History
When the Napoleonic rule About Bonaparte was taking its final shape,
questions came from enthusiastic wargame friends to do “something similar” for
the Ancient period as a lot of lovely new 54mm figures had come on the market
ranging from the Punic Wars to the Crusades.
At first sight, it seems impossible to compare both eras.
Yet the basic principle of operating in groups and units under the command of
officers (or chieftains) led by a general (or king) remained more or less the same.
Compared to the Napoleonic era, however, the Ancients make minimal use of
rigid formations but instead have a greater variety in weapons and armour
influencing a more diverse way of fighting. More protection such as cumbersome
big shields or heavy chainmail means less mobility and choosing any type of
armament or armour will have benefits to the way of fighting, but will also
always carry downsides.
Inspired by other rules, I made the same mistake of trying to take into account
too complex combinations of troop types, calculating the armour influence with
numerous die modifications, which resulted in more time spent checking the
modification sheets rather than playing the game.
Fortunately, Alex put me on track again: more standard types and a few
exceptions for the very special units that had a specific influence on the fight.
Still, the greater variety in armament, armour and battlefield behaviour made
the whole more complex than the Napoleonic rule.
A first difference with About Bonaparte is the separation of
infantry in light, medium and heavy units based on their way
of fighting. A further differentiation is not necessary as
battlefield behaviour is determined by armament and armour:
heavily armed and armoured units will fight in compact
formations and are unsuitable for skirmisher actions.
The totally different battle development heralded a second major adaptation.
Once in close combat, units kept fighting until one side broke. Therefore, the flag
procedure had to be rewritten.
Additional adaptations remained limited and finally the rule was taking shape.
Large battles with Romans against Carthage or Macedon, or medieval battles
were working well and demands for changes to the rules were slowly reduced to
none.
Once again, putting everything on paper in detail and illustrated with drawings
proved to be a time-consuming business .
Theoretical problems that appeared when writing out the rule required a clear
solution. Questions on army compositions led to an army list.
Now you have in front of you a rule that works with the same dice as About
Bonaparte, has the same dynamic look and feel, yet reflects the specificity of
ancient and medieval battles well.
Three units to each side and a table as battlefield suffice to start a test game.
You will also need a measure, and 6-sided die with one empty side, two sides
with an “I”, one side with a “C”, one with an “A” and the last side with a flag.
If you have only the usual 6-sided die numbered 1 to 6, use them this way: 1 =
empty ; 2 = I ; 3 = I ; 4 = A ; 5 = C ; 6 = flag
To measure in inches: all distances in the rules are a multiple of
5cm, and 5cm equals 2”, so it is easy to do conversions.
All you need now is a fair attitude and a winning mood.