Overview
At a glance
Is this game right for my group?
ABG editorial scores on a 1–5 scale.
Harder to teach
High replayability
Highly interactive
Scales well
Deep strategy
How it plays
How does it play?
From the designer (about his Commands and Colors system, C&C: Ancients, and Memoir' 44): "Commands & Colors: Ancients" depicts warfare from the Dawn of Military History (3000 BC) to the opening of the Dark Ages (400 AD).
Core mechanisms
Key systems that shape the decisions players make.
Campaign Card Play
Play cards to command conflicts and carry consequences through a campaign.
Command Cards
Use cards to issue orders and determine which units or actions can activate.
Dice Rolling
Roll dice to introduce uncertainty into actions, production, movement, or resolution.
Hand Management
Time and sequence a limited hand of cards to preserve future options.
Hexagon Grid
Use a hexagonal map where each space connects evenly in six directions.
Read the full game description
From the designer (about his Commands and Colors system, C&C: Ancients, and Memoir' 44): "Commands & Colors: Ancients" depicts warfare from the Dawn of Military History (3000 BC) to the opening of the Dark Ages (400 AD). Quite an ambitious undertaking for one game, yet Commands & Colors by design is a unique historical wargame system which allows players to effectively portray stylized battles from this time in history. The 15 battles, showcased in the scenario booklet, although stylized, focus on important terrain features and the historical deployment of forces in scale with the game system. The battles include Bagradas, Cannae, and Zama." "The scale of the game fluctuates from battle to battle. For some scenarios, an infantry unit may represent a legion of fighters, while in other scenarios a unit may represent just a few brave warriors. But the tactics you need to execute conform remarkably well to the advantages and limitations inherent to the various units, their weapons, terrain and time." "Unlike its older brother, Battle Cry by Avalon Hill, Commands & Colors: Ancients is moderately more complex and contains additional historical details without the battlefield clutter. Most scenarios will still play to a conclusion in less than an hour." "The command card system, drives movement, creates a true fog of war and presents both challenges and opportunities. There are four types of command cards: Leadership cards, Section cards, Troop cards and Tactic cards." "The battle dice system resolves all combat efficiently and quickly. Each battle die has one Light, one Medium, one Heavy, one Leader, one Flag and one Swords symbol." "The game mechanics, although simple, will still require strategic card play, historical tactics, timely dice rolling, and an aggressive yet flexible battle plan, to achieve victory."