Vae Victis often follows a certain number of common approaches (the Arnhem and the Fontenoy families for example) but it also brings out some very untypical games. Imperator is just such a game. It has a movie link - the superior gladiator film Gladiator - which should establish its era effectively. This era is an important point as Imperator very much dwells in its own era, this is not generic Roman warfare but the period from Gibbon's happy time to the rise of the African Emperor (161 to 217 AD).
Is the game just superior Fall of Rome? The answer is probably yes (and a good thing too). The system is clean and covers both external and internal wars. The artwork is clean and clear as well as evocative (although some map areas are very small). There are Random Events and chit-drawing. One is reminded of the best games of Joe Miranda (and I know of no greater praise). We found it fast and eventful (even when we thought it had entered a quiet period) yet you can expand or contract scenarios as you will. Though there were a few strange effects that might need tinkering with the whole package was very good. Many congratulations to Frédéric Bey. [There are English rules translations available on the Internet].
The map uses areas and shows the Empire and surrounding areas in a very clear style with the exception of some wobbly border joins. The areas are conveniently coloured so you can spot the "fronts" (Britannia, Rhine, Danube, Orient and South). The maps are marked with the legionary camps (including those built during the period - in Rhaetia and Mesopotamia) a few rivers and cities. For some reason the East is a little short of cities, which can make a difference to the Parthians, I suggest Antioch, at least, is given this status.
The counters are rather handsome. The sprites are evocative renderings of the troops. There are heavily armoured Parthian cataphracts, legionaries, German bodyguards, hairy tribesmen, and desert warriors. Units are legions (with Auxilia) as well larger tribal or Parthian units. Units are rated for strength, quality and tactical bonuses. The legions are unit-for-unit much stronger than most enemy units (the Armenian levy is an exception) but they do not necessarily have a better quality. The Roman units are best (3 value) on the Danube Front (but they face the toughest opposition here too), Britannia and the Rhine (2 value) face similar units, but the South and the effete Orient (1 value) does oppose the rather better Parthians (cataphracts at 2, levy at 1).
The other major counter type is that of Roman leaders. These handsome busts show the various leaders of this period. They are rated for command capability (unit numbers), Strategic Value, Tactical Value and political Value. These factors mean we can have very good (and very loyal) generals, or ineffective but highly political senators. Each counter has a "loyal" and a "usurper" side to deal with the all too frequent Civil wars.
There are also a number of chits (some for one side only, others of general application). The rules are pretty clearly presented. Each turn is a year so there are a varying number of activation phases to cover the interactive nature of warfare during so long a period. The Sequence is essentially a number of housekeeping transactions, drawing playing stratagems, checking for leader death and random events. These are followed by the activation phases (Movement and Combat Segments - SMCs). Each turn concludes with a series of adjustments to handle going into winter quarters and rebuilding units. There are a number of simplifications here, but always with the aim of enhancing the flavours of the key elements of the period.
Legions (unless led by Usurpers) must stay within their fronts with two key exceptions: vexillationes and Reserve Fronts. Vexillationes are temporary drafts of troops sent from more peaceful fronts. Their parent legions are reduced to build a very tough expeditionary force. Reserve Fronts are a function of a dice roll plus the Emperor's Strategic Value (divided by 4). A Reserve Front is permitted to send half its legions outside the Front. Clearly the Enemies of Rome player will hope for simultaneous attacks to pin more than one front and reduce the chances of shifting forces from a Reserve Front. I believe the effect of this is to make invasions of enemy territory very difficult. The barbarian realms are not on a Front and so can only be attacked from a Reserve Front. Already the Roman Army is beginning to ossify in its positions. Enemy Peoples can therefore always withdraw from the Empire and recharge their batteries safe from the full power of Rome.
To move long distances one needs a Leader, though individual units can still move one area. Leaders can move around picking up and dropping off units. There are naval units but they are very slow and linked very closely to their Italian bases (indeed unhistorically so on both counts so as only rarely will one be able to benefit from them).
As mentioned there are a number of SMCs each turn (year) equal to the Strategic Values of the two leaders (Emperor and best enemy). The number of SMCs is equally split with any spare going to the player with the initiative. During each SMC everyone on that side may move and fight. This has an odd effect that a Barbarian invasion against a good Emperor can go further (since his higher SV will increase the number of SMCs). Usually one will have three to four SMCs a turn. Distances mean that it can be hard to march (say) Danubian legions to reinforce the East.. In one recent game my Emperor was two areas short of the enemy on the last SMC and then got cleared up in the adjustments (see below).
There are a number of rules to handle succession, usurpation and appointments of an Augustus and a Caesar. Although appointing a Caesar can prevent an automatic Usurpation attempt on the death of the current Augustus, and appointing a talented leader as joint-Augustus can take him out of temptation, in both cases chits can cause these favoured ones to revolt. With assassination attempts in the chits one Augustus has a group of German guards (who can collect seashells while not otherwise occupied).
The Non-Romans are split into Nations (for example, Persians) and then into Major or Minor Peoples (for example, Osroene and Parthia). Some Peoples have no leaders (so only limited invasions for them - no entering non-frontier provinces), others have historical leaders (the Parthians) who die and arrive per the historical chart, and finally some Peoples have generic leaders. Nations determine stacking and prevent some of the wilder Mithridatic strategies of Parthians and Marcomans fighting along side. The game is careful here with many limits to prevent a game of imperial Risk.
Non-Romans only get into play if at war. This can be achieved in two ways: the play of a stratagem, or as a result of the People chit draw that occurs each turn. A People once defeated by force of arms cannot return to war for five turns, as they recover. The effect is a steady number of wars, periodically a number of wars occur simultaneously and, once finished, leave periods of peace from external enemies. Of course the Enemies of Rome player can still cause mayhem with a Usurpation.
The Enemies of Rome player not only takes VPs for inserting narsty barbarians within the Empire. If he gets a Usurper into Rome (or kills the legitimate Emperor) then he becomes Rome and departs taking with him his VPs. This is a game in which little remains the same for long. In one game I managed to crush all the Germanic tribes only to have Marcus-Aurelius killed by the plague and a succession fight begin.
Usurpation includes a basic validation (in stratagem events) followed by a process of trying to subvert all leaders on the same front, and then on bordering fronts. The strength of the Danubian legions makes them a prime target, so the Roman may want to move leaders around a bit to reduce chances of massed defections.
The stratagems are very atmospheric. You draw one stratagem a turn and either play or discard it that turn (so no assembling masses of chits or pre-positioning peace chits). The Roman chits include a Parthian coup d' etat, diplomatic pacifications of various numbers of Peoples, a Pax Romana that causes an outbreak of peace, and an Automatic Victory chit. The Enemies of Rome chits have usurpations (including by fellow Augustuses and Caesars), declarations of war by various Peoples, Furor Germanicus (battle advantage if Germans in combat), the Parthian Shot (clips a Roman unit after battle - whatever the result), and Intrigue in the Senate (which requires the Emperor to go to Rome). Finally the common stratagems include Assassinations, plagues, evasion, Mutinies, Armenian politics, desertion and divine favour.
The actual combat and movement mechanisms are nice and simple so that one can concentrate on the rest. To move three areas you need a leader, otherwise move one area. There are limits to moving legions outside the Empire (all those forests and deserts).
Combat is odds driven (but with a finely graded CRT). Evasion may occur before battles. There are column modifiers (from Quality advantages) and dice modifiers (leadership and fighting outside the Empire). The result is a winner (who suffers some reductions) and a loser who retreats (and all his units must reduce). Reduced units are eliminated on a further reduction. The effect is pretty bloody though you should not imagine that the losses are the kind Arminius inflicted. The units return quickly. Early clashes are vital, as the force that becomes reduced is threatened by elimination. Vae Victis games can suffer from modifier overspill, but not Imperator that has fast play and lots of opportunities for disaster even at high odds. The Romans do not have it all their way. In a Civil War there are also political modifiers (desertion) and the loser of a battle dies, so Civil Wars are very quick - in the War of the Roses style.
One area that seems a bit weak in its finishing, though good in concept, is that of the final adjustments. These assume both sides are sensible and will tidy up during a winter season. Firstly, the Romans outside the Empire return to their home bases (not a near base but their original base) but if reduced remain reduced. Legions inside the Empire also return to base unless adjacent to enemy units and are returned to full strength (if in a zone with a camp or city). Enemies of Rome player Roman units remain in place and can upgrade if they are in a city or camp zone. Dead units then spring up in their bases - fully formed, which can be a shocker after a lot of fighting. Vexillationes may stay on the Front in which they end the turn, thus leaving the nearest thing to a central reserve available to the Roman Empire before the Palatine Cavalry Armies.
Minor Peoples that are eliminated are pacified and will be out of war for at least five years. If they have at least one unit left they remain at war and can removing any reduction if in an area with a city - usually requiring breaking through the front. Eliminated units reappear in the starting zone at full strength. Major Peoples and Armenia follow the same pattern.
All this can mean that after a bloody campaign as long as one Barbarian remains they can rebuild. The same legions can be fighting the same barbarians for years, which is what happened. Of course a stratagem counter could take them out of the war but there is a distinct feeling of dêja-vu again. If you want to crush a People you need to concentrate vexillationes and cross into Barbarian lands, despite the poor modifiers, to flesh them in their familiar ways.
Of course hanging around the forest is not going to rack up many points, the Enemies of Rome player looks to get his men into the borders and even better into the interior of the Empire (three times as many VPs for the latter than the former). But as long as one unit survives the whole cycle begins again. Was there no end to these Barbarians? If you are playing a very long campaign this cycle might prove ahistorical.
VPs are received for winning battles and killing enemy leaders. In addition the Roman player gets points for pacifications, having the Emperor in Rome (not on the frontier) and generally avoiding unfortunate situations (Civil wars, mutinies etc). The Enemies of Rome player gets points for infesting the Empire and having all sorts of civil disobedience occurring.
As if the chits and CRT do not give enough fun there are Random events ranging from donatives to epidemics in Rome.
There are now seven scenarios covering the more interesting passages of the period but the game permits you to start at any point and end at any point. However, you will start with all Peoples at peace unless you randomly draw a few chits.
Imperator is quick, clean and flavoursome. The ease of recreating units can bore after a while. One certainly gets a good feeling for the problems of the Empire: limited internal security troops and no central reserve. The covering Front must hold major invasions until vexillationes can arrive, and if there are few SMCs in a turn this may take a year. A vexillation (being the best parts of three legions) is strong at 15 points but killing the barbarians on their own turf is a hard matter, just as Marcus Aurelius found. We did experience one very odd effect when a reinforcing stack ended the turn one area away from the enemy - it promptly marched back to the Danube! There are plenty of odd events and lots of interesting nick-nacks. Imperator is certainly of interest to the Fall of Rome player but he will find its limitations more accurately recreate the possibilities of the Emperor in its topic period.
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© Copyright 2004 by Charles and Teresa Vasey.
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