Clash of Shields: Three Flavours of Ancient Warfare on the Tabletop

The ancient world, a period of epic empires, legendary generals, and brutal, close-quarters combat, holds an enduring fascination for wargamers. From the disciplined legions of Rome to the charging Companions of Alexander, the tactical challenges and visual spectacle are immense. But navigating the many rulesets available can be daunting. Today, we’re diving deep into three popular, but very different, tabletop wargames that bring ancient battles to life: Commands & Colors: Ancients, Saga: Age of Hannibal, and Hail Caesar. Each offers a unique experience, catering to different tastes in scale, complexity, and gameplay style. Let’s unsheathe our virtual gladius and see what they offer!

1. Commands & Colors: Ancients – Strategy Under Friction

(Publisher: GMT Games / Compass Games)

Overview: Commands & Colors: Ancients (C&C:A) isn’t your typical miniatures wargame using rulers and free deployment. It’s technically a board game using wooden blocks or miniatures on a hex grid, but its influence and adoption by miniature gamers are undeniable. Designed by Richard Borg, it uses the acclaimed “Commands & Colors” system to simulate historical battles with a focus on command friction, fog of war, and decisive moments, rather than granular tactical simulation.

The Core Experience: C&C:A pits two players against each other in scenarios representing specific historical battles (Punic Wars, Successor Wars, etc., depending on the expansions). The genius lies in the Command Card system. Each turn, you draw a hand of cards dictating which units in specific sections of the battlefield (Left Flank, Center, Right Flank) you can activate, or allowing special tactical actions. You might have a plan to surge forward on the right, but if you don’t draw the right cards, those troops are staying put! This elegantly simulates the communication delays and limitations faced by ancient commanders. Combat is resolved quickly using custom dice featuring unit symbols, coloured shapes, and leader symbols, abstracting away complex calculations. Units are typically represented by blocks or bases of miniatures, rated for movement, combat dice, and special abilities (like evading cavalry charges or supporting adjacent units). Victory is usually achieved by eliminating enemy units or leaders, earning Victory Banners.

Strengths:

Accessibility: The core rules are remarkably easy to learn, making C&C:A a fantastic gateway into ancient wargaming, even for board gamers or those new to historicals.
Captures Command Friction: The card system is brilliant at forcing tough decisions and representing the uncertainty of command. You feel the frustration when your elite troops are stuck because you lack the right order.
Fast-Paced: Games typically play in 60-90 minutes, allowing for multiple battles in an evening. Setup is also quick thanks to the scenarios.
Scenario Driven: The focus on historical scenarios provides context and immediate objectives, recreating specific challenges faced by historical commanders.
Low Model Count (Option): While playable with miniatures, the base game uses blocks, making it affordable and easy to store. Even with minis, you only need a few bases per unit type.
Expansions Galore: Numerous expansions cover a vast range of ancient conflicts, offering huge replayability.

Weaknesses:

Abstraction: Players seeking deep simulation of weapon ranges, facing, or detailed morale checks will find C&C:A too abstract. It prioritizes game flow over minute historical accuracy.
Luck Element: The card draw and dice rolls can sometimes feel decisive, leading to occasional frustration if luck consistently goes against you.
Hex Grid Limitation: Some traditional miniature wargamers dislike the hex grid, preferring the freedom (and complexity) of rulers and templates.
“Gamey” Feel: While simulating command friction, some tactics feel driven by the card system rather than purely historical doctrine (e.g., holding back a powerful card for the perfect moment).

Who Is It For? C&C:A is perfect for players who want a strategic overview of ancient battles, enjoy the challenge of managing limited command resources, appreciate quick setup and playtime, and are perhaps crossing over from board games. It’s an excellent introductory game but also offers enough depth through its expansions and card play to keep veterans engaged, provided they accept its level of abstraction. If you want to feel the pressure of command more than the specifics of shield-wall cohesion, C&C:A is a triumph.

2. Saga: Age of Hannibal – Heroic Skirmish & Faction Flavour

(Publisher: Studio Tomahawk)

Overview: Saga takes a completely different approach. Known primarily for its Dark Ages and Crusades settings, the system has been adapted for various periods, including the Punic Wars in “Age of Hannibal” (and other ancient settings via supplements like Aetius & Arthur). Saga is a skirmish game, focusing on small warbands typically numbering 30-60 models, led by a powerful Warlord. Its defining feature is the unique “Saga Dice” and “Battle Board” mechanic, which gives each faction a distinct playstyle and tactical toolbox.

The Core Experience: At the start of your turn, you generate a pool of custom Saga dice based on the number and type of units you have. These dice have different symbols on their faces. You then roll these dice and allocate them to specific slots on your faction’s unique Battle Board. Each slot activates a special ability – some basic (like activating units to move or shoot), others complex and powerful (granting combat bonuses, triggering reactions, debuffing enemies). This allocation phase is the heart of Saga. Do you spend dice for multiple activations now, or save them for powerful defensive abilities during the enemy’s turn? The Battle Boards are thematic marvels; the Roman board emphasizes discipline, formations, and relentless attacks, while the Carthaginian board might focus on cunning traps, elephants, and mercenary flexibility. Combat is resolved by rolling dice equal to a unit’s attack value, hitting on set numbers, with saves modified by armour. A key mechanic is Fatigue, which units accrue for taking actions or suffering hits, making them vulnerable and limiting their options.

Strengths:

Unique & Engaging Mechanics: The Saga dice and Battle Board system is innovative, highly tactical, and deeply engaging. Resource management and risk assessment are constant.
Strong Faction Identity: Battle Boards ensure each faction feels completely different. Playing Romans is a vastly different experience from playing Gauls or Numidians.
Tactical Depth at Skirmish Level: Despite the smaller model count, the activation/ability system creates complex tactical puzzles and rewards clever play.
Dynamic Gameplay: The flow of the game is constantly shifting based on dice rolls and Battle Board choices. There’s less predictable back-and-forth than in some I-Go-U-Go systems.
Narrative Potential: The focus on Warlords and elite units, combined with dramatic abilities, makes Saga excellent for narrative campaigns and characterful games.
Manageable Model Count: Ideal for painters who want to lavish detail on fewer models rather than painting huge regiments.

Weaknesses:

Requires Specific Components: You need the specific Saga dice for your chosen era and the printed Battle Boards, adding a small barrier to entry beyond just rules and models.
Learning Curve for Boards: While core rules are simple, mastering a faction’s Battle Board and its synergies takes time and practice.
Abstraction of Command: Command and control are abstracted into the dice generation and allocation – less focus on formations and grand maneuvers than mass battle games.
Potential for Power Combos: Some Battle Board combinations can feel very strong, requiring careful play or house rules in casual settings to avoid feel-bad moments.
Not a Mass Battle Simulation: By design, it doesn’t replicate the feel of huge legions clashing across a wide front.

Who Is It For? Saga is ideal for players who love skirmish games, enjoy unique mechanics that break the traditional mold, and appreciate strong faction flavour. It appeals to narrative gamers and those who like focusing on individual units and heroes. If you want your small force of Romans to feel distinctly Roman through special rules and abilities, rather than just stats, and enjoy a constant tactical puzzle of resource management, Saga is an outstanding choice.

3. Hail Caesar – Grand Battles with Command Uncertainty

(Publisher: Warlord Games)

Overview: Hail Caesar, written by Rick Priestley and others associated with Games Workshop’s historical ventures (like Warhammer Ancient Battles), aims to deliver large-scale ancient and medieval battles. It uses familiar concepts like unit statlines, movement trays, and dice pools, but introduces a crucial command and control mechanism that injects uncertainty and differentiates it from simpler I-Go-U-Go systems.

The Core Experience: Armies in Hail Caesar are organized into Divisions, each led by a Commander. The core turn sequence involves attempting to issue orders to these Divisions. To activate a Division (allowing its units to move, shoot, or charge), the player rolls 2D6 against the Commander’s Leadership value. Success means the Division can perform one, two, or even three moves; failure might mean it does nothing, or perhaps only performs a single mandatory action (like charging if close enough). This command roll introduces significant friction – your brilliant plan might stall simply because a commander fails to get the orders through! Units have familiar stats (Clash value for charging, Sustained fight value, Morale save, Stamina/hits). Combat involves rolling dice pools, comparing hits to saves, and forcing Morale checks. Units become Disordered from taking hits or losing combat, reducing their effectiveness. Breaking units and causing Divisional Breaks are key paths to victory. The game emphasizes formations (line, column, square, etc.), which affect movement and combat, encouraging historical tactics.

Strengths:

Handles Large Battles: The system scales well and is designed for fielding dozens of units representing thousands of warriors. It feels like a big battle.
Command System Adds Friction & Narrative: The Leadership-based order system creates tension and realistic uncertainty. A failed order roll at a critical moment is a classic Hail Caesar experience and generates great stories.
Familiar Mechanics (for some): Players coming from older GW games or similar systems will find the core combat mechanics relatively familiar and intuitive.
Emphasis on Formations: Rules for formations encourage players to think about deployment and maneuver in historically plausible ways.
Good Balance of Detail & Playability: While detailed, it generally plays faster than some older, more complex simulationist games.
Adaptable: The core rules are flexible and can be adapted with army list supplements (official and fan-made) for a vast range of ancient and medieval conflicts.
Supports Large Collections: If you love painting and fielding ranks upon ranks of miniatures, Hail Caesar gives you a reason to do so.

Weaknesses:

Swingy Command Rolls: The reliance on 2D6 for orders can feel very random. Failing multiple crucial orders due to bad luck can be frustrating and significantly impact the game.
Requires Many Miniatures: This is not a low-model-count game. Building and painting a Hail Caesar army is a significant investment in time and money.
Can Bog Down: Very large games with many Divisions can sometimes slow down, especially if multiple players are struggling with command rolls.
Potentially Generic Feel: While army lists add flavour, the core mechanics are less distinct between factions compared to Saga’s Battle Boards. Faction feel comes more from unit stats and special rules than core system interactions.
Rules Ambiguities: Like many large rule sets, some corner cases and interpretations can require player agreement or house rules.

Who Is It For? Hail Caesar is aimed squarely at players who want to fight large, visually impressive ancient battles. It’s for those who enjoy the spectacle of ranked-up units, appreciate the challenge of command uncertainty, and have (or aspire to have) substantial miniature collections. If you enjoy traditional wargame mechanics but want a system that introduces significant command friction without getting bogged down in excessive minutiae, Hail Caesar is a solid and popular choice. It strikes a good middle ground between highly abstracted systems and overly complex simulations.

Conclusion: Choosing Your Path to Antiquity

As you can see, these three games offer vastly different ways to experience ancient warfare on the tabletop.

Choose Commands & Colors: Ancients if you want accessible, fast-playing, strategic games focused on command limits and historical scenarios, and don’t mind abstraction or a board game feel.
Choose Saga: Age of Hannibal if you prefer characterful skirmishes, unique faction mechanics, tactical puzzles involving resource management, and a lower model count.
Choose Hail Caesar if you desire grand battles, the spectacle of large armies, traditional wargame mechanics blended with command uncertainty, and are prepared for a larger modelling project.

There’s no single “best” ancient wargame – the best one is the one that best suits your preferences for scale, complexity, mechanics, and the kind of stories you want to tell on the battlefield. Hopefully, this overview helps you find the right ruleset to lead your legions, phalanxes, or warbands to glory!