HANNIBAL: ROME VS. CARTHAGE REVIEW

I played quite a few games of Hannibal when the Avalon Hill edition first hit the shelves back in the nineties. However, due to the demands of parenthood my copy had been gathering dust since the Millennium - until I managed to get in three plays over the last few months.

It’s always been a favourite game of mine and the recent plays (albeit with the odd clunky rules misinterpretation – the rust is coming off, honestly!) have done nothing but increase my admiration for the depth and elegance of this design. With recent BGG interest in the forthcoming reprint, as an old time Hannibal fan I thought it would be useful to lay out my thoughts.

Warning: this is a long review that also contains my views on aspects of game strategies and tactics. If you’re new to the game and want to discover it for yourself from scratch (and it would be a pleasure to do so), hit your browser’s back button now…


What is it?

It’s a two player card driven wargame based on the second Punic War between the Roman Republic and Carthage. No surprise then that one player plays Rome, the other Carthage.

While it’s usually branded a wargame, it’s really a game about political control of the western Mediterranean. While many of your actions will involve moving armies and generals and fighting battles, the winner will be the person who best uses his resources to control the political map at game end.

The game owes a massive debt of acknowledgement to Mark Herman’s ‘We the People’ game, also released by Avalon Hill a few years earlier. While Hannibal improves on its already excellent parent, the great majority of its systems are lifted from the earlier game (and in fairness, often enhanced).


Components

Note: my comments apply to the original mid-nineties Avalon Hill edition, which remains a good looking game even now.

The players sit on either side of a large, attractive board displaying a map of the western Mediterranean. Iberia is in the west, with the northern French shore of the Med running along the top of the map down into Italy and Sicily, which was not at the time part of Italy. At the southern side of the map lies Carthage (roughly corresponding to modern Tunisia).

The board is in two parts, but is mounted and heavy enough that this is not an issue (i.e. they don’t move around in play).

The islands of Corsica and Sardinia are represented, as are the less significant Balearics.

The map is divided into provinces, which in turn contain the game spaces. The spaces are generally circles. A line between two circles means the spaces are adjacent and the players can move units between them. Some spaces are linked by passes, the crossing of which will result the moving army taking attrition (losing a unit or three).

Some coastal spaces are marked as ports, between which sea movement is allowed (there are no separate sea spaces). The Roman control of the sea is reflected in this being an almost risk-free option for Rome, but this is not the case for Carthage which risks either returning to the port of embarkation or the loss of the entire moving army when moving by sea.

The playing pieces fall into three types (plus a few markers):

1. Combat units. Circular tokens representing troops in various denominations. They’re pretty generic, and can be combined/broken down as required. The Carthaginian player gets a small number of elephant troops (of course!) that largely act as regular troops but can give an advantage in battle. As combat units can neither move nor attack on their own, you’ll need:

2. Generals. Stand-up cardboard figures showing a picture of the general. When activated, generals are used to move armies of up to ten combat units. If they move into a space containing an opposing army, there’s a battle.

Each general has two ratings. His strategy rating (from 1-3, the lower the better) is a measure of how easy it is to activate the general. His battle rating (from 1-4, the higher the better) is a measure of how effective he is in leading troops in a battle.

Each general has a special ability, ranging from the extremely useful (Hannibal himself, Mago) to the largely useless (which covers most of the Roman generals!)

3. Political control (PC) markers: Circular tokens used to indicate which side currently has political control of a space. (The markers have a blue Carthaginian side and a red Roman side). A space containing no marker is neutral. Having the majority of spaces in a province gives you control of that province, which is significant for a number of game elements, not the least of which is victory.

There are two special types of political control markers, walled cities and tribes. They function as normal PC markers for control purposes, but are much harder to convert from one side to another (walled cities in particular), requiring subjugation/siege activities over several turns.

There are two decks of cards. The first contains strategy cards, the heart of the game. Each card has a numeric operations value from (1-3, higher is better) and a special event.

These cards have three main functions, only one of which can be used when the card is played. They can be used to move a general (with an army if he has one), or to place a number political control markers equal to the card’s operations number in neutral spaces (or in enemy controlled spaces in which you have a combat unit), or to activate the card’s special event.

3-value cards are particularly valuable because as an alternative to the normal options they can be used to add a single combat unit to an army anywhere on the map, or to make a sea move.

Some of the events can only be used by one side. Also, the more powerful events tend to be on the high operations value cards, making for some difficult decisions during play around which of the various uses to make of the card.

The second deck contains battle cards, which are used to resolve battle, of which more later.

The cards are simply but attractively finished, with appropriate line drawings for the events and battle cards. They’re of a reasonable quality, and while the cards are quite thin my decks (with careful handling) have lasted very well through a number of plays.

Finally, the rules originally supplied by Avalon Hill have been supplanted by the V2 rules from the original designer Mark Simonitch. They’re available for download via BGG and other sources. The rules are quite long (certainly compared to a Euro) and do cover a number of minor game circumstances that may not always crop up. While you can enjoy the game with only knowledge of the basic mechanisms, knowing when to make the best use of some of the more subtle mechanics will certainly result in better play. Speaking of which…


The Game in Play

After outlining the flow of each turn, my intention here is to give a flavour of what the game feels like to play, and some of the decisions and subtle balances faced by the players in the game. As noted the rules are available for download for anyone who is interested in the game mechanisms in detail.

The game is divided into nine years. At the start of each year the players receive reinforcements (the Roman receiving slightly more) before the Roman must randomly select his two Consuls (main generals) for the year. He may keep one of the previous year’s generals (designated a Proconsul) if he wishes. Given the low overall quality of the Roman generals, should he have drawn one of the better ones in the previous year (Gaius Nero, or Marcellus) he would be well advised to do so.

The players next draw a fresh hand of strategy cards for the year, following which the players generally take alternating turns to play a strategy card to take a military or political action. The player’s hands start at 7 cards per year and grow to 9 by game end.

After the players have played out their strategy cards for the year, armies on an opposing political control marker suffer losses through attrition. Then political control markers that cannot trace a line of spaces under friendly control to a friendly port, army, tribe or walled city are deemed isolated and thus removed from play. As placing PC markers consumes one of your main resources (strategy cards), players should avoid allowing their opponent to isolate them, while at the same time seeking to isolate their opponent’s PC markers.

Finally, a victory check is done. Control of the politically significant provinces (which is most but not quite all of them) is checked, with the person holding the smaller number having to remove PC markers equal to the difference in the payers’ holdings. If that player doesn’t have sufficient PC markers to absorb the losses, the game is over and he loses.

Additionally, Rome wins if it controls the Carthage space, and Carthage will win if it controls either Rome or all other provinces in Italy.

The initial strategic situation sees Africa and most of Spain under Carthaginian control, while most of Italy is under Roman control. The exception to the latter is northernmost Italian province (Cisalpine Gaul) which is largely neutral apart from a couple of pro-Carthaginian tribes. There is also a single pro-Carthaginian tribe in southern Italy.

It’s worth noting that Rome starts with a slight numerical advantage in controlled provinces, so the Carthaginian player must take the initiative to challenge this. Just as well he’s got Hannibal in his ranks, then…

Rome starts with a couple of large armies in Italy under mediocre generals. Carthage has a smallish army in Carthage itself and two armies in Spain, the largest of which is under Hannibal’s control.

Carthage must take the initiative. Early Carthaginian options include extending political influence to encompass all of Spain, building political influence around the two friendly tribes in Cisalpine Gaul, and getting Hannibal into Italy with as strong an army as possible to start the process of expanding Carthaginian influence there (while of course beating up any Roman armies sent to challenge him).

The risky nature of sea movement means Hannibal would be extremely foolish to attempt to sail to Italy, so he must march his elephants along the French coast before crossing the Alps into Italy (and thus taking attrition as this will require crossing a mountain pass)

If he has expanded sufficient political control into the initially neutral Spanish province of Idubeda and Cisalpine Gaul to make both provinces his own while fetching up Hannibal with a decent-sized army in northern Italy, the Carthaginian can consider it a good first year’s work. Roughing up any Roman army sent to oppose him in the process would be the icing on the cake.

In all of this Carthage is greatly helped by Hannibal’s strategy rating of 1. This allows Hannibal to be moved with cheap 1 value strategy cards, while saving the more valuable 2 and 3 value cards for more useful things.

For Rome, the challenge is different. ‘Jam tomorrow’ should be his initial attitude, as the two Roman generals in play at game start are at the lower end of the ability scale.

If he has a decent strategy card hand (plenty of 2 and 3 value cards allowing him to activate his generals multiple times) he could consider quickly subjugating one of the pro Carthaginian tribes, as once Hannibal arrives in Italy the Roman may not have sufficient resources to do so. These tribes are a pain for the Roman, as they are hard to remove and can be used by the Carthaginian as a base around which further political control can be built.

If he is feeling really bold he could move an army to Spain (after Hannibal has left on his march) or Africa. These options are unlikely to bring great results early in the game, but if the Roman has some special events that negate the advantages of fighting in friendly controlled provinces (as the Carthaginian would be in Spain and Africa) it’s worth considering. Even if ultimately unsuccessful they will require the Carthaginian to divert resources to tackling the threat, preventing him using them elsewhere (i.e. in Italy).

Finally, the Roman player should consider building up a bank of PC markers in neutral areas (the politically unimportant south of France is useful here). Consider this insurance as if Hannibal mounts any sort of decent Italian campaign Rome is likely to have to remove PC markers as a consequence of both combat losses and an end of year deficit in controlled provinces. A bank of PC markers elsewhere will avoid having to remove them from Italy where they matter most.

After the first turn the strategic options vary a lot depending on how previous turns have gone, and what resources both players have - both the visible ones on the board and the hidden ones in the card hands. It’s impossible to be prescriptive (which is one of the reasons that this game has staying power), but I’ve included a few pointers from my own experience as follows.

Factors applicable to both sides.

• Know how battles work and pick your fights carefully. There is a whole battle card subsystem around which there has been more than a little debate on BGG. I’ve posted a separate article on this if you want more detail – this one’s already too long!

• Know when to place PC markers. The main reason for doing this is to gain control of a province. This can be especially useful if you’re trying to attack into an enemy held area, as the additional battle cards for local allies are very useful. Careful play of the Diplomacy strategy cards can switch the balance in your favour in a particular province, or give you a port around which further influence can be built.

• When looking to expand political control into enemy controlled areas, utilise a general’s abilities to drop combat units off as he moves through a space. On a subsequent turn, you can then convert those spaces to your side. Warning: don’t drop off half your army when there’s a large enemy force about….

• When placing PC markers, if you can do so in such a way as to isolate some of your opponent’s markers, then please do.

• Think carefully before attempting a siege of a walled city, especially if you’re playing Carthage. This is a time consuming and resource hungry process. A besieging army will suffer winter attrition if the siege is not completed in a single year, while a successful enemy attack on the besiegers will nullify a part completed siege.

• Consider the timing of event card plays. As Carthage, playing (say) ‘Corsica and Sardinia Revolt’ to remove all Roman PC markers from the islands at the end of a year will minimise the Roman’s opportunity to replace the lost influence before year end. This means the Roman may lose an additional PC marker in the victory check phase (or as the Carthaginian you’ll lose one less if the game is going against you), plus as you can play first in the subsequent year you’ll be able to place your own markers first and take control.

• Look out for the ‘Cato Counsels Rome’ (badly*) and ‘Hanno Councels Carthage’ (equally badly*) cards that respectively prevent Roman units from sailing to Africa and Carthaginian units from sailing out of Africa. If Rome is building up what looks like an invasion force, Cato’s intervention can stop it. Similarly, if Mago is assembling a large force in Africa destined to join Hannibal somewhere, Hanno’s intervention can stop it. (* - my words. Sometimes you really appreciate a lacklustre dullard - especially when he's an advisor in the other camp!)

• Carefully review your strategy cards at the start of the year and decide which you’d like to play as events. This is a game where swings of fortune are often seen, so if the situation is bad think creatively about how you could use your hand to work your way back into it.

Factors specific to Carthage:

• Be bold with Hannibal, but don’t lose him. If he loses a battle, build up his army again quickly if you can (some of the strategy cards help here), otherwise get him away from any strong Roman armies until you can give him more muscle.

• Recognise and make use of your more powerful political events if drawn. You can turn the otherwise almost impregnable walled cities of Syracuse, Capua and Tarentum (which will often stay turned if you keep the Roman busy elsewhere), prevent Roman armies from moving to Africa (useful later in the game), and ease the risks involved in moving by sea by playing the right cards.

• If you are able to reduce or remove the risk involved in moving by sea through event card play and selection of embarkation/disembarkation ports, you can consider using another general from Spain (or Africa if the situation allows) to campaign in Sicily or Corsica/Sardinia. This opens up further avenues for expanding political control and gives the Roman something else to worry about. While none of the other Carthaginian generals are as good as Hannibal, they’re still generally better than the majority of the Roman muppets they may come across.

• Look out for Scipio Africanus. He’ll arrive in the second half of the game with a ready-built army and will finally give the Roman a general comparable to Hannibal. If Hannibal can engage him at favourable battle odds and kill him, he should do so. As in history, he’ll only regret it later if he doesn’t…

• You do not suffer from the Roman limit of not being allowed to claim more than two additional battle cards for Italian allies. Consequently, look to control as many Italian provinces as possible to maximise the number of Italian allies on your side in a battle (extra battle cards). If you can control the majority of Italian provinces by mid game, you will be in a good position to go on and win.

• While sieges are costly and risky exercises, if you have the Carthaginian siege train and have subdued local Roman resistance a siege against Naples is worth considering. This will turn the Province of Campania neutral, or pro-Carthage if you are also able to play the ‘Capua Sides with Carthage’ strategy card. This will be necessary if you want to play for a sudden death win by controlling all of Italy except Rome (which I think is actually easier than achieving the alternative Carthaginian sudden win condition of controlling Rome).

Factors specific to Rome:

• Don’t let Hannibal have a free run. Certainly you should recognise that if he has a decent army you’re unlikely to beat him. However, only one the four annual Carthaginian reinforcements can be built with him in Italy, while you can build all five of yours there. Consequently, while you may end up losing more combat units than he will, wearing him down through successive battles is a viable strategy, and can make him withdraw – or allow you to go in for the kill if you catch him with a small army. This strategy is particularly attractive if you draw strategy cards allowing you to place additional combat units in Italy as you can build up defeated armies and attack again. The Carthaginian still has other good generals, but a Roman player fighting a Carthage without Hannibal will have an easier time of it.

• Cherish decent Proconsuls. Marcellus is probably best, but if you draw either him or Nero as a Consul, make them Proconsul next year and try to give them as many combat units as possible (within the restrictions on the Consul/Proconsul rules). Hannibal will be rightly careful around a 10-factor army led by Marcellus, while the cheap-to-move Nero (and the similar but weaker Varro) is useful in that he allows you to use your stronger cards for other activities.

• Raise thanks and tributes to your Gods when Scipio Africanus arrives. You now have a general capable of taking the field against Hannibal on almost equal terms.

• While the defence of Italy is your main priority, always consider overseas adventures, especially if you can spare Scipio Africanus or Marcellus for the job. Spain is probably an easier target than Africa, although the right strategy cards can alter that. Do what Hannibal has been trying to do to you – pick your fights, isolate PC markers, and build pockets of PC control.


Overall

Very few old time Avalon Hill games are held in as high esteem as this one. It’s lighter and much more fun than most of the old school hex and counter games that preceded it, but still has plenty of meat on the bone for those who like intricate strategy games.

It’s reasonably quick to play for a wargame (although Euro fans might be in for a shock), but it draws me in each time.

Each side plays very differently, so there are almost two games to learn (certainly two approaches).

Hannibal and We the People spawned a number of later games in the same genre. With a couple of exceptions (from my collection Age of Napoleon and Twilight Struggle stand out here), the later card driven wargames upped the complexity and playing times considerably, reducing their appeal to anyone short of time. Unless you want the extra time and complexity of something like Paths of Glory, Hannibal is both an excellent way into wargames for anyone looking for a change from light and non-confrontational Euros, and great game in its own right.