Command & Colors: Ancients SCENARIOS

Command & Colors: Ancients 1 Command & Colors: Ancients SCENARIOS THE BATTLE OF AKRAGAS – 406 BC 2nd BATTLE OF BENEVENTUM - 214 BC crimissos river – 341 BC CASTULO – 211 BC bagradas – 253 BC BAECULA – 208 BC TICINUS river – 218 BC METAURUS - 207 BC Trebbia – 218 BC ILIPA – 206 BC LAKE TRASIMENUS – 217 BC Great plains – 203 BC CANNAE – 216 BC DERTOSA – 215 BC ZAMA – 202 BC

Game Design by Richard Borg

GMT Games, LLC P.O. Box 1308, Hanford, CA 93232-1308 • www.GMTGames.com

Historical Background War Council It is a time of violent competition between the Syracusan Ty- Carthagian Army rants (military dictators) and Carthage for control of Sicily. The • Leader: Himilco Carthaginians under Himilco have besieged Akragas, a city al- • 5 Command Cards lied with Syracuse, prompting Daphnaeus and his army to march to its aid. The Carthaginians split their army into an observation Syracusan Army force in front of Akragas, and a blocking force sent to oppose • Use Roman blocks Daphnaeus. The Carthaginian army was almost totally merce- • Leader: Daphnaeus nary, while Daphnaeus’s contained veteran heavy infantry that • 6 Command Cards proved invincible when committed to the battle. The survivor’s • Move First of Himilco’s badly beaten army fled to the coastal fort shelter- Victory ing Mago’s observation force. There was no pursuit and no fur- 5 Banners ther battle. Daphnaeus’s force was spent, and the forces in Akragas did not sortie. Before another assault could be made on Special Rules the Carthaginians, their navy managed to interdict the Greek None supply line, forcing Daphnaeus to withdraw. Akragas fell eight months later without a fight. The stage is set. The battle lines are drawn, and you are in command. Can you change history?

Historical Background War Council The Carthaginians learned from earlier defeats in Sicily that they Carthagian Army Syracusan Army (use Roman blocks) had to field reliable, trained heavy infantry of their own. They • Leader: Hasdrubal • Leader: Timoleon formed the Sacred Band, a force of about 2,500 excellently • 5 Command Cards • 5 Command Cards / Move First trained Carthaginians, as good or better than the best the Greeks Victory or Syracusans could field. They formed a part of a large army 5 Banners under Hasdrubal, advancing eastward to subjugate Sicily. Op- posing him with a much smaller army was the able tactician Special Rules Timoleon. Ever aggressive, Timoleon anxiously awaited an op- The Crimissos River is fordable only at the five bends in the river. portunity to strike the Carthaginians a hard blow on his terms. The Carthaginian Sacred Band is a special unit. Place a Special He got that chance when, on a foggy morning, Hasdrubal care- Unit block (if playing with expansion blocks) or a Carthaginian lessly ordered his army to cross the Crimissos River without Victory Banner block in the hex with the Sacred Band unit to bothering to send out scouts (who would have reported that distinguish it from other Carthaginian units. Sacred Band spe- Timoleon’s army was arrayed on the bluffs just beyond the river). cial abilities: Waiting until about half of the Carthaginian army had crossed, • The Sacred Band will score one hit for each leader symbol Timoleon unleashed his excellent heavy infantry phalanx against rolled in close combat. A leader does not have to be attached or the surprised Carthaginians. Most who survived fled, but the in an adjacent hex to confer this benefit. Sacred Band stood their ground and were annihilated by supe- • The Sacred Band may ignore one flag. rior numbers, (aided by a sudden rainstorm that slowed Carthaginian reinforcements crossing the river). Seeing the di- • The Sacred Band retains these special abilities until the last saster unfolding across the river, the remainder of Hasdrubal’s block of the unit has been removed from the battlefield. army broke and fled. The loss of so many citizen soldiers had a The Special Unit/Victory banner block moves with the unit. It horrific effect on Carthage. The Sacred Band was reformed, but does not count as a block that can be removed to satisfy losses. only once was it ever dispatched from Africa again, and then This block is not transferable to any other unit. If the Sacred only for a very short campaign. Band unit is eliminated, this block is removed from the map along with the last block of the unit.

Historical Background War Council The Romans are on the verge of defeating Carthage and ending Carthagian Army the First Punic War. Regulus and a veteran Roman army have • Leader: Xanthippus landed in Africa, and though woefully short of cavalry, have • 6 Command Cards defeated several Carthaginian forces. Desperate, the Carthagin- • Move First ians turned to an otherwise unemployed Greek general, Roman Army Xanthippus. While not on a par with Alexander the Great, • Leader: Regulus Xanthippus at least knew how to train and command an army, • 4 Command Cards and that was enough. The Carthaginian army marched into the Bagradas Valley, and Regulus, confident of yet another victory, Victory offered battle. It was to prove a costly mistake for him. The 7 Banners Carthaginian cavalry and elephants routed the Roman cavalry, and then turned on the flanks and rear of the Roman army, now Special Rules fully engaged with the Carthaginian infantry. The Roman army None disintegrated. Those who survived told of the horror of being overrun by elephants and cavalry. This Carthaginian victory prolonged the war. It took several years before any Roman army would stand and fight against elephants. The larger lesson— proper employment of a combined arms army over a largely infantry army resulting in victory—was lost on the Romans. They had to re-learn it at the Trebbia, Lake Trasimenus and Cannae. The stage is set. The battle lines are drawn, and you are in command. Can you change history?

Historical Background War Council Hannibal has completed his epic march across the Alps, but has Carthagian Army lost fully half of his soldiers in doing so. The Consul in South- • Leader: Hannibal ern Gaul, Publius Scipio, has shadowed Hannibal’s advance fol- • 5 Command Cards lowing the coastal route. He intercepts Hannibal in Northern Italy • Move First as he is rebuilding his army with Gallic recruits. Neither com- mander is willing to bring on general battle, but Scipio does Roman Army advance his light troops and cavalry, unaware of how much bet- • Leader: Publius Scipio ter the Carthaginian cavalry was than his own. Hannibal counters • 4 Command Cards with his cavalry, including the fearsome Numidian light horse. Victory Hannibal gives Scipio a tactics lesson. His heavy cavalry smashes 6 Banners into the light infantry, drawing the Roman cavalry into the fight. At that point, the Numidians hit both flanks, driving off the dis- Special Rules organized surviving cavalry, wounding Publius Scipio in the Ticinus River is not fordable. process. One capable Roman now knew how formidable Hannibal’s army was. Unfortunately, three other inept Roman Consuls would lose thousands of Roman soldiers at The Trebbia, Lake Trasimenus, and Cannae because they failed to heed the warnings. The stage is set. The battle lines are drawn, and you are in command. Can you change history?

Historical Background War Council After the battle at the Ticinus River, Hannibal soon faced an Carthagian Army entire Roman army under the Consul Sempronius. As vain as he • Leader: Hannibal was inept, Sempronius wanted a victory to finish our his year as • 5 Command Cards Consul. He took no cautionary advise from the wounded Publius Scipio, but instead sent his army, cold and hungry, through the Roman Army icy waters of the Trebbia to engage Hannibal's army on the far • Leader: Sempronius side. Hannibal had prepared the first of many traps for unwary • 5 Command Cards Romans - he had placed his brother Mago and a picked force of • Move First cavalry and infantry out of sight in a ravine. The Romans did not Victory discover them as they passed by. Despite their cold and hunger, 7 Banners the Roman infantry was doing well against Hannibal's main line. Then twin disaster struck. Mago's detachment emerged from Special Rules hiding and struck the Romans from behind, and the weather The River Trebbia is fordable. turned markedly colder. Assailed from two sides, and now liter- ally freezing to death, the Romans broke. Many died trying to Mago's ambush may be ordered by playing a 'Leadership' card recross the Trebbia. Sempronius's army of two double legions after the Carthaginian first turn. 'Inspired Leadership' force en- was effectively destroyed. ters in the section as noted, 'Leadership Any Section' the force enters in the section of Carthaginian player's choice. Each of The stage is set. The battle lines are drawn, and you are in com- Mago's three units, 1 medium cavalry and the 2 medium war- mand. Can you change history? riors, are set onto a baseline hex on the Roman side of the battlefield. Mago may be placed with any of these units. This set on counts as the first hex of movement for a unit this turn. Should these units have to retreat, they must retreat toward the Carthaginian side of the battlefield.

Historical Background War Council Much of Hannibal’s “genius” for warfare lay in his ability to Carthagian Army take the measure of his opponents’ abilities and intentions. His • Leader: Hannibal opponent in 217 BC was Roman Consul Gaius Flaminius, a vain • 6 Command Cards and incompetent patrician. Armed with this knowledge, Hanni- • Move First bal determined to set a trap for his opponent by ravaging the countryside to spur Flaminius to action. True to form, Flaminius Roman Army rushed headlong into pursuit of Hannibal, marching his army • Leader: Flaminius through the narrow defile next to Lake Trasimenus where • 2* Command Cards Hannibal’s army lay in wait. Hannibal posted his veteran infantry as a blocking force, hiding his light infantry and cavalry in Victory the hills. As the day of battle dawned, a heavy mist covered the 6 Banners area – Flaminius further aided Hannibal’s plans by neglecting to Special Rules send out scouts. The Roman vanguard stumbled into the Lake Trasimenus is impassable. Carthaginian blocking force, and the battle was joined. Almost immediately the ambushing Carthaginians descended from the The four steep hills hexes on the right side of the battlefield as hills and fell on the Roman column before the soldiers had enough noted, are impassable terrain. time to deploy. Flaminius died early in the fighting; more than half of his army died along with him, either in the desperate * The Roman player starts with 2 command cards. On turn 1 fighting or drowning trying to escape. It was noteworthy that play one card, draw two cards. Roman player now holds 3 com- the only portion of Flaminius’s army to escape intact was the mand cards. On turn 2 play one card, draw two cards. Roman vanguard – those soldiers fought their way through Hannibal’s player now holds 4 command cards. On turn 3 play one card, best infantry to do it. It surely was not through lack of bravery draw one card. Roman player hand size stays at 4 command that the Roman army met disaster at Lake Trasimenus. cards for the rest of the battle. The stage is set. The battle lines are drawn, and you are in command. Can you change history?

Historical Background War Council Now, fully aware of the threat posed by Hannibal, the Romans Carthagian Army assembled a truly large army, perhaps up to 80,000 strong, led • Leader: Hannibal by two consuls and two pro-consuls. Unfortunately, on the day • 6 Command Cards of battle, the incompetent consul Varrus held command and determined to attack Hannibal, who had posted his army in a loca- Roman Army tion that negated the Roman advantage in numbers – bluffs on • Leader: Varro one flank and the Aufidus river on the other. Undeterred, Varrus • 4 Command Cards simply packed his legions one behind the other into the con- • Move First stricted area and launched the mass headlong at the Carthaginian Victory center. They advanced into yet another trap. Hannibal had de- 7 Banners ployed his excellent cavalry and heavy infantry on the wings, leaving his medium infantry and Celt levies in the center. The Special Rules Roman advance did indeed push the Carthaginian center back None and inflict losses, but in the meantime the Carthaginian cavalry had routed the Roman cavalry on both flanks and closed in on the rear of the Roman army while the heavy infantry advanced on both Roman flanks. Surrounded and unable to maneuver, the Roman soldiers were slaughtered by the thousands, and the army was destroyed. Cannae was Rome’s greatest military defeat, and Hannibal’s greatest victory. The stage is set. The battle lines are drawn, and you are in command. Can you change history?

Historical Background War Council After Cannae, Rome struggled to rebuild its armies, but needed Carthagian Army time. In Spain, Hannibal’s brother Hasdrubal commanded an • Leader: Hasdrubal army large enough to possibly let Carthage win the war – if it • 4 Command Cards united with Hannibal’s victorious veterans. Standing in his way, however, were the legions of two capable (at last) consuls, the Roman Army brothers Gnaeus and Publius Scipio. Both knew of Cannae, but • Leader: Gnaeus & Publius Scipio felt the only way to prevent encirclement was to quickly break • 6 Command Cards the Carthaginian center. When the battle commenced, the Ro- • Move First man legions fiercely attacked the Carthaginian center, but , un- Victory like Cannae, there was enough Roman cavalry to hold their 6 Banners flanks. Lacking cavalry superiority (and his brother’s tactical genius), Hasdrubal was unable to surround the Romans before Special Rules they broke through his center. His cavalry joined the retreat, leav- None ing the splendid heavy infantry to its fate. Rome was granted the time it needed to live and fight another day. Eight years later, Hasdrubal finally was able to march to Italy, but lost both his army and his life at the Metaurus. The stage is set. The battle lines are drawn, and you are in command. Can you change history?

Historical Background War Council Desperate for manpower to replace the losses at Cannae, the Carthagian Army Romans found a unique solution. They formed two legions from • Leader: Hanno slaves. They were given to the Consul Gracchus who saw their • 4 Command Cards potential and trained them well. Two years later, still under his command, these legions engaged a Carthaginian army under Army: Roman Hanno. Gracchus issued a decree to his men before the battle - • Leader: Gracchus freedom to any soldier bringing back a Carthaginian head. The • 4* Command Cards Roman attack started well, but as soon as Carthaginians began • Move First to fall, scores of Gracchus's troops broke ranks to decapitate Victory corpses. Faced with a disintegrating army, Gracchus corrected 7 Banners his error by amending his decree to "win the battle and secure your freedom." The slave soldiers quickly reformed and swept Special Rules all before them. Interestingly, these soldiers gave their loyalty to The Calor River is not fordable. Gracchus - not Rome. When he was killed a few years later, most of the soldiers in these legions deserted. * When the Roman player gains his third victory banner block, he immediately draws two additional command cards. He will The stage is set. The battle lines are drawn, and you are in com- hold a hand of 6 command cards for the rest of the battle. mand. Can you change history?

Historical Background War Council Time runs out for Publius Scipio. After several years of unbro- Carthagian Army ken successes, the Scipio brothers rashly divide their armies to • Leader: Hasdrubal Gisgo defeat the Carthaginians in detail. As Publius’s army nears • 5 Command Cards Castulo, he realizes he is facing superior Carthaginian numbers and is in danger of being surrounded. Marching all night, his Roman Army troops attack a small detachment of 7500 Celt-Iberian warriors • Leader: Publius Scipio under Indibilis blocking the Roman line of retreat. They hold • 5 Command Cards long enough for the Numidian Masinissa and his elite Numidian • Move First cavalry to join the fight. Scipio’s army is not strong enough to Victory defeat both forces quickly, and now the Carthaginian armies of 8 Banners Mago and Hasdrubal arrive on the field, surrounding and destroying the Roman Army. Publius Scipio is killed in the fight- Special Rules ing. Shortly thereafter, Publius Scipio’s son comes to Spain, re- If the Roman leader Publius Scipio is lost, Carthage wins at once. builds and retrains the Roman army, and wins the battles of Baecula and Ilipa, avenging the deaths of his father and uncle. A Roman unit that exits off the Carthaginian side of the battlefield, from a hex in the center section or a hex on the Roman The stage is set. The battle lines are drawn, and you are in com- right section, counts as one victory banner. The unit is removed mand. Can you change history? from play.

Historical Background War Council Publius Cornelius Scipio inherited his slain father’s bravery, but Carthagian Army he also had the intelligence to modify standard Roman tactical • Leader: Hasdrubal doctrine. As he rebuilt and retrained the legions in Spain, he • 4 Command Cards made them far more flexible tactically than any other Roman legions. He first put this training to use at Baecula where Roman Army Hasdrubal, Hannibal’s brother, had drawn up his army in a strong • Leader: Publius Scipio hilltop defensive position – light troops to the front; heavy troops • 6 Command Cards in reserve in the camps. Traditional Roman practice would have • Move First sent the legions straight ahead at the hills. Scipio, however, put Victory his legionary infantry on each flank and advanced his light troops 6 Banners in the center. As the battle was joined, Hasdrubal discovered he was being outmaneuvered. If he advanced his heavies to sup- Special Rules port the light troops, the Roman legions on each flank would A Roman unit that captures (enters) a camp hex gains one Vic- encircle his entire army. Knowing his army was urgently needed tory Banner for the Roman player. The unit must stop on the in Italy, Hasdrubal withdrew his heavies and left the light troops hex, not just move through the hex. A camp may be only cap- to either escape or die in place. While not a complete victory, tured once, and when the Victory Banner is gained it may not be Scipio had beaten a good Carthaginian army without the heavy lost. casualties that would have occurred in a traditional Roman fron- tal assault. The stage is set. The battle lines are drawn, and you are in command. Can you change history?

Historical Background War Council In 207 BC Rome has a big problem—Hasdrubal and his army Carthagian Army from Spain are in northern Italy, advancing to combine with • Leader: Hasdrubal Hannibal and possibly win the war. The Carthaginians have a • 4 Command Cards problem too. The Romans know Hasdrubal is coming, but Han- nibal does not. To the south, the Consul Nero and his army re- Roman Army main close to Hannibal's army. Taking a daring risk, Nero leaves • Leader: Nero part of his army to convince Hannibal that nothing is happening. • 6 Command Cards Making an epic forced march, in six days he joins the Romans • Move First opposing Hasdrubal, giving them an edge in numbers. Hasdrubal Victory tries to retreat, but the flooded Metaurus blocks his way. He must 7 Banners stand his ground with his reliable Spaniards and Africans, and his rapidly deserting Gallic ‘allies.’ Nero is also the hero of the Special Rules battle, marching his elite troops to fall upon the exposed The two streams are fordable. Carthaginian right. The Carthaginian line crumbles; most of the reliable infantry is slaughtered, and Hasdrubal, seeing the battle is lost, rides into a Roman formation to his death. Returning south, Nero now lets Hannibal know the true situation—he has Hasdrubal's head tossed into Hannibal’s camp. This decisive battle marked the beginning of the end for Hannibal in Italy and for Carthage's chances of winning the war. The stage is set. The battle lines are drawn, and you are in command. Can you change history?

Historical Background his victories at The Great Plains and Zama would earn him the Hasdrubal’s departure left only two Carthaginian armies in Spain title “Africanus.” under mediocre commanders (Hasdrubal – yes another one, and The stage is set. The battle lines are drawn, and you are in com- Mago). Scipio made steady progress against them, securing ter- mand. Can you change history? ritory and prompting many Spanish tribes to come over to the Roman side. Forced to give battle or give up Spain, their most War Council valuable province, the Carthaginian armies united and took up Carthagian Army position on the plains outside of Ilipa. For three days both armies • Leader: Hasdrubal Gisgo deployed with their heavy infantry in the center and light troops • 4 Command Cards on each wing. Scipio assumed that the Carthaginians would con- tinue to deploy in this manner and he was correct. On the fourth Roman Army day he sent light troops and cavalry to attack the Carthaginian • Leader: Scipio camp. Hasdrubal responded by deploying his army with the heav- • 6 Command Cards ies in the center. Only after the Roman screen retired did he see • Move First the Romans deployed with legionary infantry on both wings and Victory Spanish troops plus lights in the center. The Roman cavalry and legions quickly deployed and began destroying both Carthaginian 7 Banners light wings. Hasdrubal was unable to send any heavies to sup- Special Rules port the wings because he would open holes in the center that None the Romans would pour through to destroy his army. Both Carthaginian wings disintegrated and the excellent heavy troops in the center were facing destruction until a providential thun- derstorm allowed some of them to escape. The combined Carthaginian army was destroyed as a fighting force, and Spain now belonged to Rome. Scipio later crossed into Africa where

Historical Background War Council Scipio, the victor of Baecula and Ilipa, has led his battle-hard- Carthagian Army ened army to Africa, and has placed the city of Utica under siege. • Leader: Hasdrubal Gisgo The Great Numidian cavalry leader, Masinissa, has gone over to • 4 Command Cards the Roman side.While the siege continues, the Carthaginians raise a large, but untried army. Rashly, the Carthaginians advance to Roman Army raise the siege. Scipio leaves a siege force and meets the larger • Leader: Scipio Carthaginian army on the Great Plains. After two days of skir- • 6 Command Cards mishing, Scipio initiates the battle, sending Masinissa and his • Move First crack cavalry against the Carthaginian right while the superbly Victory trained legionary infantry moves to envelop the Carthaginian 6 Banners left. Initially, the poorly trained Carthaginian center holds, but Scipio's better-trained troops quickly overwhelm both flanks. Special Rules Sensing approaching disaster, the Carthaginian center breaks. None The entire Carthaginian army disintegrates and suffers heavy losses as the survivors stream back to Carthage. Scipio returns to the siege of Utica, and the desperate Carthaginians turn to their last hope—Hannibal. They recall their greatest general from Italy. The following year, the final battle of the Second Punic War (Zama) will be fought by its two greatest generals, Hanni- bal and Scipio. The stage is set. The battle lines are drawn, and you are in command. Can you change history?

Historical Background Scipio had perfected a better tactical system, and that system Carthage is on the verge of defeat. Spain has been lost. Scipio won at Zama over the legendary Hannibal. The rigid, but pow- has landed in Africa and beaten a large, but inexperienced, erful, phalanx – dominant for so long, had been beaten by the Carthaginian army at the Battle of the Great Plains, and Masinissa flexibility of Scipio’s legions combined with cavalry. The baton with his vaunted Numidian light horse has gone over to the Ro- of military supremacy had passed to Rome. man side. Hannibal is recalled from Italy, and hurriedly builds The stage is set. The battle lines are drawn, and you are in com- an army around the veterans he has brought with him. He cre- mand. Can you change history? ates a corps of war elephants and fields more infantry than does Scipio, but ironically, his cavalry is far weaker and less capable. War Council When the armies meet on the plains of Zama, Hannibal knows Carthagian Army his cavalry on the flanks will be beaten, but stakes all on crush- • Leader: Hannibal ing the Roman center with his elephants and infantry before the • 5 Command Cards victorious Roman and Numidian cavalry return from pursuing the Carthaginian horse. Scipio, knowing he is outnumbered, Roman Army masses his legions in the center and fully intends for Masinissa • Leader: Scipio and the cavalry to complete the encirclement and win the battle. • 5 Command Cards As the battle gets underway, both plans are working. The • Move First Carthaginian cavalry is driven quickly from the field while the Victory Romans are hard pressed to keep their lines intact against the Carthaginian infantry. The flexible legions prove their worth as 8 Banners reserve lines move quickly to secure flanks or bolster the center. Special Rules In the end, however, Scipio’s plan prevails. The Roman and None Numidian cavalry return, the Carthaginian army is surrounded, and the valiant infantry is destroyed.