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Welcome to Swords and Chit! Our aim is to focus on discussing and reviewing wargames (with the occasional foray into something different, such is the case here). As a pair of relatively new wargamers coming from a background of euro games, a lot of things in the wargaming hobby are going to be new to us and we hope to provide a fresh voice for those who might be on a similar journey into this area of gaming. So we are glad you discovered this blog, and hope you stick around for future posts!
Game Information
Designer: Richard Borg
Artist: Rodger B. MacGowan, Chechu Nieto
Publisher: GMT Games
Players: 2
Playtime: 60-120
Commands & Colors: Medieval is based on the Commands & Colors game system and by design is not overly complex. The Medieval game introduces many new game concepts to the Commands & Colors system, which add historical depth and flavor. Some of the new concepts are:
Superior armor and status when battling
Cavalry units increase to 4 blocks
Heavy infantry battle dice are reduced from 5 dice down to 4
Light Bow Cavalry units can employ the Parthian Shot when they evade
Still, some Commands & Colors game mechanics remain familiar to players of other games in the system, like the deck of Medieval Command cards that drive movement while creating a “fog of war,” and the battle dice that will resolve combat quickly and efficiently. The stylized battlefield scenario maps emphasize the important terrain features and highlight the historical deployment of forces in scale with the game system. The scale of the game is flexible, and varies from battle to battle. For some scenarios, a unit may represent a Chiliarchy of soldiers, while in other scenarios a unit may represent just a few brave warriors. The battlefield tactics, however, that you will need to execute to gain victory conform remarkably well to the strengths and limitations of the various medieval unit types, their weapons, the terrain, and history.
The medieval battles showcased in the scenario book focus on the historical confrontations between the Byzantine Empire and Sassanid Persians (530 to 627 AD) with a slight detour to battle the Moors and their rebel allies (645 – 648 AD). The Byzantine Empire during this period of medieval history was one of constant transition and reorganization. Its army tended to mirror its eastern adversaries by deploying an increasing number of armored cavalry formations (Cataphracts) and more missile troops. Yet, it was how the Byzantines adapted their battlefield tactics in relation to the enemy it faced that is perhaps the chief reason for the longevity of their Empire.
Although the Byzantine army fought on other frontiers, against a multitude of opponents, Visigoths, Vandals, Ostrogoths, Franks, Alemanni, those conflicts are beyond the scope and space of this one package. Additional expansion modules that address those battles will be forthcoming.
Let’s just say this one is long overdue. We played this back in the end of September and it is now the tail end of December when I finally start working on this. Blame a host of things, including an incredible familiarity with the Commands & Colors system (meaning it was easy to push this write-up back) and a legion of new games getting played that felt more urgent to write about. Those are the primary catalysts for pushing this back so far and so long, but I felt the need to stop forward momentum and get this one wrapped up before hitting the other dozen-or-so pending posts that need written.
In theory, this will be an easy post to write. I can point you to the posts on Commands & Colors: Ancients (both insights and review), Napoleonics, and Red Alert: Space Fleet Warfare for good indicators of things that can hold true here, too. Each title has its nuance to give it the flavor, and that is part of what makes this system wonderful. If they were all just C&C: Ancients set in a different period, there would be no reason to own more than one of them, right? Pick your favorite period and collect them all. Yet because they all offer something different, there is both reason to get several titles and to play them depending on which experience you want at the moment.
Historically, this is the title that excites me the most. I’m a Medievalist at heart, through and through, and no number of Bulge or Market-Garden games will ever change that. And yes, I am equally disappointed in the time period the base game opted to cover – almost everyone thinks more of the 800-1300 range when they think of Medieval. But to call this a “later Ancients” game does a great injustice to a game that has some really crucial tweaks to set it apart from its older sibling. There’s some excellent substance in this game that gives it a unique identity, while not straying too far from the system found in Ancients.
Insight #1: Armor: The Great Equalizer
It was so frustratingly exciting to have the inclusion of armor class among units. It is a simple system, a green unit loses a sword strike on blue or red, a blue loses one on red. That makes those wild sword rolls – useful only in melee and already limited to certain units, a little more uncertain. As the defender, you can plan and position yourself in a way to grant that small advantage for incoming attacks. It makes it more difficult for a squad of weaker units to dismantle a stronger set of units, which makes far too much sense. Also worth noting, cavalry units also get the same benefit when getting attacked by any foot unit – another thing that makes perfect sense and is representative of their better maneuverability.
Carl
The effects of armor are represented well and as historically accurate as the C&C system can model. This is the era where armor becomes more prevalent and necessary based on the evolution in weapons and combat tactics. As this branch of the C&C family grows more armor types and effects should be introduced, with the corresponding adjustments to movement and maneuverability.
Insight #2: The game feels bigger in scope
Glancing through the rest of the book, this one might be the anomaly, but the very first scenario plays to 9 banners. That’s a lot of bloodshed on the battlefield, It led to a battle that was very much a push-and-pull affair that never seemed to have either side in complete control, coming down to the wire in a 9-to-8 contest. Part of that was the number of banners needed to win. Part of that was the above armor, letting units survive longer in the face of attacks from weaker units. And yet the game flew by in about the same timeframe as one would expect from the game, making it a perfect balance of time spent organizing and setting up the game versus the time playing it. Some of the later scenarios drop down to the 5-6 banner range I’m used to seeing in C&C games, but this first scenario was a great way to kick it off and let some of the unique aspects of this version shine.
Carl
The first scenario could be classified as a slugfest (beat on things until they stop moving). It was bloody. Armor and the adjustments to calvary made significant differences. If I remember correctly, archers seemed marginally better as well, but this is again compensated for by armor.
Insight #3: Inspired actions and battlefield actions are game changers
The rulebook calls this feature an innovative one, and I’d agree that it really helps to set the title apart from others. It felt a little like the system in Red Alert with the different deck of cards, but this one has a static list you can choose from when you spend the tokens. The catch is that some of these actions can only be selected when using a Leadership card, but even the generic ones of moving a leader, rolling an extra die in combat, or ignoring a flag can be real game changers. It isn’t like the tokens are raining from the sky (unlike the tokens in Red Alert, which you got every time a certain result appeared on the dice), so you need to be smart about using them over the course of battle. A smarter commander than me would be able to find opportunities to break open the battle with a timely use of these tokens. Maybe someday I’ll get there.
Carl
These features were a nice inclusion. As David said, it is similar to the Warfare deck in Red Alert, plus the additional deck that is added in Napoleonics Marshals and Generals (I think tactics cards if my mind serves me right). Timing their use is important, and with more plays I believe we will both get better using them at more opportune times.
Insight #4: Evading still matters
This was a hard lesson to learn in Commands & Colors: Ancients and, to be honest, I still fail to use as much as I should in these games. Evading attacks is vital to survival, as it reduces their odds of hitting to a 1-in-6 per die in exchange for not getting to counter their attack should you survive. But how many times have I fallen to a flurry of swords, leaders, and flags? Far too many, friends. Nothing is more painful than thinking I’ll stand my ground and swing back – my 3-4 blocks should survive – only to watch the dice perform a flawless devastation on my units. And worse, to realize that simply evading would have made all the difference. Every block matters in this game, as they don’t get the point until the last one falls in a group. Making that difficult for them is almost more important than aggressively trying to wipe the enemy off the board.
Carl
Finesse matters. I fail to evade as well, but I have started to do it more. It is there for a reason, and as someone famous once said, it’s better to live another day than die a pointless death that could have been avoided.
Insight #5: Fire! Oh, wait, CAN he fire?
The other unique thing here is the presence of bow chits, which get placed with certain units as part of setup to indicate they can use a ranged attack. That’s right, there will be times when my Medium Cavalry can shoot but yours can’t. Boo hoo, deal with it. While I don’t like the tiny cardboard token as a reminder, it does serve its purpose (you just have to make sure you move it with your units…and it remains visible so you remember they can shoot). Don’t get me wrong, ranged attacks are still not the best method of wiping out the enemy, but they can go a long way toward depleting them or picking off units. So it still can make a difference in the outcome of the game – and I do like the change to where some units are unable to to shoot on one side of the battle.
Carl
As I said above, archers do matter. Their likelihood of striking a blow at range is even when compared to close combat. So take the shot, retreat and repeat. Soften up the targets prior to your hand to hand units making a move. Despite being a fairly simple system, Commands & Colors does have nuances, and taking advantage of those nuances can make a difference.
Wrap-Up
What more can I say about this great Commands & Colors system? It is one of my favorite game systems to play, period. And this one, well, it is probably my favorite version and will get cemented as such once that first expansion arrives in 2021. I honestly cannot wait for some Crusades battles to play, but in the meantime I am going to make a point to get this one played a few more times in the coming months if possible. We’ve strayed away from C&C for a few months, exploring a host of new titles, but it might be time to dedicate a month to just C&C games in 2021. Come to think of it, we probably will do just that.
It isn’t a perfect game, or a perfect system, for those looking for precise simulations. I get there are those who are put off by the early Medieval period covered in the base game, and it soured initial impressions because of that. But honestly, this one has nothing but good chrome added onto an already outstanding system. If I had to trim my collection down to ten games, this one stays for sure. And if I had to keep just one C&C title, it would probably be this one because of things like the armor and the inspired actions and the layers those add to the game.
Carl
For a night where I want to wargame, but do not want the melted brain feeling that operational games can provide (I think part of that is us trying to cram them into a time slot that is slightly too small), Commands & Colors is one of my go-to systems. Between C&C and Combat Commander there are two different systems, with no overlap, that can be played without too much concern of making crucial rules mistakes (which I am famous for). This is the most played game system across all of the titles we have tried to this point in our collective collection. The hard part for me this year is I’m trying to get games played which have not seen the table yet, and C&C is so burned into my memory that I don’t mind putting it off for that reason. At the same time, I want to revisit it again. We have more C&C scenarios available to us that we could probably play nothing but this system for a year or two. I do want to get some of the expansions tried out, but I also want to explore things deeply within each base box before adding the spartans, or other factions.
And then there is Epic mode with Ancients and Napoleonics…
Previous Articles:
A New Wargamer’s Reflections on Sekigahara: The Unification of Japan
A New Wargamer’s Insights and Impressions from Peloponnesian War
A New Wargamer’s Insights and Impressions from Nevsky: Teutons and Rus in Collision, 1240-1242
A New Wargamer’s Insights and Impressions from Pendragon: The Fall of Roman Britain
A New Wargamer’s Insights and Impressions from Holland ’44
A New Wargamer’s Insights and Impressions from Commands & Colors: Napoleonics
A New Wargamer’s Insights and Impressions from Combat Commander: Europe
A New Wargamer’s Insights and Impressions from Time of Crisis
A New Wargamer’s Insights and Impressions from Labyrinth: The War on Terror, 2001-?
Author: David Wiley
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