Introduction by Hannibal’s Revenge Co-Designer, Fred Schachter: While the GMT Team continues its efforts to make production-ready Hannibal’s Revenge, the next game of the Card Conquest System series, play testing progresses.
While this is underway, readers may find of interest this report of a Hannibal’s Revenge playtest game between Robert Baynosa and his buddy Marlon Ilagan. This is an “After Action Report” which focuses on particular aspects of the game. It is Robert’s second InsideGMT Hannibal’s Revenge article. For his first report see: A Play Session of Hannibal’s Revenge | Inside GMT blog.
To learn more about this currently P-500 listed game, see GMT Games – Hannibal’s Revenge. With that, it’s time to let Robert once again take the narrative helm…
There’s a challenge to playing Rome during the early turns of Hannibal’s Revenge and why Robert, who is experienced with the game’s rules & cards, is willing to let his opponent be on the attack and have the offensive fun of taking on the role of powerful Carthage!
It’s another Hannibal’s Revenge session, this time with my friend Marlon. Carthage (Marlon) subjugates all Hispanic neutral Tribal territories as well as Aquitania and Gallia Transalpina with help of Hasdrubal’s Army. Hannibal besieges Roman Saguntum but fails to take that stubbornly defended walled city. Rather than persevere with what seems to have become a potentially long-term problem (Marlon just can’t seem to get the right cards and dice roll results for quick victory), Hannibal’s Army abandons the siege and crosses the Alps to invade Italy! He then makes a bold sea move from now Carthaginian controlled Etruria to capture the Isle of Corsica.
Seizure of Corsica secures the “Island Bonus” for Carthage. For although Rome retains Sardinia, Carthage controls two of the Mediterranean’s three island areas: Baeleres and now Corsica. This will allow Carthage to increase its Conflict Card Hand Size by one and result in Rome losing one Conflict Card from its Hand.
Furthermore, from Corsica, Marlon can return Hannibal’s Army to the Italian peninsula and wreak who knows what havoc? Worries indeed for my Romans!
Syracuse then defects to the Carthaginian side, via a propitiously gained Event Card. That’s a grim situation for Rome and I consider seeking to reestablish Rome’s power in the Mare Nostrum by leveraging its naval dominance to recapture traitorous Syracuse and then perhaps subjugate the Baeleres Islands. This would remove that map area from Carthaginian control (and not, at Sexenium’s end, losing the aforementioned Island Bonus of one Conflict Card to my hand).
For it is now near the end of the first Sexenium (219BC) and Carthage has had their first Conflict Card deck reshuffle (the game’s time limit progresses through these reshuffles… just as in Hitler’s Reich, the first game of the Card Conquest System Game Series: GMT Games – Hitler’s Reich). By this time, Carthage has conquered all five Tribal areas. It will therefore earn an extra card to its hand through acquiring the “Tribal Bonus” at the end of the Sexenium.
The Romans seek to regain the initiative by capitalizing on their naval superiority and annexing Syracuse, which recently switched to the Carthaginian side; and then seize the Baeleres Islands, a good springboard for future attacks into Carthaginian Spain and/or North Africa. Appius Claudius, a renowned soldier and sailor, is one of the current two Consuls, and from Neapolis will lead the naval expedition with his army.
My second Roman Consular Army remains in Massilia, where it both threatens Spain and could, with benefit of the “Roman Roads Bonus”, march to counter potential Carthaginian mischief should Hannibal depart Corsica and land his Army in Italy. See figure #2.
Naval Movement and Conflict
At the start of his turn, Appius Claudius performs a Move Action. He decides the safest route to his target is sailing along the shorelines and avoid going through deep waters. He plays a 7 value Conflict Card giving him 7 attempts to move. He starts off in the Roman city of Neapolis and sets sail to the offshore Sea Zone next to Neapolis. He places the move marker on ‘7’ and attempts his first move. He expends one movement point (bringing his MP down to 6) and rolls a die. He rolls a 4 and succeeds in sailing into that offshore Sea Zone (see Figure 3).
Sea Zones begin the game as neutral areas and just like moving through neutral land areas, naval travel involves a conflict when entering neutral waters. Appius rolls 3 dice and gets a +2 bonus due to Roman naval superiority. The Carthaginian player rolls 3 dice for the neutral side (presumably pirates and smaller naval capable tribes trying to destabilize Rome as well as the general hazards of sea travel). Appius feels he has enough of an edge with his die roll bonuses and Conflict Card draw so he does not use an Event to give him further advantages. In Hannibal’s Revenge, Leaders may use Event Cards that could help them during conflict.
Appius chooses a 10 value Conflict Card. Conflict Cards are added to the value of dice rolls. However neutral factions do not have Conflict Cards nor Events to play, giving the two main factions, Carthage and Rome, significant advantages over them (but it is theoretically possible, with ill fate, for a neutral victory, so players can’t be too smug about this aspect of the game). Appius rolls an 8 (from 3d6) and adds this to 10 and his naval superiority bonus of 2 for a total of 20. The neutral faction rolls a 10. Appius soundly beats the neutral faction and can continue on his way to Syracuse. The Roman player puts a Roman Control Marker offshore of Neapolis, signifying that Sea Zone is now under Roman control. Appius draws a Conflict Card back to replenish his hand size.
Appius expends another movement point to move into the offshore Sea Zone surrounding Messana. Again he rolls a 1d6 to check if he successfully sails. He rolls 2 and fails. Not to worry though since he still has 5 movement points remaining. He makes his way through the shores abutting Syracuse, expending movement points and fighting his way through to his objective. The Romans now control all the sea lanes (Zones) from Neapolis to Syracuse. Appius and his Consular Army disembarks at Syracuse with 2 movement points remaining. However, an embarkation to land always ends a Movement Action, so this Roman Army’s movement is effectively over for the turn. The 7 value Roman Conflict Card which enabled movement is discarded and I draw a new card to replenish the Roman Card Hand.
Since Appius won all his conflicts during the now completed Move Action, he becomes eligible for a free action, a Bonus Action. He decides on an Event Action. He spots a Siege Card (“Siege Engines”) in the Events Array and wants to use it for the upcoming siege of Syracuse. In Hannibal’s Revenge, Event Cards must be fought over through a Conflict Resolution. Appius realizes this is a pivotal Event Card, and uses his 12 Conflict Card. But Marlon is also well aware of this card’s importance. The Roman and Carthaginian players both reveal their Conflict Cards and the Carthaginian player also uses his 12 value Carthaginian Allies Conflict Card!
No Events are played by either side. As Active Player attacker, Appius rolls first for a 2, 4, 3 – subpar rolls (I grumble); and Marlon’s Carthaginians roll a 5, 4, 5- for a total of 14. But the 12 Conflict Card allows Appius to reroll 2 of his dice. He rerolls the 2 and 3 and gets a 2 and 4 for a total of 10 which is still not enough to beat Carthage’s 14 result.
Appius does not ‘win’ the Event Card and it remains in the Array. He seeks to replenish his hand from his draw deck. However, that draw deck is empty and that precipitates a Roman Conflict Card deck reshuffle. Carthage previously did a reshuffle of their Conflict Card Deck. Since both players have now reshuffled, their Sexenium Track Markers are flipped star side down and this triggers the End of a Sexenium procedure.
End of the Sexenium
At the End of a Sexenium the players do a number of things. Carthage gained control of the Baeleres and Sardinia, so they get the Island Bonus Control. They place their marker on the Island Bonus Space and the Marker for Rome is removed. Carthage’s Hand Size is increased to 7 and Rome’s decreased to 6.
Also, Carthage has control of all 5 Tribal Regions so another of their Control Markers is placed on the Tribal Bonus Space. Their Conflict Card Hand Size increases by 1, to the new value of 8.
A Sudden Death Game End and Roman Resolve (to continue the war) would then usually be checked, but since the requirements for these are not present at this Sexenium end, they are skipped.
However, for readers’ edification, here’s the Hannibal’s Revenge rulebook extract of the current Roman Resolve Rule:
So with all nine (9) Roman cities under the Republic’s control, Roman Resolve stands firm. However, Carthage’s Hand Size is now greater than Rome’s. Their power and prestige over the Mediterranean has prompted Philip of Macedon to potentially side with them. The Philip of Macedon card is drawn from the deck and becomes part of the Carthaginian Event Array. It will be a most tempting target for a future Carthaginian Event Action.
The Carthaginian player draws TWO cards from the Returnable and Recyclable Events discard area. He will have two additional Events to use during the next Sexenium. The Romans do the same but only draw ONE card.
Players move their markers to the Second Sexenium Track with their star symbols showing, indicating that they have not reshuffled yet, and play of this fascinating and exciting game continues…
Latest Draft Map
As an added teaser, I received the below WIP map board for Hannibal’s Revenge. Designed by Mark Mahaffey, it looks fantastic, wouldn’t you agree? There’ll be more regarding this latest “Work in Progress” map from Game Developer Jason Carr. Watch InsideGMT for that!
I am very much looking forward to playing the final version of this game to learn whether Hannibal can indeed get his revenge!
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Author: Robert Baynosa
Where does the spelling ‘Baeleres’ for islands off the Spanish coast come from?
Greetings,
After consulting Mark, the islands’ name is a variation of that identified them in ancient texts. Here is a relevant source extract:
“Most of the ancient Greek and Roman writers thought that the name of the people, (βαλεαρεῖς/baleareis, from βάλλω/ballo: ancient Greek meaning ‘to launch’) was based on their skill as slingers. However, Strabo thought the name was of Phoenician origin. He observed that it was the Phoenician word for lightly armoured soldiers, which the ancient Greeks called γυμνῆτας/gymnetas. The root bal arguably suggests a Phoenician origin; Strabo, in Volume III, Book XIV of his Geography suggests that the name comes from the Phoenician balearides.”
Thanks for your interest in Hannibal’s Revenge.
Thanks for the source. Hence my puzzlement – the source has ‘βαλεαρεῖς/baleareis’ and not ‘βαελερεῖς/baelereis’.