The Britannia series of games has many admirers and a lot of detractors. The games give an opportunity to bop through a lot of history without too many hassles but they also have a heavily scripted element that can annoy some. Of course the games cover a wide range of styles (as far out as my Chaotic Chariotlords) so that one can pick the games that meet your needs. The games are also (and this is of more concern) very long so that (added to the pain of multiplayer games) they can become rarely seen. My solution has always been to set them up in the games room and play them solitaire over a week. The result is like watching a slow motion film of the changing politics of the game area. Because of the scripting it is not too difficult to avoid the problems of solitaire gaming, and with the extra time the sheer breadth of these games is easily seen. Rus' covers the Rise of Russia 200 BC to 1584 AD. The period therefore runs from the Scythian Steppe through to Ottomans and Muscovites. The 16 turns cover from 400 to 80 years of real activity and the stage upon which our princes must appear runs from Poland to the Volga, and from Ladoga to Mundberg. The game is extremely long with over 30 nations. It would have been possible to start it with the coming of the Rus (Turn 5 or 6) and ending it with the Mongols blotting out of the Sun (Turn 12). The former because these turns are little to do with Russia and the latter because this was a Brave New World after the Tartars came. However, this was not the decision made and as a solitaire player I am very happy with it. The game is a DTP game but you should not worry. Randy has printed the counters on thin card so it is simply a scissors job, followed by cutting apart the nation cards, no unpleasant bending or lifting (or gluing). The standard of counter illustration is perfectly good and the map is plain clear and functional. This is a very accessible DTP package. The map has two predominant features: Steppe and non-Steppe. In Steppe areas movement, combat and resources are all higher than in the non-Steppe (usually forests and lakes). Indeed some "black-earth" areas are rated at 2 population points (one for most Steppe and a half for non-Steppe normally) however, Novgorod the Golden is both non-steppe and worth two as is only right and proper. Although nations occupying Steppe areas grown faster they are also subject to visits by unpleasant steppe warriors who sweep across the map in at least seven of the 16 turns. The result is that the Woodland elves tend to remain and other bigger and bolder empires collapse as Asia vomits forth its huddled masses yearning to be Khan. Movement in non-steppe areas is one area a turn unless you are led by a Leader or have elite units. This makes much of the non-Steppe warfare either coastal, or frontier actions with less of the wide ranging invasions of Steppe peoples. The Byzantine Empire exists as a good place to exit your spare cavalry to score VPs (they perish of course). Some nations (Magyars and Avars) can exit into central Europe. Armies come in a number of varieties. The most common are the infantry and cavalry armies. Infantry kill on a 5-6 and Cavalry on 4-6. However, you can in some cases build forts or castles these are free for stacking and kill on 5-6. Cities (which also have VP value) such as Moscow, Great Bulgar, Itil and Kiev, kill on 4-6. Elite units (the bodyguards of Russian Princes) like Knights, Mongols and Streltsy (Muscovite musketeers) all kill on 4-6 but are only killed by a 6. To stir up matters more (and I think it overcooks the pudding) Steppe warriors may reclaim some of their dead from the Beni Tleilaxu tanks where they kill other Steppe cavalry - this gives a "nothing succeeds like excess" feel to Steppe invasions. The game opens with three nations of elves (Krivichi, Balts and Finns), two brave nations out on the Steppe edges (Slavs and Merya) and the Scythians scattered around the Steppe. The game unfolds as follows 200BC to AD200: The Sarmatians gallop on to make mincemeat of the Scythians. The Goths move the other way heading towards the Crimean and Caucasian areas (no mean feat for an army of infantrymen - in this game's terms). AD201-300: More Goths arrive. AD301-475: Hermanric shows up, the Huns come the other way, followed by the Bulgars (the game encourages you to form both Bulgaria in the Balkans and the Volga Bulgar Kingdom) and the Utigurs. By now the Steppe has usually filled up even after the Huns have galloped off map. Finally, and usually, for me, unsuccessfully, the Magyars appear. AD476 - 650: An invasion of Avars (cross map men) and Khazars (interested in Caucasia to the Volga) affrights the air and the Slavs metamorphose into the Eastern Slavs (eventually to become Princes of Kiev). AD651-750: Apart from a few Viking, Bulgars and the van of the Pechenegs a peaceful turn. AD 751-825: more Vikings and "Scandinavians" arrive and (at last) our first Rus state - Kiev is born AD826-900: The Viking raiders build further in number, Prince Oleg of Kiev gets unpleasant, and the Poles appear. The Pecheneg invasion starts. AD901-990: The Vikings are now a formidable force, burning cities, raiding and crossing the map as recorded in the sagas. Both Kiev and Poland field leaders and armies. AD991-1054: Vladimir of Kiev appears. The "Scandinavians" get some raiders (making the Baltic littoral as dangerous as the Steppe), and the Merya change into the Princes of Suzdal. AD1055-1130: The Scandinavians stop raiding and start invading, Boleslaw the Bold pushes Poland forward and the first Polotsvy appear. Krivichi has changed into Novgorod and the Kievan state collapses (irrespective of its actual status). AD1131-1205: The Scandinavians, Teutonic Knights and Novgorod all get very unpleasant in the Baltic region. Prince Andrew of Suzdal and the Polotsvy go on the warpath. The Balts become the Lithuanians (one of the worst represented nations in the game). AD1206-1280: Eric the Swede, Mindovg of Lithuania, Alexander Nevsky of Novgorod and the Grand Master of the Order all continue to fight over the Baltic areas. Subedei mounts a quick raid followed by Batu Khan's major attack that sweeps clear most of the map in this and the next turn. Suzdal picks this happy moment to become Muscovy. AD1281-1355: Wladyslaw of Poland and Dimitri of Moscow cause a most frightful stink out of range (they hope) of the Mongols who now shatter into three Khanates (Crimea, Kazan and Astrakhan). AD1356-1430: Poland and Lithuania can join in the Union of Krewo, just in time to see the horrid Basil I of Moscow enter the fray, and watch (from a distance) the Timurids chopping up the Mongol Khanates and Moscow before galloping off. AD1434-1505: Ivan III of Moscow is on campaign and the Ottomans press in from the South. AD1506-1584: Ivan the Terrible and his Streltsy usually complete the crushing of most other Russian states (though I still had a Kievan state in one game) while further Ottoman attacks occur. It is (of course) a jolly good thing that, with all the fun and frivolity, the rules are pretty simple. Each nation has a turn of Build-Move-Fight-"supply" in a fixed order. Combat is War At Sea dice stuff with retreats (if possible) at the end of each round and one fights or retreats until only one side remains. One moves three or four areas, passing through other nations only be doubling (or screening) them. Non-steppe movement is much slower. Stacking is simple, with one big stack permitted per nation (say around the capital) but Hordes being free to stack how they please. You can submit to enemies (and must do so to the Mongols except from the manly Teutonic knights). That's about it except for a list of exceptions to cover all manner of wonderful things. The Vikings make epic voyages. The Mongols obey few known rules. Kiev collapses, Poland-Lithuania unites, and Byzantium tempts. The meat of the game lies in the Pavlovian Victory Conditions. These are recorded on separate cards. Some gamers (particularly Americans) find it disorientating to play a game without knowing the full "web" of advantage and disadvantage that these cards contain. These fellows are not going to enjoy this game much. The Victory Conditions link to three main "traditions". Firstly, the "Kill Goths on any turn" type. Secondly, the special conditions used to " manage" large nations like the Mongols. Thirdly, certain turns (4, 7, 10, 13 and 16) are ones in which areas occupied generally score VPs. The amounts they score are where the balance lies. In turn 16 (for example) Novgorod is worth 6 to the Novgorod player but 5 to Muscovy and not much to anyone else. The Teutonic Knights are very keen to capture in earlier, but then lose all interest. Since VPs can be scored in the same area in sequence one can have formidable scores on certain turns. I remember seeing Moscow being the subject of a score three times in one turn. The Blues The Krivichi operate mostly in holding Novgorod and neighbouring areas (plus killing other locals) before turning into Novgorod. Novgorod likes to kill Scandinavians and Teutonic Knights and to hold the Steppe-Baltic areas with an interest in Smolensk and Muscovy. The Poles are generally in the recognised Polish lands but these push out into Hungary and Kiev in time. Suzdal is interested in its neighbouring territories, and in Turn 11 rushes out to attack Kiev and take Muscovy. The Huns favour the core Steppe and an exit on Turn 3 while the remainder of them last one turn in Kiev and its environs. The Magyars like dead Sarmatians and seek to hold the Southern steppe and move into Hungary (and beyond). I find them too weak to succeed against a "full" map. They need much blood to aid them. The Pechenegs like killing Bulgars and Khazars and holding the core Steppe lands followed by a Turn 11 exit towards Byzantium. The Khanate of Kazan exists to squat mid-map and get pummelled by the Timurids. The Reds The Sarmatians seek to hold the mid-Steppe (Crimea et al). The Merya hold the Suzdal environs (being replaced by a Blue Suzdal on Turn 9). The Slavs try to hang on to the Kiev-Hungary axis. Their replacements the Eastern Slavs dislike Goths but their territorial interests move north and west. But in the Kievan form the pattern is very changeable. At first Kiev seek to hold a block from Kiev to Smolensk to Moscow. Then it develops an interest in crossing the map to seize Sarkil (by the Caspian) and take Novgorod. After its collapse it remains interested only in Kiev. The Bulgars have a split personality. Part yearns for the forest wilderness of Hungary and Wallachia, but the rest seeks to build Great Bulgar on the Volga. This split kingdom tries to ride out the game. The Scandinavians (unlike their Viking cousins) move from raiding to capturing. Their interests are mainly the Finnish provinces but briefly they get points for Novgorod. The Teutonic Knights are very fierce (if small in numbers) with some useful "free" castles. On their invasion turns they seek the entire seaboard as far as Novgorod, but calm down to just the Baltic States. They arrive in a particularly volatile period and seldom survive. The Greens The Balts kill their neighbours and generally seek the Baltic coast, with Poltosk as a population centre. The Avars aim to sweep across the map and exit it, though some points are available for remaining in what are to become the Polish Lands. The Polotsvy gallop across the map and may then exit to Byzantium and glory after holding the Steppe. The Utigurs have a brief interest in the central steppe but as infantry do not tend to survive. The Vikings are only raiders, gaining points for killing, for burning cities (I've a few notches in my axe handle) and crossing the landmass to the Caspian and the Black Sea. The Crimean Khanate is a Timurid target. The Ottomans arrive late and seek to control the shore of the Black Sea and push into the Volga with their allies the Crimean Khanate. Muscovy is a major nation. Though it suffers from horrid Timurids and Mongols it also has lots of extra men and leaders. Its brief and bloody rule is the high point of the end game. Its interests start on the neighbouring lands, then expand to the destruction of Great Bulgar, and the defeat of Lithuania and Novgorod, followed by a range that reaches to the Baltic and south to Seversk. Like the Assyrians the Muscovites are a nation to hate. The Purples The Finns are an invariable people seeking the north edge of the map throughout the 1700 years of the game, though they can score points for raiding (and building mobile phones). The Goths appear with the aim of controlling the Steppe from Hungary to the Crimea (they seldom seem to manage it with me though). They are then supposed to fight on until Turn 7 but are usually steamrollered into a bad case of death long before then. The Lithuanians are another people with a long VP list and a shortage of soldier ants. They open their bidding with the Lithuanian-Volnyian bloc, then expand outwards towards Kiev and the Dniepr, neither of which they have ever seen with me. The Scythians get points for killing Sarmatians and for holding the Crimean block, but suffer badly from the Sarmation invasions. The Khazars, unlike, most Steppe people, have a limited interest - mostly controlling the area from the Caspian to the Don, and building Itil. As such their longevity can be considerable. The Mongols are like releasing a pitbull on a chihuahua. On the first turn they have twenty targets provinces, together with burning two cities. On the second turn they can force everyone (except the High and German Master) to submit. They have a double invasion (four moves and combat phases) and are built like Daleks. The Astrakhan Khanate operates in the old Khazar districts. The Timurids are a smaller version of the Mongols (it is unwise to rile the purple player) who in one turn aim to capture Muscovy and its environs before departing for India and China. While there are some nations that I think are unlikely to achieve as much as their historical counterparts these games thrive on differences of playing style, and a series of dumb-arse attacks can have as profound an affect as several turns of steady population growth. I think the Steppe Warrior rule needs toning down, but it is no great matter. Rus' is lots of fun and leads one back to considering the original history and to how one might simulate it. As solitaire fun it is excellent, as a DTP splendid value. Urra urra urra! The temptation to do a Chariot Lords version is strong (not to mention a few scenarios). Will you play it if you buy it? Solitaire yes, multi-player I am less persuaded. Does anyone have this sort of time any longer? Back to Perfidious Albion #102 Table of Contents Back to Perfidious Albion List of Issues Back to MagWeb Master Magazine List © Copyright 2001 by Charles and Teresa Vasey. This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com