Gladiator: Men vs. Animals; A Combat Simulation & Gladiator: Men vs. Men; A Combat Simulation

Bearhug Publications (1979, $5.00 each)
Designers: Daryl Shirley & John Lewis
Players 2
Playing time 1 hour
Period Ancients
Scale Tactical
Turn not stated
Map not stated
Unit individual gladiator or animal

Men vs. Animals Components
1 8 1/2"x11" ziplock container
1 4 page rules folder
100 die-cut counters
2 identical 11"x17" graphic sheets
2 identical 8 1/2"x11" unmounted mapsheets
1 ziplock counter storage bag

Men vs. Men Components as above except:
2 identical 8½"x11" graphic sheets
1 8 1/2"x11" unmounted mapsheet

Counter Manifest
20 white Status counters
80 (40 blue and 40 green) counters (matching sets for each player depicting 18 animals and 22 weapons)

Note: Although Bearhug’s Gladiator games share the same counter mix, some sets had a matte finish, others glossy.

Bearhug says:

“The floor of the Colosseum (sic) had been divided into two almost equal halves, separated by a tall wooden wall. On each side of the wall wild animals stalked across the hot sands ... bears, slinking lions and leopards and the solitary tigers who claimed the dubious honor of being the most dangerous of the beasts to hunt and kill ... Two teams of men emerged onto the field. At the head of each team three spearmen ... behind them a pair of swordsmen ... the last man out of each gate carried a heavy lead mace.” (Men vs. Animals)

“The Colosseum (sic) squatted like some primeval stone beast in the heart of Rome, its lofty upper arches casting shadows in the late afternoon sun over the sweltering pavement of this, the Emperor’s proud capital ... Dedicated to the Infernal gods, the Roman games proved to be one of the most awesome spectacles of regulated murder ever performed before human audiences ...

The gates of the plutonic kingdom were thronged with the ghosts of the defeated, yet Rome still glutted them in honor of uncaring gods who only reveled in the deaths of strong men ... Rome has passed into the ages of antiquity, yet still the solemn bulk of the Colosseum presides over the ruins of an ancient city that once enjoyed the grotesque ballet of life and death under the uncaring sun.” (Men vs. Men)

The reviewer says:

Nothing. No reviews could be located.

Comments

Prepare for confusion. While the rules in each game are only two pages long they are filled with so many unstated assumptions about the gameplay and components that it is obvious the games were never blind tested. Once you take the time to figure them out, there are some interesting game mechanics there, but certainly nothing worthy of being called a simulation.

Bearhug’s description of Men vs. Animals pretty well describes what the game has to offer. Each player controls a team of six gladiators facing off against four animals. There are no alternate scenarios provided, just the same men versus the same animals. There is no interaction between players, each team fights in a separate arena (so the game is suitable for solo play). The aim is to see which team can eliminate four animals most efficiently.

Men vs. Men is similarly limited. Eight gladiators face off in four simultaneous battles of matched pairs. There is no lateral movement, each gladiator can only advance or retreat in a straight line (at least until the arena wall is reached). There are four differently equipped gladiators on each team, two armored (Postulat with mace and Sceutor with sword) and two unarmored (Dimacher with two daggers and Retarius with net and trident). Although the name Sceutor is used throughout the game, this type of gladiator is actually known as a Secutor.

Gladiators of the same type in Men vs. Men are equally capable in combat. The only distinguishing characteristic is damage resistance (i.e., hit points). The players have 32 points to allocate among their four gladiators. The game allows a little more variety in setup than MvA as the players get to decide how the gladiators are paired up for combat (although Retarii may not fight each other).

Considering that $3.95 would get you a Metagaming MicroGame or Task Force Pocket Game, Gladiator’s poorly presented, essentially one-shot scenarios were overpriced at $5.

Collector’s Notes

You’ll find they are still over priced today. Players should save their money for other gladiator games. The Bearhug titles are primarily of interest to diehard collectors and rules tinkerers.

Boone lists no auction prices, and low, high and average prices of 7/12/9.75 for both games for sale.

Better Gladiator Games

Boardgames: Circus Maximus (Battleline), Gladiator (AH)
Miniatures: Gladiators (FGU), Rudis 2nd edition (Tabletop).

More G is For Capsule Reviews

Introduction
Gladiator: Man to Man Combat in the Arenas of Ancient Rome
Gladiator: Men vs. Animals and Gladiator: Men vs. Men
Grand Imperialism A Game of Discovery in the Victorian Era
The Great Redoubt A Game of the Battle of Borodino, 1812
Grunt Company Commander in Viet-Nam
Guerilla Malaysia and Indonesia from 1963 to 1966.
Gunslinger Dead or Alive