Playing the Game: Commands & Colors: Ancients

Hi there! I’m here to guide you through the exciting world of Commands & Colors: Ancients. Let’s dive in and discover how to play this amazing game!

Setting Up

First, let’s set up the game board. You’ll lay out the terrain hexes according to the scenario you’re playing. Place your units on their starting positions and assign a color to each player. Now, it’s time to start battling!

Taking Your Turn

When it’s your turn, you’ll draw a Command card. This card tells you which units you can activate and how many orders you can issue. You can order units to move, battle, or play a special action. Keep in mind that the cards are divided into three sections, so you need to choose wisely!

After you issue your orders, it’s time to roll the dice and see what happens. The dice will determine the outcome of your units’ actions. Will you achieve victory or face defeat? Every roll is a potential game-changer!

Battling Your Enemies

Engaging in battles is a crucial part of Commands & Colors: Ancients. When you attack, you’ll roll dice to determine if you hit your target. The number of dice you roll depends on various factors, such as unit type and terrain. Strategy and luck will both come into play here!

Don’t forget to consider terrain and unit strengths. Certain terrain hexes provide advantages for the defender, so choose your battles wisely. Understand your units’ strengths and weaknesses to make the most of your attacks. A well-planned assault can turn the tide of the game!

Rallying Your Troops

During battles, your units may become disordered or forced to retreat. But don’t worry! You can use Rally cards to regain control and keep your troops motivated. These cards allow you to recover, reposition, and strike back. Make sure to use them wisely to maintain your advantage!

Winning the Game

The ultimate goal in Commands & Colors: Ancients is to score victory banners. You earn these by eliminating enemy units or achieving specific objectives. Be strategic, tactical, and adaptable to secure the most banners and claim victory!

Ready for Battle?

Now that you know the basics, it’s time to gather your troops, devise your strategies, and immerse yourself in the thrilling world of Commands & Colors: Ancients. Take command, lead your forces to victory, and make history on the battlefield!

Welcome to the world of Commands & Colors: Ancients! This incredible game system lets you step into the shoes of legendary commanders and experience the most crucial battles from ancient history. With each scenario, you’ll dive deep into historical warfare, studying real-life deployments of forces and crucial terrain features. The great thing is that the scale of the game can change from one battle to another, giving you a unique experience every time.

Imagine this: you’re commanding a massive legion of soldiers, marching them across the battlefield, or maybe you’re in charge of a small group of fearless warriors, fighting for survival. No matter the scale, the game system allows you to immerse yourself in the intensity of ancient warfare.

It’s incredible how the game captures the complexity of ancient battles while still being accessible and enjoyable. You don’t need to be an expert in history or strategy to have an amazing time. The game system is designed to be flexible, allowing you to adapt and learn as you go.

Are you ready to step into history? Commands & Colors: Ancients is your gateway to ancient warfare like you’ve never experienced before. Prepare to be captivated by the thrill of commanding armies and making tactical decisions that will shape the course of history. Get your game set up, choose your scenario, and let the battle begin!

The Command card system is what drives movement on the battlefield, creates a sense of uncertainty, and provides players with exciting challenges and opportunities. Meanwhile, the battle dice make combat quick and efficient. The tactics you’ll need to employ to secure victory perfectly align with the strengths and limitations of different ancient unit types, their weapons, the terrain, and historical context.

In this core game of the series, our focus is on the clashes between Rome and Carthage, with a few scenarios that also pit Carthage against other historical foes.

What’s Included

• 1 Battlefield Gameboard
• 3 Sheets with 45 double-sided Terrain Tiles
• 60 Command cards
• 7 Battle dice
• 5 Block and Dice Label sheets
• 2 Reference Cards
• 1 Core Series Rule Book

If you’re new to this game, I suggest starting with Akgragas. It’s a battle with fewer units and no terrain rules, making it easier to learn. Here’s what you’ll need:

1. A Scenario Book with 15 battle scenarios.

2. 345 Blocks in gray for Roman units, brown for Carthaginian units, and black for Victory Banners.

To set up the game:

1. Choose a battle from the scenario section of the booklet.

2. Place the game board in the center of the table. The scenario will tell you which army is at the top and bottom of the battlefield. Sit on the side closest to the army you’ll command.

3. Arrange the terrain hexes according to the battle scenario map.

Once you’ve set everything up, you’ll be ready to dive into the world of Commands & Colors: Ancients!

I’m here to guide you through the exciting world of ancient warfare! Let’s dive right into the rules and setup for the game.

To get started, we’ll need some victory banners, as well as blocks representing the Carthaginian forces and Roman forces. You’ll place these blocks on the board, making sure their positions match the battle map of the scenario we’re playing. Each unit symbol represents a whole unit, so keep that in mind.

Next, we’ll shuffle the Command card deck really well. Each player will receive Command cards based on the scenario’s War Council notes. These cards are secret, so make sure to keep them hidden from your opponent. The remaining deck will be placed face down, near the battlefield, so it’s easily accessible to both players.

Make sure you have the seven battle dice within reach as well. These will come in handy during the game.

Before we begin, let’s quickly go over any special rules or victory conditions that apply to this particular battle. It’s important to understand these details to ensure a fair and exciting game.

Now, it’s time to start playing! The player designated as the starting player, according to the scenario’s War Council notes, will take the first turn.

The objective of the game is to strategize, command your troops, and ultimately achieve victory. Pay close attention to the scenario’s victory conditions and strive to accomplish them.

With these instructions in mind, you’re all set to embark on an epic battle from ancient times. Get ready to make history!

Alright, let’s get into the game. The goal here is to be the first one to capture a set number of Victory Banners. Typically, it’s around 5 to 8 banners, but it depends on the specific battle scenario we’re playing.

You earn a Victory Banner for each enemy leader or enemy unit that you completely eliminate. So, when you wipe out a whole unit or take down a leader, you get a Victory Banner. In some cases, you can also earn extra Victory Banners by capturing certain terrain hexes or other objectives on the battlefield.

The game is over as soon as one of us reaches the required number of Victory Banners.

Now, let’s talk about how we play.

The War Council will determine who goes first. From there, we take turns, following this sequence, until one of us reaches the victory conditions of the scenario:

1. Start by playing a Command card
2. Order units and leaders
3. Move
4. Battle (combat between units)
5. Draw a new Command card

Remember, you must finish moving all units before starting any battles. Each battle needs to be finished before starting another one.

Step 1: Pick a Command Card

First, it’s time to choose a Command card. Take a card from your hand and place it in front of you, facing up. Make sure to read the card out loud so you know what it does.

Command cards are like instructions that tell your units and leaders what to do. They can make them move or battle. Each card will show you which part of the battlefield you can give orders in and how many units or leaders you can order.

Step 2: Give Orders

Once you’ve played a Command card, it’s time to give orders to your units and leaders. Start by announcing which units or leaders you want to give orders to. Only the units or leaders you choose can move, battle, or take special actions.

When you have a leader in the same hex as your friendly unit, we say that leader is “attached” to the unit. If you want to move the unit, the attached leader has to move with it. They both have to end up in the same hex. The good news is that it only takes one command to give an order to a unit with an attached leader.

If you see a hex with a dotted line running through it, that means you can give orders to units or leaders in either section.

Here’s an important rule: you can’t give more than one order to each unit or leader. If you have a Command card that lets you give more orders than you have units or leaders, those extra orders won’t do anything. They’re lost.

Hey there! Let me tell you about a cool feature in this game. You know when you play the Section Command card, the ‘Order Mounted Troops’ Command card, or the ‘I am Spartacus’ Command card? Well, something neat happens! If there’s a leader hanging out in the same spot as a unit, that leader can take off on their own. How cool is that?

It costs an order for each leader that goes off solo. And the unit they leave behind doesn’t count as being ordered anymore (but don’t worry, it can still be ordered later if you want).

Oh, and check this out – the Command cards with a little helmet symbol? Yeah, those ones let you know that you can detach a leader and send them on their own little adventure. Super handy!

Hey there! Let’s talk about some important concepts in this game. First up, I want to discuss the command cards and how they can help you out.

So, some cards in the game let you order a certain number of units based on your side’s command. You see, your command is the maximum number of command cards that you can hold. You can find this number in the War Council section of the scenario you’re playing.

Here’s the thing though: your command can change throughout the game. When the number of command cards allowed in a scenario changes, your command changes too. It adjusts to the new maximum number of cards you can hold at that moment. Make sure to keep that in mind when you’re playing a card.

Alright, next up we have the move phase.

During the move phase, you make unit movements in a specific order. You have to move one ordered unit completely before moving on to the next one. Remember, all unit movements must be completed before you start battling.

• You can only order a unit to move once per turn.
• An ordered unit doesn’t have to move if you don’t want it to.
• When playing a battlefield game, units have the ability to move between sections of the field.
• Units are not allowed to move off the sides of the battlefield, unless there are special rules in the scenario that permit it. Normally, units cannot leave the battlefield, but leaders have the option to evade or escape off the battlefield on their own side, as chosen by the owner.
• No two units can occupy the same hex at the same time. When moving a unit, you cannot move onto or through a hex that is already occupied by an enemy unit, enemy leader, or friendly unit. There are exceptions for Light Foot units, which can be found in the ‘Order Light Troops’ command card and the ‘Move-Fire-Move’ rules.
• A unit can move onto a hex that has a friendly leader, but only if the leader is alone in the hex. However, once the unit moves onto that hex, it must stop, even if it still has movement allowance remaining. The lone leader becomes attached to the unit.

When you’re playing a game, it’s important to understand the rules and mechanics. In this case, we’re talking about a game where you control units and move them around a board. But there are some things you need to keep in mind.

• You can’t split an entire unit into individual blocks. They have to stay together and move as a group.
• If a unit loses some blocks due to casualties, those blocks can’t combine with other units.
• Various terrain features can affect movement. They might limit how far a unit can move or prevent it from battling during that turn. You should check the rules for each terrain feature.
• Keep in mind that leaders are not considered units. They have different movement rules.

When it comes to retreating, the movement rules are slightly different from regular movement.

Here’s an example that shows how foot units can move. Take note that the auxilia unit can’t fight if it moves two hexes. On the other hand, the warrior unit can move two hexes, but only if it fights after moving.

4. Battle

Battles happen one unit at a time, and you get to choose the order. Before moving on to the next battle, you have to finish resolving the current one.

• If a unit has been given an order, it doesn’t have to fight.
• Usually, a unit can only fight once per turn. However, there are some situations where a unit can make a Momentum Advance after a successful Close Combat. In this case, the unit can then make an additional Close Combat attack as a bonus action. But remember, you have to finish both the advance and the bonus combat before starting another battle.
• A unit can’t split its battle dice between multiple enemy units, it can only target one.

In battles, the number of casualties a unit has suffered doesn’t affect the number of dice the unit rolls. Even if a unit has only one block left, it still has the same combat strength as a unit at full strength. The only exception to this rule is Warriors, who get to roll more dice when they are at full strength.

There are two types of battle: Ranged Combat and Close Combat. When a unit is ordered, it can only engage in one type of battle, even if it is capable of both. The choice of battle type is up to the owner of the unit, and they can freely switch between Ranged Combat and Close Combat for different units during the battle phase.

Both types of battle, Ranged Combat and Close Combat, are optional. Ordered units don’t have to engage in Close Combat, even if they are adjacent to enemy units. However, Warriors are an exception to this rule.

Now, let’s talk about the next step: drawing a Command Card.

Once I’ve finished all my moves, battles, and retreats, I need to get rid of the Command card I played and draw a new one from the deck. And that’s it for my turn!

If we run out of cards in the draw deck, we have to shuffle the discard pile to create a new draw deck. Oh, and just so you know, we also shuffle the discards back into the draw deck after playing the ‘I am Spartacus’ card.

If the player I’m defending against uses the ‘First Strike’ card, they get to draw a replacement card before I draw my own.