Monday, November 16, 2009

Commands & Colors: Napoleonics announced


Hooray! C&C has exhaustively covered the Roman Empire, and now they move on to a new time period. For a C&C fan, this is fantastic news. I'm really looking forward to reading the rules, especially since the game description page on the GMT website says that the new ruleset is slightly more complex than the previous C&C games. However, I haven't seen the rules posted anywhere yet, so if someone else finds it, let me know. Also, a look at the sample scenario shows that they've got new symbols for the units. I can figure out "HC" and "LC"--heavy and light cavalry--but I'm not sure yet about the other abbreviations for the units that they show. Looks like I have to figure out where I'm going to make room for the inevitable 5 or 6 boxes this series will spawn and the nonstop week of stickering that will be required.

9 Comments:

At 11:05 AM, November 16, 2009, Blogger Schifani said...

LN = line infantry
LT = light infantry
FA = field artillery

No idea on RLT, though I suspect they will highlight such famous units as the 95th, so it might be Royal Light. They look like they will feature Napoleon's Old Guard as well. A very good idea.

I won't be getting this since I don't love the period, but it looks fun to play. And I sincerely hope it does well, because someday CnC might visit biblicals, the dark ages, and medievals. Battlelore utterly fails as a historical game because the missile upgrades were far too much. When medieval armies can succeed solely by mowing down the opposition with missiles, then it no longer is a game with any historical value whatsoever. Even at the stereotypical triumphs of the English archer (Crecy, Poitiers, Agincourt), effective archery was only a set-up (though an important factor) to the decisive hand-to-hand combat. Battlelore missed the boat and it's not the first game that has done so.

The 50% off sale must be considered. I'm pre-oredering Infidel for certain.

 
At 12:24 PM, November 16, 2009, Blogger Rob said...

BL I'm sure was meant to be a (very) light wargame, not a simulation. But I see your point. That may be why I'm not a huge fan of the series. I like just a bit more meat on my wargames... a bit more chrome to give me the 'feel' for the battle represented.

 
At 12:48 PM, November 16, 2009, Blogger Ben said...

Beware of games designed by Richard Berg... (not Borg). I'm still feeling the snake bite from Blackbeard. But if you enjoyed the first Men of Iron game, perhaps this will be a safe bet.

Labyrinth certainly looks like it could be a controversial title. Its designed by the same guy who did Wilderness War, so he has significant skill. The 9/11 banner ad on the GMT web site is still pretty disturbing. Anyway... probably worth watching.

Wild Blue Yonder looks good, though strange, as it goes back to the previous Down In Flames system, that the designer has replaced with his more recent Down In Flames 2.0 published by his own company.

Now to see how I'll use my 50% off quota...

 
At 1:48 PM, November 16, 2009, Blogger Schifani said...

Rob, agreed. I am definitely not a fan of complex simulations. I love and prefer light wargames, but I demand that they at the very least emphasize some key characteristics of the period. CnC Ancients does this to an acceptable degree, for me anyway.

Berg did a good job with Men of Iron IMO. It's also a great scenario source for miniature wargames, and I'd buy it just for that purpose.

I don't feel any pull toward modern warfare themes, and airplanes are the worst. Does the 50% apply to old C3Is, I wonder? And Hellenes is worth thinking over.

 
At 1:59 PM, November 16, 2009, Blogger Ben said...

Hellenes appears to be a must-buy, but after Rob and I get in a game at BGG I'll have a more definite opinion.

This thread reminds me I still have about a thousand blocks to sticker up...

 
At 7:13 PM, November 16, 2009, Blogger Rob said...

Yep, I've brushed up on hellenes to play at BGG. It seems pretty darn sweet. IMO, it has the perfect level of complexity, with good mechanics that represent the era well. It's definitively different from Columbia's line of games...which seem samey after a while.

 
At 2:16 AM, November 17, 2009, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Wow, Hellenes looks great. I'm sure Ben has it...I hope someone else gets it too so I can play it sometime. That, and Richard III.

 
At 1:18 PM, November 17, 2009, Blogger Rob said...

Chris, I've got both. I hope BGG this year serves to really get SAWG (San Antonio Wargamers anyone?) going.

 
At 10:13 AM, November 18, 2009, Blogger seanp said...

I'd gladly play these - I like my wargames to clock in at under 1.5 hours. Monday nights aren't highly conducive to 2 player games, though, and right now my quota is one gaming night a week...

 

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