Brief History of Ancients

Ancients has undergone several changes since its first publication, most notably the physical appearance of its packaging.

Good Industries Editions

The first edition is recognizable by a horrendously ugly box cover which is divided into four boxes (two orange and two white), each of which holds a black and white line drawing of a warrior type covered by the game topic. The second edition was much more colorful, and depicted a siege tower spilling its troops over a castle wall. Both of these first two editions were published by Good Industries, and the only difference was the box cover.

The components included a simple set of red and yellow combat units, as well as several white status markers. What was unique about the combat units was that the game was one of the first to employ downward-view icons depicting the types of infantry and cavalry troops the units represented. Previously, this type of counter art was used only in tactical naval and armor games. This device makes it much easier to determine unit facing at a glance. The only flaw in the units was the actual counter-mix itself, as the two sets, red and yellow, did not include the same numbers of units, which could make setup somewhat troublesome (i.e., getting the scenario halfway set up, only to find that the other color includes enough of a certain type of unit, forcing you to start all over again).

Given the quality of the counters, the maps were very primitive in comparison. They also included no hex numbering system, so small images of each map with initial unit positions were included with each of fifteen scenarios covered in the game.

King of Kings

As a companion game to the Ancients editions, Bill Banks created a campaign game which could be played either independently or as a strategic system whereby conflicts could be fought out using the tactical system provided with Ancients. If you can find a copy, it is an interesting, albeit flawed, game which endeavors to combine trade, warfare and random events into one package. Some have referred to it as AH’s Civilizations with real combat. Its box cover art has also raised a significant amount of comment and discussion, described by some as “Hanna-Barberra meets Hugh Hefner”. It’s quite a sight!

3W Editions

After the second edition of Ancients and King of Kings were released by Good Industries, Keith Poulter and World Wide Wargames picked up the rights to the games and released them in new editions. The major contribution made in the third edition of Ancients was the addition of 17 new scenarios, bringing the total to 32. As welcome an addition as this was, it was not without its problems and oversights.

First of all, the counter mix was carried over directly from the previous versions, including the potential set-up troubles, and the addition of new scenarios exacerbated this problem. On a positive note, however, the counter art was cleaned up a bit.

Secondly, as there were so many new scenarios, the scenario book was typeset without unit setup maps (unlike the first two editions), instead indicating initial positioning with hex-grid coordinates. Normally that would be tolerable, but the maps were also carried over virtually untouched and were not printed with coordinates. This made setup a major hassle. Fortunately the scenarios are mostly linear in nature and don’t employ a lot of pieces, or this flaw may have been fatal!

Flaws aside, Poulter apparently knew he had a milch cow on his hands, as the third edition, presented in a new white box and sporting Angus McBride artwork (familiar to those who collect Osprey books), was titled Ancients I. Sure enough, Ancients II followed along about six months later. This second volume (which I consider part and parcel of the third edition), included 32 more scenario as well as naval rules. But it too was not without flaws, the largest of which centered around the combat units.

For some ungodly reason, instead of using the red and yellow scheme from all the previous incarnations, the publisher opted for blue and some terrible shade of purple. Out the window went any plans to resolve counter-mix problems. Several additional maps were also included in this volume, but they didn’t have hex coordinates either.

Perhaps owing to the outcry of those who play Ancients religiously, 3W released a fourth edition, which combined the two third edition volumes into a single, 64 scenario box. Regardless of what the back of the box says, the black-box edition includes the following:

• 8 8 1/2”x11” maps
• 280 diecut counters (red & yellow)
• 1 rules book
• 2 scenario books (marked Ancients I and II)
• but no die

Even though the most recent edition combines the counter sheets from the two third edition volumes, the counter mix problem was not resolved, and the maps still didn’t have hex coordinates.

Imperator

Released at the same time as Ancients II was Bill Banks’ redesign of King of Kings, and quite a change it was. Arguably a superior design than its predecessor, it exchanged hex-based movement to area movement and cleaned up the combat system. Unfortunately it hamstrung the trade system, turning into little more than a mechanical exercise which seemed out of place with the rest of the design. As a campaign system for Ancients, it succeeds admirably, but as a stand-alone game, there are better options available.

Game Publications Group / One Small Step Editions

Not long after the release of the fourth edition of Ancients, 3W (the gaming industry having had enough poulterisms for one life-time) blew a gasket and went belly up. Ownership of the design was handed over to Jon Compton, a 3W exile, and the Games Publication Group (GPG) which later became One Small Step (OSS).

On 1 December 1999, GPG/OSS turned the distribution of the game into freeware, and has invited anyone who has put any kind of effort into the game to submit their work.

During the period between the game’s acquisition and its conversion to freeware, GPG/OSS did reprint the bulk of the system along with their first edition of GameFIX magazine, which included two Ancients battles: Thapsos (a standard scenario) and Alexandria (a combined naval, amphibious scenario). Several other efforts were made within the pages of GameFIX (later renamed Competitive Edge):

GameFIX 3 (Maps A & B reprinted; clarifications for Thapsos & Alexandria)
• GameFIX 4 (Map C reprinted)
• GameFIX 6 (Map E reprinted;; Munda scenario)
• GameFIX 9 (Optional Rules))
• Competitive Edge 11 (Cynoscephalae and Beneventum map & scenarios)

The maps which have been reprinted finally include row and column identification numbers (though not in each hex) which aid immensely during setup.

GPG/OSS has recently renewed their publishing efforts, and further expansions to Ancients are forthcoming.

Other Ancients games, and their publishers, include

This information was reprinted from Michael P. Nagel’s Ancients internet site (http://www.net-gate.com/~mpnagel/ancients/ overview.htm) with his kind permission.

Gaugamela (?) Granicus; Pharsalus; Thapsus (ADA)
Decline & Fall; Imperial Governor/Strategos (Ariel)
Hannibal (Aulic Council)
Circus Maximus; Trireme (Battleline)
Barbarians; Peninsula Italica (Camelot)
Ben Hvrt (Cheapass Games)
VI Caesars (Citadel)
Chariot Lords (Clash of Arms)
Trireme (Decalset)
Caesar in Gallia; Fall of Rome; Four Battles of the
Ancient World I & II; Germania; Hannibal; Four
Against Rome; Roman Civil War; Successors;
Trajan (Decision Games)
Xerxes (Der Krieg Spiel Ziton)
Rise and Fall (EMS)
Barbarian, Kingdom & Empire (Excalibre)
Bellum Gallicum; Heraklios; La Guerre des Gaules; Raphia; Tetrarchie (Excelsior)
Gladiators (FGU)
Les Sept Royaumes Combattants (FDR / Rexton)
Chicken of the Sea (GPG)
Caesar (Gamesmiths)
Eagles; Marathon; Pharsalus; Raphia (GDW)
Britannia (Gibson)
Africanus; Cataphract/Justinian; Conquest of Gaul; Consul for Rome; Diadochi; Dictator; Great Battles of Alexander; Great Battles of Caesar; Jugurtha; Phalanx; SPQR; Veni, Vidi, Vici; War Elephant; War Galley (GMT)
Arbela (Gygax)
Hannibal (Histo)
Alésia; Champs de Bataille (Histoire & Collections)
Siege of Jerusalem (Historical Perspectives)
Cannae (Historien Spieleverlag)
Barbarian, Kingdom & Empire (Icarus)
Cannae (IES)
Journeys of St.Paul (Innovative Game Technology)
Attila (International Team)
Alesia; Hannibal (Jeux Descartes)
Crows and Owls (John Kisner)
Thermopylae (KriegKit)
Thermopylae (La Vivendiere)
Hoplita; Triremes (Ludopress)
Ram Speed; Sticks & Stones; Trojan War (Metagaming)
Conquest of the Empire (Milton Bradley)
Consuls (Oriflam)
Alexander the Great; Alexander’s Other Battles; Second Punic War (Panzerfaust / Guidon Games)
Hannibal (Poultron Press)
Decline and Fall (REG)
Hannibal; Peloponnesian War (SimCan)
Gergovie, 52 aJC (Simulations Cornejo)
Centurion; Chariot; Conquerors; Fall of Rome; Legion; Phalanx; Punic Wars; Tyre (SPI)
Alaric the Goth; Attila the Hun (SSG)
Glory of Rome (Taurus)
Alexander the Great; Britannia; Caesar at Alesia; Caesar’s Legions; Circus Maximus; Hannibal; In the Year of Our Lord; Journeys of St.Paul; Republic of Rome; Siege of Jerusalem; Successors; Trireme (AH)
Raiders and Traders (The Chaosium)
Alesia (Thesis)
Alexander at Tyre (Thunderhaven)
By Force of Arms; From Distant Lands (Triumph)
Caesar’s Invasion of Britain (Trumpeter)
Julius Caesar (TSR)
Peloponnesian War (Victory)
Druid; Imperium Romanum I & II (West End)
Barbarians; Hell Hath No Fury; Four Against Rome; Legions of Rome (WWW)
Alexander’s Generals (Xeno)
Alexandros; I Am Spartacus; Kadesh (XTR)