THIS REPORT IS BOTH AN ACCOUNT OF A BRILLIANT TACTICAL COUP (IF I DO SAY S0 MYSELF) AND MY IMPRESSIONS ON MY FIRST EXPERIENCE WITH THE TACTICA SET OF ANCIENT RULES. NOW, UNLIKE OUR LEARNED EDITOR, I AM NOT GENETICALLY INCAPABLE OF PLAYING SETS OF RULES WRITTEN ON THIS SIDE OF THE ATLANTIC AND I LIKE LESS COMPLEX RULE SETS GENERALLY (BESIDES, TERRY BEATS ME ALL THE TIME). SO I THOUGHT THIS WOULD BE AN INTERESTING EXCURSION. THE ARMIES THAT FACED EACH OTHER WERE THE MACEDONIANS (ALEXANDER FLAVOR) AND THE PERSIANS. I WAS SOLD ON TRYING THE RULES BY THE BEAUTIFUL PRODUCTION VALUES OF THE BOOK ITSELF. THE RULES ARE ILLUSTRATED WITH COLOR PHOTOS OF PERFECTLY PAINTED FIGURES ON SHOW QUALITY TERRAIN. VERY INSPIRING STUFF.

BOTH ARMIES SET UP WITH THE HEAVY INFANTRY IN THE CENTER AND THE CAVALRY LIGHT TROOPS ON THE WINGS. WE DID RUN INTO A PROBLEM SETTING UP. TACTICA IS VERY STRICT ABOUT THE DIMENSIONS OF THE SET UP AREA. IF YOU TAKE THE BASE DIMENSIONS OF 25MM FIGURES AND THE LARGE NUMBER OF FIGURES IN THE ARMY YOU WILL FIND YOURSELF VERY CRAMPED FOR SPACE IN YOUR INITIAL SET UP. I IMAGINE THAT WAS THE AUTHOR'S INTENTION AND THAT THE RESULTING TRAFFIC JAMS REFLECT HIS PERCEPTION OF HOW ANCIENT ARMIES DEPLOYED BUT IT DIDN'T "FEEL" RIGHT TO ME. AT ARBELA THESE TWO ARMIES HAD NOTHING BUT ROOM TO SPREAD OUT TO THEIR HEARTS CONTENT.

BE THAT AS IT MAY, I CLEVERLY DEPLOYEI MY PELTASTS IN SUPPORT OF MY CAVALRY. MY OPPONENT ARRAYED HIS LIGHT TROOP; IN FRONT OF HIS HEAVY FOOT. MY STRATEGY WAS TO OVERWHELM HIS CENTER WITH MY SUPERIOR INFANTRY WHILE HANGING ON IN THE FLANKS USING MY PELTASTS TO OFFSET HIS MORE NUMEROUS CAVALRY. EVERYTHING WENT ACCORDING TO PLAN AND 4 TURNS LATER IT WAS ALL OVER.

GOOD NEWS-BAD NEWS. ON THE UP SIDE, THE RULES WERE CLEARLY WRITTEN AND WELL-ILLUSTRATED WITH DIAGRAMS. THIS WAS THE FIRST TIME PLAYING THEM FOR BOTH OF US AND THERE WERE NO DIFFICULTIES. THE BOOK IS A PLEASURE TO THUMB THROUGH IF YOU ARE A TOY SOLDIER LOVER. THE COLOR PHOTOS REALLY ARE BEAUTIFUL. THE RULES CALL FOR LARGE UNITS, WHICH I LIKE. THERE IS NOTHING SADDER LOOKING THAN A 6 FIGURE VIKING WEDGE. THE SPEED OF PLAY IS A PLUS. WE FOUGHT TO A DECISIVE FINISH IN ABOUT 4 HOURS AND THIS INCLUDED SET UP TIME. NOT BAD FOR THE FIRST TIME THROUGH THE RULES. VICTORY CONDITIONS ARE WRITTEN IN SUCH A WAY THAT THERE IS NO DOUBT WHO WON OR WHEN THE BATTLE WAS OVER.

ON THE DOWN SIDE I WASN'T CRAZY ABOUT THE DEPLOYMENT RESTRICTIONS MENTIONED ABOVE. I DON'T FAVOR THE IRONCLAD, NO VARIATIONS AFMY LISTS USED IN THE RULES. FOR ONE THING, THE LISTS DON'T SEEM VERY ACCURATE TO ME. I WON'T BORE YOU WITH EXAMPLES, CHECK FOR YOURSELF. WELL, 0K. ONE EXAMPLE.

WILL THERE NEVER BE A ROMAN ARMY WITHOUT THOSE LIGHT MISSLE TROOPS? IN THE PUNIC WARS, SUCH TROOPS WERE VERY RARE INDEED IN THE ROMAN ARMIES. JAVELIN ARMED VELITES YES, BUT NOT THE OTHERS. IN THESE ARMY LISTS SUCH TROOPS ARE COMPULSORY.

MY LAST OBSERVATION IS THE ONE THAT MAKES ME THE MOST UNCOMFORTABLE. THERE WAS ONLY ONE OBVIOUS WAY FOR EACH OF THE OPPONENTS TO PROCEED IN THIS GAME. MY VICTORY CONDITION WAS TO BREAK THE GREEK MERCENARY FOOT THAT HAD TO BE IN HIS CENTER WHICH I COULD EASILY DO WITH MY MORE NUMEROUS PIKEMEN. MY OPPONENT'S STRONG SUIT WAS HIS HORSEMEN. MY ONLY OPTION WAS TO PRESS IN THE CENTER WITH MY FOOT AND HOLD ON THE FLANKS. HIS ONLY OPTION WAS TO PRESS ON THE FLANKS AND HOLD IN THE CENTER. 

FROM MY READING OF THE PERIOD, I GET THE IMPRESSION THAT THF REAL THING WAS VERY DIFFERENT FROM THIS. ALEXANDER USED HIS CAVALPY TO STRIKE THE DECISIVE BLOW RATHER THAN HIS FOOT. WHEN HE STRUCK, IT WAS AGAINST THE PERSIAN KING AND HIS PERSIAN HORSE AND FOOT. IN NO CASE WAS THE GREEK MERCENARY FOOT THE KEY TO VICTORY. BOTTOM LINE: THE WINNING TACTICS WERE UNREALISTIC BECAUSE THE VICTORY CONDITIONS WERE UNREALISTIC.

I DON'T WANT TO PUT ANYONE OFF TRYING THESE RULES. THEY ARE CLEAR, FAST, AND COLOFFUL. YOU SHOULD KNOW WHAT YOU ARE GETTING, THOUGH. IN MY OPINION YOU MUST BE WILLING TO TRADE OFF SOME HISTORY FOR PLAY-ABILITY. IN THE END IT WILL COME DOWN TO WHAT YOU ARE LOOKING FOR IN A GAME.