I'll throw in my two cents having received this (In its 2nd edition) as a Christmas present this year. I have opened up the box, applied the stickers to the blocks, and have given the rules a glance and I will give you my impressions.

The Blocks

These are of excellent quality. You must apply the stickers on both sides of the blocks, but the heft and look of these blocks are simply great. They certainly evoke an "ancient" feel. The sticker artwork is also superb. You get a lot for your money with the massive pile of unit block pieces you receive.

The Box Itself

A very very very sturdy box. It looks like it could be load bearing in a pinch. My only complaint is that no organizer is included to separate the blocks once assembled. I would recommend buying some Plano 3449-85s to keep the units separated and ready to be put into action. As it is the game comes with one giant zip lock bag (mine was sliced open on arrival) which is basically useless. There is more than enough room for all the components.

The Rulebook

This is the best rulebook I have ever received in a boardgame. Everything is worded in a logical, coherent, and sequential manner with a normal font that is easy on the eyes. The diagrams depicting exactly how units may move and combat are all full color with no mess-no fuss. The rulebook is very easy to read and digest. It also explains each command card fully which was not necessary but very nice. Likewise the scenario booklet and the 2 reference sheets are also of high quality and are full color. You get lots of nice stuff to explain the game and ease you into its somewhat more complex rules (than Memoir).

The Terrain Tiles

Also nice touch. The artwork on these terrain tiles really evoke the ancients setting even more on top of that desert board. These are thinner than the Memoir tiles and but still seem sturdy.

The Dice

This was the second edition set. I have no complaints with these dice at all. You still must apply the stickers to them, but they seem like they have the proper heft that dice should have. Some complained about these dice, but perhaps this only applies to the 1st edition set.

The Board

Grognards won't complain because they are used to the paper maps. Fans of Memoir will be dissapointed. The map is thicker paper than I was expecting but still doesn't seem to be appropriate unless you have some sort of plexiglass to keep it flat and protected. It has the six part fold and no matter what I try to do it will not keep flat on its own. It also has the corner that never seems to want to connect to the other side of the board leaving it sort of look like a Pacman chomping down on something. The artwork on the board is excellent, especially with the ancient warrior artwork bordering the hexes, but this is just not a board. Expect to need plexiglass in order for this to be useable.


So there you have it. With otherwise great components my only complaints are the paper map and the lack of some organizer to keep the blocks separated. Expect to buy some plexiglass and some sort of organizer. Everything else looks, feels, and seems right and I am really looking forward to playing this!