slave units and some Roman units are two steps, with a weaker value on the reverse side that is generally half the value. Some units have just one step. Roman legions, on the other hand, have multiple counters each, as each step loss reduces their combat value by just one. This gives the 6- and 8-factor legions considerable staying power.
Based on the earlier Alexandros game, the 13-page rule book describes a game of low to moderate complexity by wargame standards. The colorful Mark Simonitch map is attractive and functional, depicting all of Italy and adjacent areas. Most provinces are clear terrain with some mountain areas, including the five making up the spine of Italy. There is one swamp area around where Venice would appear later in history. In addition there are three in-area rebel sanctuary locations (the Pontine Marsh, Mt. Vesuvius and the Sila Forest) where small groups of rebels can hide.
Unlike Alexandros, I Am Spartacus is a chaotic game where both sides will be forced into opportunistic play. The rebels have to raise rebellion across Italy while avoiding getting caught in a pitched battle with superior Roman forces. The Romans, on the other hand, start with few forces and have to be careful during the early stages of the revolt about getting defeated in detail. The Roman player has an overwhelming amount of force available, eventually, but pays a considerable cost in victory points if he calls on too much of it. The revolt came while Rome was in the midst of some foreign wars and troops recalled to home hurt the war effort abroad.
The biggest change from Alexandros is the combat system. Instead of the odds-based CRT system in its predecessor, I Am Spartacus uses a firepower-based system where each unit rolls a die against its combat strength to score a hit. This means that a full-strength 6-factor Roman legion is guaranteed a hit and also means that the Romans will win any battle of attrition.
Battles are handled schematically, similar to Alexandros, except without the strict division into left, right, center and reserve. Now each player simply lines up his units against their opposite numbers. Units that defeat their opposite numbers can breakthrough and fight at increased effectiveness against enemy units to either side of the breakthrough. This is another advantage for the multi-step Roman legions, as they are the most likely to survive long enough to achieve a break through.
All the major leaders are present, including Spartacus, Pompey and Crassus. The core of the slave army is the 7-factor, four-step Gladiator unit, which is the only Spartacist unit that can recover strength. If eliminated it is gone for good, so naturally it is a prime Roman target. Slaves that revolt start off as 2-factor, one-step slave gangs of limited value. Spartacus can attempt to train up the slave gangs to real fighting men. Trained slaves are replaced with randomly drawn units of slingers or ethnic fighters including Gall-Germans, Greeks and others.
As the slave revolt had little chance of overthrowing the Roman state, the game assesses victory at a more modest level. Essentially, the more extensive and longer-lasting the revolt, the better for Spartacus. The Roman player is trying to suppress the revolt as quickly as possible while using as few troops as he can. Spartacus earns VPs for killing Roman legions and leaders, for slaves who escape off the map (only certain types are eligible) and for having an ongoing rebellion at game end (turn 17). The Romans get points for killing rebels and leaders and lose points for calling on the substantial forces they have available. If Spartacus captures Rome he wins instantly. If the Romans kill Spartacus before turn 17, they win immediately.
The game is playable in one sitting and only takes about a quarter hour to set up. There is just one scenario.
There is also a major variant called "Pyrrhic Victory" from Command No. 19, that uses the same map and many of the same units.
Recommendations
(Yes) For Wargamers: An unusual ancient campaign with a dramatic theme.
(No) For Collectors: No remarkable collectibility.
(No) For Euro gamers: As a hex-and-counter wargame the game play is intricate and detailed and play balance a secondary consideration.
The game, which was the issue game in Command Magazine No. 15, covers the revolt from beginning to end in monthly turns. Units are Roman legions and groups of rebellious slaves of similar size. The counters are the larger 5/8-inch size that Command Magazine often used with full-color iconic warriors. Each unit is rated for its combat strength. Nearly all the slave units and some Roman units are two steps, with a weaker value on the reverse side that is generally half the value. Some units have just one step. Roman legions, on the other hand, have multiple counters each, as each step loss reduces their combat value by just one. This gives the 6- and 8-factor legions considerable staying power.
Based on the earlier Alexandros game, the 13-page rule book describes a game of low to moderate complexity by wargame standards. The colorful Mark Simonitch map is attractive and functional, depicting all of Italy and adjacent areas. Most provinces are clear terrain with some mountain areas, including the five making up the spine of Italy. There is one swamp area around where Venice would appear later in history. In addition there are three in-area rebel sanctuary locations (the Pontine Marsh, Mt. Vesuvius and the Sila Forest) where small groups of rebels can hide.
Unlike Alexandros, I Am Spartacus is a chaotic game where both sides will be forced into opportunistic play. The rebels have to raise rebellion across Italy while avoiding getting caught in a pitched battle with superior Roman forces. The Romans, on the other hand, start with few forces and have to be careful during the early stages of the revolt about getting defeated in detail. The Roman player has an overwhelming amount of force available, eventually, but pays a considerable cost in victory points if he calls on too much of it. The revolt came while Rome was in the midst of some foreign wars and troops recalled to home hurt the war effort abroad.
The biggest change from Alexandros is the combat system. Instead of the odds-based CRT system in its predecessor, I Am Spartacus uses a firepower-based system where each unit rolls a die against its combat strength to score a hit. This means that a full-strength 6-factor Roman legion is guaranteed a hit and also means that the Romans will win any battle of attrition.
Battles are handled schematically, similar to Alexandros, except without the strict division into left, right, center and reserve. Now each player simply lines up his units against their opposite numbers. Units that defeat their opposite numbers can breakthrough and fight at increased effectiveness against enemy units to either side of the breakthrough. This is another advantage for the multi-step Roman legions, as they are the most likely to survive long enough to achieve a break through.
All the major leaders are present, including Spartacus, Pompey and Crassus. The core of the slave army is the 7-factor, four-step Gladiator unit, which is the only Spartacist unit that can recover strength. If eliminated it is gone for good, so naturally it is a prime Roman target. Slaves that revolt start off as 2-factor, one-step slave gangs of limited value. Spartacus can attempt to train up the slave gangs to real fighting men. Trained slaves are replaced with randomly drawn units of slingers or ethnic fighters including Gall-Germans, Greeks and others.
As the slave revolt had little chance of overthrowing the Roman state, the game assesses victory at a more modest level. Essentially, the more extensive and longer-lasting the revolt, the better for Spartacus. The Roman player is trying to suppress the revolt as quickly as possible while using as few troops as he can. Spartacus earns VPs for killing Roman legions and leaders, for slaves who escape off the map (only certain types are eligible) and for having an ongoing rebellion at game end (turn 17). The Romans get points for killing rebels and leaders and lose points for calling on the substantial forces they have available. If Spartacus captures Rome he wins instantly. If the Romans kill Spartacus before turn 17, they win immediately.
The game is playable in one sitting and only takes about a quarter hour to set up. There is just one scenario.
There is also a major variant called "Pyrrhic Victory" from Command No. 19, that uses the same map and many of the same units.
Recommendations
(Yes) For Wargamers: An unusual ancient campaign with a dramatic theme.
(No) For Collectors: No remarkable collectibility.
(No) For Euro gamers: As a hex-and-counter wargame the game play is intricate and detailed and play balance a secondary consideration.
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