"Overview"


This is taken in its entirety from within the "Wargamer" Magazine Issue #30, Page 40, as written by "David Parish" and having spelling corrections where needed, but not annotated, with just a *smattering* of 'moi's' touches:

HANNIBAL: Rome and Carthage in The Second Punic War 219-202 B.C.

One's first reaction to opening up the box of the 'Aulic Council' of NYC's strategic game of "Hannibal's" struggle with the Romans during the Second Punic War is to step back and murmur: "pretty, very pretty"

The physical components of this game are exceedingly well-done. The map is a single hard-backed 17-X-22-inch board representing Italy, Sicily, Sardinia, and North Africa. This territory is divided into areas for movement, with the only terrain features being three types of cities and occasional mountain barriers.

The counters carry silhouettes of a wide variety of troop types from: Numidians; Spaniards; and Gauls; right through to elephants. They are probably the most attractive of the game, as each silhouette is distinctive and drawn with regard for historical accuracy. There is also a pack of cards for each player that allows various advantages and movement possibilities. These are the only drab components of the game.

No matter how "pretty" a game is, however, it is the rules which make or break it. This set has been aimed firmly at playability and the use of simple concepts to produce the right effects.

Perhaps the most interesting idea is that of the "Senate". Before he moves, each player must roll a die to see which areas of the board his "Senate" will allow him to operate in. This is more than an exercise in luck, however, as the die roll is modified by various player actions (such as minus one for each battle lost since the last "Senate" meeting). Each player also holds a hand of five or six cards, some of which allow him to influence either his own, or his opponent's "Senate". These cards generally have a second paragraph that allows the player to trade them in for additional troops instead of influencing the "Senate".

This makes for some interesting card play (actually a game within a game) as you must decide whether to take troops or modify one of the "Senates". I am not sure what these choices represent historically, but the certainly add *spice* to the game. The restrictions imposed by the "Senates" makes sense, as for example, the Romans should not be able to send troops to Africa until they have regained a strong position in Italy.

Movement is by Leader from area to area (within the "Senate" limitations). It is wise for troops to cross mountains through friendly cities, otherwise attrition will decimate them. Combat is done by rolling large numbers of dice. Each counter has printed on it how many dice it may roll and how many hits it can take. The cards can also influence combat, in particular allowing "Hannibal" to pull Punic tricks like ambushes and surprise attacks.

There are also 'Naval' and 'Siege' rules to round things out. Generally, it is possible to sail anywhere that the "Senate" allows, while cities are hard to capture. Victory depends on whether or not "Hannibal" can capture Rome - a very difficult proposition.

Historically, I'm not sure what to think of this game. There are some very interesting insights (like the "Senate's" rules), but the unwary could end up with some strange situations. As a game, however, it has a lot of promise. It is "pretty", simple to play, and has some interesting rules mechanisms.


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There you have it! At least something now, of which to either already determine that this is a "game" YOU would like to delve within, or take a "pass" for it all. This 'article' will have to suffice until a more in depth kind can be produced and published here.

As always, then I DO accept "Geek Gold" 'tips' in WHOLE amounts for that, if you please!