by Mark G. McLaughlin (with input from Fred Schachter)
Part II: If You Want a War Let it Begin Here…With the “Hateful Eight”
As with its predecessors (Ancient Civilizations of the Inner Sea GMT Games – Ancient Civilizations of the Inner Sea and Ancient Civilizations of the Middle East GMT Games – Ancient Civilizations of the Middle East, or ASIS and ACME, respectively), the cards quite literally “rule” the game. The upcoming third game of the series, Ancient Civilizations of East Asia Ancient Civilizations of East Asia, ACEA, has110 cards, “Karma Cards”, which come in eight “flavors” (or types). The single largest block of cards by type, 27 of them, is the one which allows players to influence Competition. These are indicated by a letter “C” upon their upper left corners. Although “Competition” is defined in the game system as being any kind of conflict or rivalry over an area – economic, social, political, religious or military, but let’s face it: Competition Cards are WAR cards.
Now this does not mean they HAVE to be used to fight a war. Competition Cards, like every other type of Karma Card, can be used as a form of currency when purchasing upgrades to your ACEA civilization’s territories (counters for Terraces/Improved Agriculture, Workshops, Strongholds) or paying the cost of advancing on the Cultural Development Tracks ( An Overview of Ancient Civilizations of East Asia’s Cultural Development Tracks – InsideGMT ). They can also be used to ameliorate losses caused by floods, famines, earthquakes, rebellions and other assorted disasters inflicted upon a civilization by other players. In many cases, a card, once a civilization has sufficiently developed, can also be used to replace a Land area’s black disks through “Cultural Absorption” … a feature unique to ACEA.
But what is the fun in that?
Seriously, although the Ancient Civilization series of games are war games ONLY if you want them to be, having a hand full of Competition Cards can make a player lean in that direction. While two, three or more Competition Cards in a hand do not mean a player HAS to go to war, it sure does tempt one to rattle sabers, sharpen spears, string bows and saddle up (or raise sails) to embark on a campaign of conquest. Whether it is to grab vital Fertile areas, loot cities for taels (money) and victory points – and in doing so perhaps curtail another player’s advancement on the Cultural Development Tracks- or just to get revenge on a player who has thrown too many “take that!” cards at you, Competition Cards can prove to be not only very useful, but also very satisfying to use when going to WAR.
For those readers unfamiliar with the “dice less” Competition procedure for resolving conflict in all three of the Ancient Civilization series of games, this extract from Ancient Civilizations of the Middle East’s Playbook provides examples, including use of Competition Cards: ACME_Playbook_56pp.pdf
Please note that all cards depicted by this article and those to follow are from ACEA play test game sets. Ah, but how glorious these cards shall appear with the wonderful graphics we’ve come to expect of GMT!
ACEA Competition Cards “By the Numbers:” The Hateful Eight
As 27 cards are too many to feature in a single InsideGMT article, we shall begin with the first eight (in numerical order). The remaining 17 will be covered by three other articles to follow this one. Individual generals, brilliant strategists, vile traitors, and heroic warriors all played key roles in the wars of Ancient East Asia. This is represented by the mix of ACEA’s Competition Cards. Six of these “hateful eight” for example, are Great Person cards – a type that is subject to being countered by certain Negate cards – notably #19 Eunuch Coup – ‘Eunuchs Plot to Gain Control’ or #24 Cike – ‘Assassin-Retainers’, these, and their ilk, are nasty little cards which we’ll examine later).
Card #5: Turncoat: The Betrayer Strikes (A Great Person Card)
This is THE single most POWERFUL (and most “hateful”) Competition Card of all: although it’s not really a Competition Card as it lacks a letter “C”. It is even more powerful than the OTHER nefarious Traitor Card in the deck. Why? Because while the Traitor (Card 74) does the same thing – this does it first! The Turncoat takes precedence over the Traitor – making it essentially a “Super Traitor.” As this card is inflicted before the Competition Phase: No Competition is fought – the card player simply wins, and without losing a single disk.
If used to eliminate another civilization’s City, three or more disks in a Land area, that City is still Looted (think of it as the traitor opening a crucial gate to allow invaders in). The Looting of a City provides a Victory Point, one tael (or two disks of “captives” to place for deployment next turn) and offers the chance of effecting one of the victor’s, or vanquished, disks upon the Cultural Development Tracks Display.
As Sun Tzu instructed, one of the most preferred strategies for a ruler to employ against a rival is to “Introduce traitors into his country, that the government policy may be rendered futile. Foment intrigue and deceit, and thus sow dissension between the ruler and his ministers. By means of every artful contrivance, cause deterioration amongst his men and waste of his treasure.”
He was, and still is, so very right, as players of Ancient Civilizations of East Asia shall experience for themselves!
Card #22: Great Admiral (A Great Person Card)
Not all wars are fought on land, especially not in East Asia with its lengthy coastlines and numerous islands. This card does not merely modify a Competition – it will actually START one in an area previously thought to be peaceful and safe.
That’s because in all Ancient Civilizations Series games, a Sea area occupied by only one disk of two or more colors does not precipitate Competition. Those single disks, called “Camps” when on land, peacefully coexist. At sea you could think of a single disk as a group of peaceful fishermen. A Civilization may destroy such peaceful equilibrium through the “Great Admiral” Competition Card, for adding a single disk to one already in a Sea area precipitates conflict.
The Han Dynasty established the first standing professional navy in Ancient China, known as “The Tower Ship Navy.” The first major naval battle on record in Chinese history occurred during 208 AD – The Three Kingdoms Battle of Chibi, also known as “The Battle of Red Cliffs”: Battle of Red Cliffs – Wikipedia.
Card #27: Warrior Duke (A Great Person Card)
The normal stacking limit in any non-Desert Land area is four disks of a civilization’s color (blue, red, green etc.). White disks are “bonus” disks that can temporarily exceed the stacking limit. As the larger force (almost) always wins a Competition, adding two disks is a big advantage.
Ancient Chinese warlords, kings, and emperors relied upon powerful allied nobles to bring their household troops and raise levies in times of war. Cao Cao, for example, began has one such warlord before eventually becoming one of the six Wei emperors.
Card #29: Master Strategist (A Great Person Card)
This card is unique in that it can be used in a Competition not only where the card player’s civilization is engaged, but ALSO, if the player prefers, in one where none of the player’s disks are present. This makes it valuable both as a war card – and as a tool in diplomacy, where a player can help an ally – or indirectly strike at a distant enemy.
Furthermore, it is not limited to one area but can be used in up to FOUR Land areas during the same Competition Phase. That is, in up to four Competitions, a colored disk is removed and a white disk added to aid the opposing side. Devious ACEA play testers have mixed this card’s effects: using it to influence their own as well as another player’s Competition(s)… “wheels within wheels”, eh? All of this makes it an incredibly powerful card – and one which if negated by another’s play of an the Cike (Assassin) card can really ruin one’s plans – and one’s day.
Although the legendary Sun Tzu is the most famous such “master strategist,” there were many others, notably Han Xin, whose innovative strategies helped establish the Han Dynasty. As Wikepedia notes: “Han Xin is best remembered as one of the most brilliant military commanders in Chinese history, renowned for his exceptional strategic intellect and tactical mastery. His innovative use of deception, maneuver warfare, and battlefield psychology set new standards in military art, with several of his campaigns serving as textbook examples of effective command.”
Card# 31: Engineer of Great Renown (A Great Person Card)
The principal benefit of this card is that, unlike most other Competition Cards, it does not have to be played BEFORE a particular Competition begins. A player can “wait and see” where and when to commit these two bonus disks from Supply.
China’s military engineers were great innovators, especially when it came to siege engines and other large weapons of war. They developed traction trebuchets, mobile assault towers (called “overlook carts” or “hook carts” as they were so tall that they “overlooked” walls and allowed crossbowmen in the platforms to fire down upon the defenders). No army in Ancient China undertook a siege without a corps of such professional military engineers.
Their talents could also be used to provide advantage during an open field battle as well.
Card #38: Forage
An army “travels on its stomach,” and unfortunately for the peasants and townspeople whose homes and fields are in the way, it is their food that fills those stomachs. As noted on the card, the great Sun Tzu himself advocated this strategy as a means of depriving the enemy of resources while simultaneously ridding the invading army of the logistical expense to form and drag huge supply trains along on campaign.
Note this card’s benefit will negate the loss of two of your civilization’s disks… but not losses inflicted prior to the first Round of Competition. However, not taking a loss during the first two Rounds of a Competition can sometimes make the difference between victory and defeat.
Card #51: Female Warrior (Mulan) Rises (A Great Person Card)
“Mulan” is much more than a Disney cartoon (or live action movie, which came later). It is an enduring and endearing story based on the legend of a young woman who disguised herself as a man in order to fight the Huns, known as ACEA’s Xiongnu, in her aged father’s stead.
Although not quite the “Joan of Arc” of China, like her French counterpart, she inspired the Chinese and led them to victory. Thus, this card adds a pair of white (temporary) disks to a single Competition, which is usually enough to turn the tide (unless, of course, the opposing player has a Competition Card which does much the same or better).
Card #: 58 Tin Deposit
What does a vein of shiny metal have to do with warfare? A great deal, especially during the Bronze Age when tin is used to harden copper in order to make bronze weapons. Wars were fought to secure such deposits, which have both economic and military value – thus, this card provides not only the addition of a white disk in Competition, but also a tael (money) into the Civilization’s Treasury which can be used to offset a disk loss in that very battle, or saved for one of its many other uses.
NEXT: Six for Sieges
Previous Ancient Civilizations of East Asia “Meet the Civilizations” Articles
