Commands & Colors: Ancients

Commands & Colors: Ancients is a two-player game of warfare, where each player controls and army and must capture banners from the enemy. Banners can be captured by wiping out either a unit, or a leader.

Units and leaders are both represented by stickered wooden blocks – the game comes with a variety of units; from light to heavy infantry, all kinds of cavalry, even camels and elephants. The game also provides scenarios based on real historical events that give a variety of set-ups before battle commences: Rome’s Scipio versus Hannibal, for instance. And in each instance it’s suggested a full ‘game’ is actually two games, with each player trying their hand at either side, and a comparative overall score deciding the winner.

How Commands and Colors functions is pretty simple. Each player has a hand of command cards and on their turn simply plays one and enacts the orders on it, moving their units across the battlefield and attacking by using dice. Different units have different movement and damage capacity, and units can support each other, fight back or retreat, and be aided by leaders (a unit with a leader present or adjacent can potentially do more damage, and is less likely to retreat).

As battle continues, each side claims a banner for units or leaders destroyed, and when a sixth banner is claimed, that side is declared the victor.

Sam says

What’s great about Commands and Colors is that – in comparison to the majority of war games – is extremely accessible, and plays very fast. One could argue that all the dice-chucking makes it a poor simulation of battle, but it definitely makes it fun. And it’s not just pure luck – there are strategic options here, as well as tactical play. The drab-looking board is actually a blank canvas for you, and it’s no surprise to me the game is so highly regarded.

Take That!

It's all Take That, as Caesar once said.
Fidget Factor!

Minimal. If you're not chucking a pilum at someone, they're probably clonking you over the head with a hoplon shield.
Brain Burn!

Light. But with room for some strategy and most definitely tactical play.
Again Again!

There's a whole bunch of set-ups in the basic game (that can be played over and over) plus a bunch more published separately. You can of course invent your own battles too.