ORONGIS- 212 BC Official Commands & Colors: Ancients Scenario - Approved by Richard Borg

Historical Background their doom within a year at Castulo and Ilorca.

Mago Barca began the Second Punic War as a subordinate
commander under his brother Hannibal. In 215 he was given War Council
command of his own army, and sent to Spain to reinforce his Carthaginian Army
other brother, Hasdrubal. Mago fought a series of campaigns Leader: Mago Barca
against the Romans under Gnaeus and Publius Scipio. In 213 5 Command Cards
Hasdrubal Barca was recalled to Africa to suppress a revolt, Move First
leaving Mago and Hasdrubal Gisgo to carry on the fight. Seeing
Roman Army
the Carthaginians weakened by the loss of an army, the Scipios
Leader: Gnaeus Scipio
went on the offensive. While Publius besieged Saguntum, 5 Command Cards
Gnaeus Scipio advanced into the valley of the Baetis in 212. (Scipio was badly wounded)
Hasdrubal Gisgo sent Mago into the interior to raise reinforce-
ments, while engaging Gnaeus in a series of battles. The Romans Victory
won at Iliturgi on the Baetis, but Gnaeus was badly wounded at
the drawn battle of Munda. Just then Mago returned with a band 6 Banners
of mercenary Gauls under their kings Vismarus and Moenicap- Special Rules
tus. The two armies clashed at Orongis (AKA Aurinx). Scipio None
had one reinforced legion, with some Iberian allies, about 14,000
men in all. Mago's army was smaller, totaling around 12,000
troops and a few elephants. Nevertheless, the Gauls were eager
to fight, as was Mago. Scipio had to be carried into battle on a
litter. The battle was fiercely fought, and most of the Gauls went The stage is set.
down fighting. In retreating, Mago salvaged the remainder of his The battle lines are drawn, and you are in command.
army. Gnaeus Scipio had the victory, but Mago was not entirely The rest is history.
displeased. His Gaullic mercenaries had slain hundreds of
Romans, and now he didn't have to make good on their payroll.
Gnaeus' victory was his last, as the Scipio brothers were to meet
 Commands & Colors Ancients
Mago's Battles Revisited
In C3i Magazine Nr.6 Dan Fournie
presented the article Mago: Youngest of the
Lion's Brood. Two battles, Celtiberia and Po
River were presented as SPQR scenarios in the
GBoH Series. With the advent of Commands
and Colors: Ancients (CC:A)
we have repackaged these battles for play in an
entirely different system. CC:A is more abstract,
simpler, faster to play and most importantly,
extremely fun. And with the terrain tiles, it is
possible to recreate any ancient battlefield. In
this case, this has allowed us to develop a new
battle, one that was never available as an SPQR
scenario. The Battle of Orongis is a most
unusual and interesting fight. In closing, we
offer these three scenarios for CC:A in the hope
that you will find as much enjoyment playing
them as we did designing them.
The one-page format for CC:A battles is ideal
for ease of reference and quick play. However,
it leaves little space for historical detail. Within
C3i Magazine, there is the opportunity to
include more background information, in
particular unit scale and specific order of battle
information. The detailed background for
Mago's battles can be found in C3i Nr.6, but
here are some CC:A specific comments:
Orongis, 212 BC (Setup on Page 41):
Scale: Each unit represents about 1,000
infantry, 500 cavalry or 20 elephants
Each block represents about 250 infantry,
170 cavalry or 10 elephants
Carthaginian OOB: The Carthaginian army
was composed of one-half African levies and
one-half Gauls, totaling about 10,000 foot,
1,500 horse and 20 elephants
Heavy infantry (H) represent Libyans
Medium infantry (M) represent
veteran Iberians
Warriors (W) represent elite Gauls
Auxiliaries (A) represent Gauls
Bowmen (B) represent Moors
Slingers (S) represent Balearics
Medium cavalry (MC) represent Gauls
Light cavalry (LC) represent Numidians
Roman OOB: The Roman army was composed
of one double-legion with some Iberian
allies, totaling about 13,000 foot and
1,000 horse.
Heavy infantry (H) represent Roman
and Italian triarii
Medium infantry (M) represent Roman
By Richard Borg and Dan Fournie
and Italian hastati and principes
Light infantry (L) represent Roman
and Italian velites
Medium cavalry (MC) represent Romans
and Italians
Warriors (W) represent Iberian scutarii
Auxiliaries (A) represent Iberian caetrati
Light cavalry (LC) represent Iberians
Recorded Losses:
Carthage: 8,000 men with Vismarus and
Moenicaptus killed in action; 1,000 men
captured; eight elephants captured and three
killed; 58 standards lost
Rome: None recorded
Sources: Livy [24.42]
Celtiberia, 207 BC (Setup on Page 44):
Scale: Each unit represents about 1,000
infantry, 500 cavalry or 20 elephants
Each block represents about 250 infantry,
170 cavalry or 10 elephants
Carthaginian OOB: The Carthaginian army
was composed of one-third African levies
and Balearics under Mago and two-thirds
Celtiberians, totaling about 14,000 foot,
1,500 horse and 20 elephants
Heavy infantry (H) represent Libyans
Warriors (W) represent Celtiberian scutarii
Auxiliaries (A) represent Celtiberian caetrati
Light infantry (L) represent Libyans
and Numidians
Slingers (S) represent Balearics
Medium cavalry (MC) represents Celtiberians
Light cavalry (LC) represent Numidians
Roman OOB: The Roman army was
composed of one double-legion, totaling
about 10,000 foot and 1,000 horse.
Heavy infantry (H) represent Roman
and Italian triarii
Medium infantry (M) represent Roman
and Italian hastati and principes
Light infantry (L) represent Roman
and Italian velites
Medium cavalry (MC) represent Romans
and Italians
Additional Leaders:
Hanno: a common name for Punic
generals, this Hanno was sent out from
Carthage as a replacement for Hasdrubal Barca
in 207 BC. Captured in this battle.
Recorded Losses:
Carthage: 7,000 Celtiberians killed or captured;
2,000 African infantry killed or captured;
Hanno was captured.
Rome: None recorded
Sources: Livy [28.1-2]
Po River, 203 BC (Setup on Page 45):
Scale: Each unit represents about 2,500
infantry, 1,500 cavalry or 7 elephants
Each block represents about 625 infantry,
500 cavalry or 4 elephants
Carthaginian OOB: The Carthaginian army
was composed of one-half African and
Balearic levies and one-half Gauls and
Ligurians, totaling about 33,000 foot,
4,500 horse and 7 elephants
Heavy infantry (H) represent Libyans
Medium Infantry (M) represent Ligurians
Warriors (W) represent Gauls
Auxiliaries (A) represent Iberians
Slingers (S) represent Balearics
Bowmen (B) represent Moors
Medium cavalry (MC) represents Gauls
Light cavalry (LC) represent Numidians
Roman OOB: The Roman army was
composed of four double-legions, totaling
about 40,000 foot and 3,000 horse.
Heavy infantry (H) represent Roman
and Italian triarii
Medium infantry (M) represent Roman
and Italian hastati and principes
Light infantry (L) represent Roman
and Italian velites
Auxiliaries (A) represent allied Italian
hastati and principes
Medium cavalry (MC) represent Romans
and Italians
Additional Leaders:
Hamilcar: an officer left behind from Has-
drubal's invasion in 207 BC. He again stayed
behind after Mago's army departed and staged a
massive uprising of the Gauls and Ligures after
the Second Punic war ended, in 200 BC.
Recorded Losses:
Carthage: 5,000 killed in action;
22 standards lost; Mago badly wounded
Rome: 2,300 legionnaires from the front line
(plus a few hundred from the reserve);
22 equestrians, some centurions and three
tribunes (of 24 present) all killed in action.
Sources: Livy [30.18-19]

Tactical Tips for CC:A
by Andy Finkel
CC:A is one of my favorite games. For those
unfamiliar with CC:A, it offers the chance
to play an ancient battle in 45-minutes (30-
minutes if your opponent is Tony Curtis :-) with
simple but subtle game mechanics.
Due to the unpredictable nature of command
control caused by the vagaries of the card
draw, this is a game where good play is an
art, rather than a science. As in all good card
driven wargames, a good plan has the poten-
tial to come unstuck if your opponent holds a
particular card. This article humbly offers some
suggestions which I have found helpful in play-
ing the game. As Captain Barbossa said in the
movie Pirates of the Caribbean, "they are not
rules; rather, they are guidelines."
9. "Get there firstest with the mostest"
In CC:A victory is achieved by being the first
to acquire a stated number of Victory Banners.
One of these is obtained for each enemy unit
destroyed, and in some scenarios, banners are
awarded for geographical objectives. However,
in most cases, victory involves killing some-
where between 6-to-8 enemy units be
aggressive. If you can kill one or two enemy
units before your opponent has killed any of
yours, you can then afford to trade losses with
your opponent. Because the attacker strikes first
in CC:A, in most cases, it is better to attack
than defend.
10. Use Boggle doctrine
In Harvard Lampoon's Bored of the Ring, it
states that the race of Boggies "are perfectly
capable of fighting creatures up to half their
own size, provided they get the drop on them."
The smart CC:A player will target his attacks
on units which are either likely to be
eliminated or retreated when attacked, or which
are less powerful than the attacker. Units which
do not have bolstered morale by being stacked
with
a leader or next to two friendly units are good
targets. An attacking unit which rolls 3 dice has
a 40% chance of causing their target to retreat,
thereby avoiding the enemy battling back.
Enemy units with 2 blocks or less are good
targets because of the increased chance of
destroying them. You may need to use multiple
attacking units to chip away at strong enemy
units, but be prepared to take losses by doing so.
Be wary of attacking enemy units stacked with
or adjacent to a leader in close combat because
of their increased combat power, especially if
they are at full strength.
11. "They don't like it up 'em, Mr Mainwaring"
Momentum advances and attacks should be
C&C Ancients Scenarios and Tactical Tips
used where there is a good chance of destroying
an enemy unit, or in other cases if it does not
leave the advancing attacker in a vulnerable
position. Be particularly careful of momentum
advancing with a leader. Try to end up not
isolated if possible (exception; elephants, as
mentioned later). A momentum advance by
cavalry can sometimes cut off an enemy unit's
retreat path, thereby causing it increased
losses if a retreat result is rolled during the
momentum attack.
4."Keep on running"
Units with the evade capability should usually
use it, unless the attacker is reduced to 1 block.
Even then, the defender should evade if the at-
tacker can roll enough dice to kill the defender.
5."Vorwarts, mein Kinder" ("Forward,
my children" Prussian Marshal Blucher)
Get your units into the enemy half of the board.
Your medium and heavy infantry need to keep
advancing in order to be able to reach and
attack the enemy. Also, your cavalry should be
pushed forward far enough to be able to retreat
without taking additional losses for being un-
able to retreat their full move distance.
Finally, if you can pin enemy units against
their base line, their losses will increase
exponentially since they will be unable to
retreat.
6."All together now
Try to link all your foot units in adjacent
hexes to maximize the effect of a Line
Command card. If you cannot achieve this, try
to group foot units in linked groups adjacent
to a leader so that they can use a Leadership
Section card. Note that some of the units activated
on a Leadership Section card can be in a different
section of the battlefield to the activated leader,
as long as
they form part of a chain of contiguous hexes
connected to the leader's hex.
7."Play your cards right"
You can't control what cards you pick up, but
you can control how you play the cards you
get. If you are missing cards relating to a
section of the battlefield, you may be able to
compensate by using a line command for a
leader in an adjacent section, if he has a
connected set of hexes to the section for which
you don't have cards. Line command and
double move can also be useful cards in this
situation. You should base your initial strategy
on the cards you have. Where possible, hold
unique cards such as Clash of Shields, Mounted
Charge Rally and
Lam Spartacus until you are able to maximize
the number of units which can use them.
8."I have a cunning plan" Private Baldrick
Use your opponent's player turns to plan your
next card play once I have drawn my card at
the end of my turn. If you play quickly, you cut
down on your opponent's thinking time and
this may put pressure on him.
1. "Follow me"
The efficient use of leaders can significantly
enhance your chances of winning. A chain of
adjoining hexes containing units connected
to a leader's hex will maximize the use of Line
Command cards. Leaders stacked with or
adjacent to battling units give those units an
additional pip on the combat die. This makes
leaders very potent in attack & defence. The
ability to allow infantry stacked with leaders to
make a momentum advance and attack is very
powerful. A leader in the front rank of the army
can potentially influence 3 attacks, conferring
the potential of scoring up to 15 additional hits
on the opponents. Leaders attached to infantry
should ideally be placed with medium or heavy
infantry units.
2."Horses for Courses"
Knowing the strengths and weaknesses of
different types of units in CC:A can give
you an edge in your games. Light infantry are
the best units to use in woods. They are also the
most efficient units to use against elephants be-
cause they do not lose any combat power when
fighting them. Auxilia are the kings of the hills.
Elephants are an enigma. They can be devastat-
ing or useless. Get them clear of your own bat-
tle lines to avoid friendly losses from rampage.
Elephants are very brittle, because they can be
killed with 2 hits. I like to "use them before I
lose them", and deploy them aggressively. The
alternative school of thought on elephants is to
keep them behind your lines, so as to avoid
giving cheap victory banners to your opponent.
Cavalry units should be pushed forward as
early as possible, because if they are attacked
near their own baseline, they may be unable to
retreat their full distance, which will cause them
to take additional losses. Heavy & medium
cavalry are powerful on the attack, partly
because of the automatic ability to make a
momentum attack if they advance after combat.
Light infantry units are wasted in close combat.
Keep them at range and use missile combat,
particularly at enemy units stacked with a
leader, because any hits scored will give you a
chance of killing an enemy leader.
3."They're playing my tune"
Seize the initiative and force your opponent to
spend his cards reacting to your plans; i.e make
him dance to your tune. This may involve plan-
ning the use of your card hand to keep pressure
on the enemy in one sector of the battlefield.
I hope you find these CC:A tips helpful.
CE LT I B E RIA 207 B C - Official Commands & Colors: Ancients Scenario - Approved by Richard Borg

CARTHAGINIAN

Historical Background was captured. There would be no Carthaginian counter-offensive

Following the Battle of Baecula, Hasdrubal and Mago Barca and in Spain this year. The final showdown was delayed until 206 at
Hasdrubal Gisgo gathered for a council of war in 208 BC. They Ilipa.
decided that Hasdrubal Barca would cross the Alps into Italy.
Mago broke up his army to provide troops for his brother and War Council
sailed for the Balearics to raise more troops. Hasdrubal Gisgo Carthaginian Army
retreated to the Atlantic coast while Masinissa with 3,000 Leader: Mago
cavalry held Scipio Africanus at bay. In 207, Mago returned with 4 Command Cards
about 2,000 Balearics and 4,000 African recruits under Hanno.
To round out his new army, Mago recruited a band of 9,000 of Roman Army
the fierce Celtiberians. However, as soon as Scipio learned what Leader: Silanus
Mago was up to, he dispatched his deputy, the propraetor Marcus 5 Command Cards
Junius Silanus, with a single legion of 10,000 foot and 500 Move First
horse. Silanus force-marched undetected to a point just 10 miles
short of Mago's position. The Carthaginians were in two Victory
separate campsthe Africans to the right, and the 5 Banners
Celtiberians to the left. The African camp was properly
fortified, but the Celtiberians were bivouacked in disorder with Special Rules
little security. Silanus ordered an immediate advance on the None
Celtiberian position. The barbarians' shouts of terror alerted
Mago, who raced over to organize a defense. But the Romans
were already charging. A vicious hand-to-hand melee ensured,
while Hanno struggled to bring up the African troops. Hanno The stage is set.
The battle lines are drawn, and you are in command.
wasn't fast enough. Many barbarians were cut down where they The rest is history.
stood, and the remainder broke and fled. Mago, seeing that
the day was lost, made good his withdrawal with 2,000
infantry and nearly all the mounted troops. Hanno, coming up
with the last troops,
PO RIVER- 203 BC Official Commands & Colors: Ancients Scenario - Approved by Richard Borg

Historical Background his wound while sailing for Africa, but the remnants of his army
Following Scipio's victory at Ilipa in 206 BC Mago once again returned to fight at Zama.
sailed to the Balearic Isles to recruit mercenaries. Then, rather War Council
than fall back to Africa, as everyone expected, Mago launched
the third Barcid invasion of Italy. With new levies from Africa, Carthaginian Army
Mago sailed across the Mediterranean and landed at Genoa in Leader: Mago
205. After receiving reinforcements, Mago invaded the valley of 6Command Cards
the Po River in 203. He now had 18,000 infantry, 2,800 cavalry MoveFirst
and seven elephants from Africa; and about 15,000 foot and
1,500 horse from the Ligurian and Gaullic tribes. Two Roman Roman Army
armies were on hand in Cisalpine Gaul under the Praetor Publius Leaders: Varus and Cethegus
6 Command Cards
Quintilius Varus and the Proconsul Marcus Cornelius Cethegus.
Their army included four double legions, with 40,000 infantry
and 3,000 cavalry. The battle was joined in the plain along the Victory
Po River. Mago placed his reliable African and Ligurian infantry 7 Banners
in his main battle line with his Gauls in reserve. As the battle
began, Mago's main line clashed with the front line legions
and the Carthaginians had the advantage. Then Varus led a Special Rules
The Po River is not fordable.
cavalry charge towards the Carthaginian's open flank. This was
the moment Mago awaitedhe counter-charged with his
elephants. The Roman cavalry broke before the impact of the
The stage is set.
lumbering behemoths. As the Roman flank faltered, Cethegus
moved up the reserves. As these fresh troops began to turn the The battle lines are drawn, and you are in command.
tide in Rome's favor, Mago responded with his Gaullic warriors. The rest is history.
Just then Mago fell with a serious wound, and his
beleaguered army finally broke. It had been a very bloody
fight. Over 5,000 Carthaginians and 2,300 Romans were left
on the field. Mago perished of