Two campaign systems for the Roman Republic, mechanics compared

It was a wet, grey day, an inch and a half of rain and blowing sideways. The comments on my First Man in Rome videos kept asking the same question: how does it compare to GMT’s Ancient World series? So I dug out both rulebooks and went through them side by side. [A corresponding video of about 30 minutes is available online, this document uses that transcript and rules references to solidify my exploration of the differences and similarities of the two excellent systems, hence the first person commentary.]

What I’m working from. For The Ancient World Series: – I have played most of the Rise of the Roman Republic scenarios. Many of them are small and fit on one section of one map. – I have played Carthage about seven times: the full campaign plus scenarios, some teaching and some being taught. – I have not read the Thunderbolt rules for the Second Punic War, so nothing here covers that volume. – I hadn’t opened the rules in about four years. The rulebook I dug out is the Ancient World series rules v2.2 (July 2013) with the Carthage scenario book v2.0. Most of the Thunderbolt Series rules are similar enough that for the big mechanics and rules chunks we are on solid ground (yes I parsed the two versions through an AI)

On First Man in Rome (FMIR) a new module in the Strategikon series: – I just finished Scenario 1 as I write this. – I have also played the system’s first module, The Fate of All: Alexander’s campaigns, all the way into Persia against Darius. – The FMIR rules quoted here are v39.

The rulebooks are the reference of record. Where I describe a rule, the rulebook’s own words are quoted, with the section number in brackets: AW for the Ancient World series rules v2.2, CR for the Carthage scenario book v2.0, FMIR for First Man in Rome Rules v39. A number in round brackets is a numbered paragraph inside the section. The appendix sets out every rule I lean on, word for word.

At a glance

The rulebooks are about the same length. The maps and counters look nothing alike. I like both, and the art isn’t what this piece is about.

1. Scale: a month versus a year

This is the most important difference between the two games. The Ancient World plays a year per turn [AW 2.5]. First Man in Rome plays a month: its taxation, maintenance and census steps are marked “January only” [FMIR 2].

Everything else follows from that. In a yearly game a leader can cover half of Italy in one activation. In a monthly game each step has to be planned: – where the troops are needed, and in which month; – which leader has to be in which town to raise them; – how they will be fed when they get there.

2. The sequence of play

First Man in Rome: a fixed order, packed with administration

A series of actions and events occur each January in the Admin phase, this will determine the scope of what is achievable for the year and subsequent months.

FMIR runs in a fixed order [FMIR 2]:

Recruitment is tied to geography. A raised unit must be placed in a friendly city that has a friendly leader in it, and the city must be one that “has not been already used to place 5 Land Units during the current Turn” [FMIR 25.5(1)]. One little town outside Rome can’t produce three=- legions at once. Raised units arrive face down and are “considered as not existing for all purposes” until the next turn’s Recruitment Step [FMIR 25.5(3)].

The Ancient World: a cup of chits

The Ancient World “uses a randomization-based sequence of play” [AW 3.0]. In Carthage the year opens like this:

The Roman elections, prorogued imperium and the rest look worse than they are. Once I saw what they were doing they were simple. No need to panic.

Then comes the cup [AW 3.0 C]: – What goes in: each leader’s Leader Activation Markers (LAMs). “The number of markers for each leader, which varies from 1 to 4, is equivalent to that leader’s Initiative Rating” [AW 4.11]. The cup also holds the Augury marker and three Siege Attrition markers. – Drawing: draw a marker. A leader’s LAM means that leader acts. A Siege Attrition marker means sieges get resolved. The Augury marker means a roll on the Augury Tables, where the gods do bad things to everybody, which is fun. – Turn end: when the cup is empty, play moves to Devastation and then the End-Turn Phase.

I don’t control who moves next, the cup does. That costs some control. It may be part of why the system works well solo.

3. Movement, supply and attrition

First Man in Rome: 30 Movement Points and a food bill

Supply checks. “A Force having a Size of 5 or greater must check Supply” [FMIR 16.1(1)]: – “when the total MP expended equals or exceeds 10 for the first time”; – again at 20; – and in the Final Supply Step, “no matter if it has moved or not.”

So the first 10 MP are free. The bill: “Each 10 Size Points or fraction thereof in a Force consume one Supply Point. If the Force does not consume enough Supply Points, it must undergo Attrition” [FMIR 16.2(2)].

Where supply comes from [FMIR 16.2(4)]: – foraging – requisitions from friendly cities – plunder – baggage trains – depots – supply carried by fleets – supply bases

Foraging is a contest. I commit light and medium cavalry to forage, and the enemy can commit cavalry within a hex to raid it or screen it [FMIR 16.3.1]. Any shortfall goes to the Attrition Table. For a force of Size 10 or more, the result is a percentage of the force lost [FMIR 17.3(2)].

So every move raises the same questions: – Do I need a supply base, and am I in range of one? – Is a baggage train worth the Talents, and how do I keep it full? – How much supply will I need this turn and the next two or three? Logistics!

I’ll start a move, stop, and rewind: where do I want to be, how long do I want to stay, and what will I need when I get there? Those questions are the core of FMIR.

The Ancient World: no movement allowance, just attrition & continuation

In theory I can march an army from Cisalpine Gaul to the toe of Italy and back. I just have to survive the attrition at every stop and keep making the continuation roll.

No supply points. I don’t carry supply, move it or consume it. The design note: “Supply in this era was either through granaries, where large quantities of grains and foodstuffs were kept for the purpose of feeding the troops, or by foraging on the move” [AW 6.46]. Standing still costs too: a force that stays in one province all year checks Inertia Attrition at turn end. Besieged and besieging forces are exempt [AW 6.46].

Verdict: The Ancient World is more streamlined, but who moves when is far more random. FMIR makes me plan the logistics; the Ancient World makes me gamble on the leader.

4. Interception and reaction

Both games let an idle army jump a moving one. The rules are quite different.

The Ancient World: Interception [AW 6.5]. – Range: “three (3) hexes”, or “four (4) hexes” if the leader and his force are inside a city [AW 6.52]. – The roll: the intercepting leader rolls against his Campaign Rating [AW 6.54–6.55]. – Modifiers: +1 per hex of distance, +1 per river crossed, +2 per marsh and +3 per mountain hex. – Cavalry plays no part in the roll. – Fail: the leader gets a Failed Interception marker. If he’s attacked that phase, the attacker gets +2 [AW 6.55].

First Man in Rome: Reaction Move [FMIR 7.1]. – Range: “A Force has a Reaction Zone extending up to 2 hexes for an Army and 1 hex for a Fleet” [FMIR 7.1(1)]. – The roll: 8 or more on the Reaction Table [FMIR Tables v9]. Modifiers: – plus the commander’s Strategic Rating; – −2 if the enemy is one hex away, −4 at two hexes; – +1 with 8 or more Size Points of light cavalry; – −3 in winter. – Success: the reacting force gets 15 MP, or the enemy’s MP spent plus 3, whichever is lower [FMIR 7.1.1(2b)]. – Blocking Move: FMIR also has a Blocking Move at rivers, ferries and choke points. It forces the enemy to attack the blocker [FMIR 7.2].

Where the cavalry really counts in FMIR is Reconnaissance [FMIR 8.1]. I send light and medium cavalry to scout, the enemy screens with his, and the difference in cavalry size sets the column on the Recon Table. Cavalry screening goes into intelligence and foraging more than into the reaction roll itself.

5. Battle: the core difference

First Man in Rome: rounds, rout levels and pursuit

FMIR gives a choice: fight on the campaign map with the simpler Land Combat, or take it to the tactical battle map. “If the involved sides cannot agree on the system to use, the winner of a single round of Greco-Roman Wrestling decides” [FMIR 9].

On the campaign map a battle is a series of rounds [FMIR 9.1]. In each round, both armies roll on the Land Combat Table. “The Combat Results for each single Combat Round indicates the Size Point losses inflicted to the enemy Army” [FMIR 9.6]. The modifiers [FMIR 9.5]: – Commanders: add up each Battle Commander’s Strategic Rating, Tactical Rating and Command Range, take the difference, and read the Commanders Table. – Superiority bonuses: +1 each for closed-formation infantry, heavy cavalry, cavalry or skirmishers. Each needs at least 5 Size Points of that type and double the enemy’s. – Light infantry: +2, but only in a Skirmish in rough or forest. – Morale: +1 for four or more units of Morale 7+, if that’s at least double the enemy’s. – Disruption: a penalty.

Loss order. The rules dictate which troops die first [FMIR 9.6(2)]: – rounds 1–2: half the losses come from skirmishers; – rounds 3–4: half from cavalry; – after that: half from infantry.

The Rout Value is what makes it work [FMIR 9.4]: – Each faction has a base Rout Level set by the scenario. – The commander’s Strategic Rating, the faction’s morale and the army’s makeup modify it. – “The Rout Level is used as a percentage of the total Size of the Army at the start of the combat, giving the Rout Value of the Army” [FMIR 9.4(3)]. – Once an army’s losses pass its Rout Value, it rolls on the Rout Table every round. SO Rout is not automatically a given. Leaders matter here also.

The rules give an example: a Populares army of Size 60, Rout Level 30, +5 for Caesar, +5 for faction morale 71, +5 for unit quality. That makes a Rout Level of 45 and a Rout Value of 27 [FMIR 9.4].

Battles have no round limit. Rounds continue “until one side voluntarily retreats or routs” [FMIR 9.1]. Between rounds, each side can try to Retreat During Combat [FMIR 10.2]. Once someone routs: – the winner may Pursue with its undisrupted cavalry, on the Pursuit Table [FMIR 10.6]; – the routed army “must continue retreating until it has expended at least 15 MP, or it has moved inside a friendly City” [FMIR 10.3(3)].

Whole armies can be wiped out, or scattered so badly they’re useless, and the men end up back in the recruitment pool. Faction morale moves with every Battle, meaning any fight where both sides are Size 15 or more [FMIR 9, 26].

The tactical system [FMIR 30–44]. – Setup: the counters come off the campaign map onto a separate battle map. Each side deploys within 8 hexes of its own edge [FMIR 32(3)]. – Play: leaders activate in turn and issue orders. There are missile volleys, charges and melee. – Two sets of numbers per counter: a Combat Value for the campaign map, and a Melee Value plus missile values used “only in Tactical Combat” [FMIR 4.1]. – The payoff: an underdog with a great leader can beat a bigger army led by a dumbass Roman.

This optional tactical system is influenced by Great Battles of History: similar but different.

The Ancient World: one roll, percentage losses and the dreaded X

The Ancient World resolves a battle in one roll on the Battle Results Table. Its adjusted rolls run “from –13 to +22, a total of 36 possible results” [AW 8.3].

There is no rout level. Leaders count for almost everything. Each commander rolls on the Leader Battle Ability Table against his Battle Letter, and the difference between the two results is the modifier. That modifier alone can reach “as much as +/-9” [AW 8.31–8.32]. An A-rated leader against a D or E is a huge swing. The rules’ own Cannae example shows it: – Hannibal (A) against Varro (E), at 1–2 odds; – the adjusted roll comes to +22; – Rome loses 75%, which is 138 SPs [AW 8.3, example of a battle].

The Romans have more D and E leaders than anyone, especially in Carthage, and it hurts, all of my feelings. Good grief they are bad.

Losses are percentages, attacker/defender. “A 30/20 result means the attacker loses 30% of his men, the defender 20%” [AW 8.33].

Then there’s the X. An X on the table is an Unpredictable Result. The rule says to “Grab your valium, sacrifice that lamb, burn that incense … and roll again” [AW 8.4].

Pursuit and Butchery depends on how much cavalry the winner has over the loser after the battle [AW 8.38]: – The difference sets a Pursuit Factor. – The winner rolls a die and multiplies it by that factor. The result is the extra percentage the loser loses. – “Regardless of the die roll, the maximum Butchery percentage is always 50%” [AW 8.38].

So a Roman legion gets ground down from its starting strength to a smattering of men, and then it’s time to disband it and raise another.

Verdict: both games count up forces and add modifiers. After that they split: – FMIR runs a battle as a wearing-down contest between two armies, measured against morale. The tactical map is there for anyone who wants it. – The Ancient World decides it on one roll that depends mostly on who’s in command, and then lets the gods have a say.

6. The rulebooks themselves

I wouldn’t call either game easier or faster than the other, and I don’t prefer one.

FMIR’s rules are written with what I’d call a European mindset, almost the opposite of how I would say things. It takes some working through. But everything is numbered by case, like 10.1 a, b, c, d, so when I need something I can find it. It can get laborious, so I print the rules, mark them up and keep summaries in the margins so I can look things up faster. I did the same with The Ancient World and downloaded every cheat sheet I could find for elections and combat.

They’re both great. Play both.

Happy Friday.

Appendix: the rules, verbatim

These are the passages this comparison rests on, quoted exactly from the rulebooks. Where the two books are set side by side, the rulebook wins over my memory and over anything I said on camera. I used an AI to pull relevant sections etc, of course. I love you guys but not enough to re type everything.

Sources – AW: The Ancient World, series rules v2.2, July 2013 (GMT Games). – CR: Carthage scenario book v2.0, July 2013. – FMIR: First Man in Rome Rules v39 (Light), with Tables v9 for the Reaction Table.

A number in round brackets is the numbered paragraph inside a section. For example, FMIR 9.4(3) is paragraph 3 of rule 9.4.

Scale

“The game-turns are yearly. Each hex represents approximately 13 miles from side-to-opposite-side. One hex of traversable terrain would represent about one day’s normal march for an army.” AW 2.5

“The maps span the entire Mediterranean basin… at a scale of 60 km per hex.” FMIR (introduction)

“a. Taxation Step (January only) … b. Maintenance Step (January only) … c. Census Step (January only)” FMIR 2

Who moves when

“The Ancient World uses a randomization-based sequence of play… The players do not ‘go’ in a set, pre-determined order; rather, you have to make the most of an opportunity when (and if) it arises.” AW 3.0

“The number of markers for each leader, which varies from 1 to 4, is equivalent to that leader’s Initiative Rating.” AW 4.11

“If the die roll is the same as or lower than that rating, the leader may continue to be active; if the die roll is higher, he is Finished for that Operations Phase.” AW 5.25

“c. March, Fight & Die (MFD) Step: Place reinforcements, move units and resolve all the related activities, in no predefined order.” FMIR 2

“The movement of a Leader must be completed before starting another Leader’s movement.” FMIR 6.1(2)

Raising forces

“Force Increase Determination. Both Players decide if they wish to build/increase their land forces or their navies, or expand their Port harbor facilities (CR 7.72). They cannot increase both land and naval forces in this phase.” CR 3.0 B.6

“A raised Land Unit may be placed in a City that meets all the following requirements: a. It is friendly-controlled and not under Land Blockade. b. It contains a friendly Leader. c. It has not been already used to place 5 Land Units during the current Turn.” FMIR 25.5(1)

“A raised unit is placed upside-down and is considered as not existing for all purposes. At the start of the next Turn’s Recruitment Step, it is turned upright and is available for normal use.” FMIR 25.5(3)

Movement, supply and attrition

“Only Leaders can move voluntarily. A Leader has 30 MP and may move accompanied by other units starting in his hex or picked up during movement.” FMIR 6

“If the friendly Force wants to initiate Combat, it must have at least 3 MP remaining.” FMIR 6.5(2)

“A Force having a Size of 5 or greater must check Supply each time one of the following conditions is met: a. During movement of any kind (Move, Retreat, or Reaction), when the total MP expended equals or exceeds 10 for the first time. b. … equals or exceeds 20 for the first time. c. During the friendly Final Supply Step, no matter if it has moved or not.” FMIR 16.1(1)

“Each 10 Size Points or fraction thereof in a Force consume one Supply Point. If the Force does not consume enough Supply Points, it must undergo Attrition.” FMIR 16.2(2)

“The result is the Size Points lost for a Force with a Size smaller than 10, or the Size percentage lost for a Force with a Size equal or greater than 10.” FMIR 17.3(2)

“There are no Movement Allowances in Ancient World. A leader may continue to move as far as the player wishes. However, if a leader Stops… the owning player must immediately check for Attrition (6.4).” AW 6.21

“General Principle: Each and every time a force Stops—and before it can do anything else—it checks for Attrition.” AW 6.4

“ROADS: If all movement within a province is solely on and by road, the province attrition cost is 1 AP. MOUNTAINS: Each Mountain hex entered incurs 6 AP, in addition to any province cost.” AW 6.41

“DESIGN NOTE: Supply in this era was either through granaries, where large quantities of grains and foodstuffs were kept for the purpose of feeding the troops, or by foraging on the move.” AW 6.46

Interception and reaction

“A leader with a force outside of a city has an Interception Range of three (3) hexes, not including the hex the leader is in. If the leader and his force are inside a city, his Interception Range is four (4) hexes.” AW 6.52

“If the adjusted die roll is higher than the leader’s Campaign Rating, the attempt has failed and the enemy keeps moving… If the adjusted die roll is the same as or lower than the leader’s Campaign Rating the Interception is successful.” AW 6.55

“A Force has a Reaction Zone extending up to 2 hexes for an Army and 1 hex for a Fleet.” FMIR 7.1(1)

“Reaction Move on a Roll of 8+, modified as follows: Commander + Strategic Rating; Enemy 1 Hex Away −2; Enemy 2 Hexes Away −4; 8+ Light Cavalry Size Pts +1; Winter −3.” FMIR Tables v9, Reaction Table

“The Reaction Force may expend 15 MP, or the same amount of MP already expended by the enemy Force plus 3, whichever is lower.” FMIR 7.1.1(2b)

“The Size of the Screening Cavalry is subtracted from the Size of the Reconnaissance Cavalry, and a roll is made on the corresponding column of the Recon Table.” FMIR 8.1(4)

Battle

“Land Combat can be resolved by conducting a proper battle with Tactical Combat, or by using the simpler Land Combat. If the involved sides cannot agree on the system to use, the winner of a single round of Greco-Roman Wrestling decides.” FMIR 9

“Land Combat is resolved in a series of Rounds and continues until one side voluntarily retreats or routs.” FMIR 9.1

“d. Each Army rolls on the Land Combat Table, modifying it with its Combat Modifiers… f. Each Army subtracts its Rout Value from its total Size losses. If the result is greater than zero, a roll is made on the corresponding column of the Rout Table, and on a R result the Army Routs.” FMIR 9.1(10)

“The Rout Level is used as a percentage of the total Size of the Army at the start of the combat, giving the Rout Value of the Army.” FMIR 9.4(3)

“Commander: Subtract the total of the enemy Battle Commander’s three values (Strategic Rating, Tactical Rating, and Command Range) from the corresponding total of the friendly Battle Commander, and consult the Commanders Table to determine the Combat Modifier.” FMIR 9.5(1)

“The Combat Results for each single Combat Round indicates the Size Point losses inflicted to the enemy Army.” FMIR 9.6

“b. In Combat Rounds 1 and 2, half of the casualties (rounded up) must come from Skirmisher units, if possible. c. In Combat Rounds 3 and 4, half of the casualties (rounded up) must come from Cavalry units, if possible.” FMIR 9.6(2)

“a. It must continue retreating until it has expended at least 15 MP, or it has moved inside a friendly City.” FMIR 10.3(3)

“Melee Value: The unit’s strength during Melee Combat. Used only in Tactical Combat.” FMIR 4.1

“All non-Siege combat is resolved on the Battle Results Table (BRT). The table is a list of adjusted die rolls for the 10-sided die, adjustments running from –13 to +22, a total of 36 possible results.” AW 8.3

“Leader Tactical Ability Adjustment: The comparison of tactical abilities can result in a die roll adjustment of as much as +/-9.” AW 8.31

“All results are expressed in terms of the percentage of SPs lost by the attacker (to the left of the slash) and by the defender (to the right of the slash). Thus a 30/20 result means the attacker loses 30% of his men, the defender 20%.” AW 8.33

“If a combat result on the BRT is an ‘X’, the attacker has attained an Unpredictable Result. Grab your valium, sacrifice that lamb, burn that incense … and roll again, adjusting the DR by the number next to the ‘x’.” AW 8.4

“The victorious player rolls a die, multiplying the die roll by the PF. The result is the percentage of additional losses incurred by the losing army… Regardless of the die roll, the maximum Butchery percentage is always 50%.” AW 8.38

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