From: Peter.Card@jet.uk Subject: Hannibal Review Hannibal Does Italy ------------------- Hannibal is Avalon Hill's boardgame of the Second Punic War, when Rome and Carthage contended for mastery of the western world. It is designed by Mark Simonitch, and features the eponymous enemy of Rome, with a supporting cast of Romans, Carthaginians, assorted barbarians and, of course, elephants. He has borrowed Mark Hermann's card based game system from We The People, and produced a hugely enjoyable, easily playable gem of a game. The mounted two piece map board shows the land around western Mediterranean Sea, including North Africa, southern Spain and Gaul, the Italian peninsular, and the islands of Sicily, Sardinia and Corsica. It is really quite attractive. Cities, tribal areas, and other significant locations, are grouped in provinces, and linked by a network of routes. Control of these spaces is determined by placing political control (PC) markers, showing a thunderbolt for Rome, or a winged horse for Carthage on the obverse. Troops are represented as anonymous combat strength point counters, although the Carthaginian may also get elephants and a siege train. (useful in sieges) The aim of the game is to control a majority of politically significant provinces after nine game turns. Massillia, Transalpine Gaul, and the Balearic Islands don't count. It is also possible to win by successfully besieging Rome or Carthage, by removing all the opposing PC markers, or by killing Hannibal in battle. This last condition provides a nice dilemma for the Carthaginian player. It is vital to use Hannibal aggressively, but if the big H sticks his head out too far the game may be lost there and then. The strategy card deck includes all the major events of the 2nd Punic War, from pestillence and rebellions to the intervention of the beautiful Sophonisba, who seduced the turncoat Numidian prince, Massinisa, and almost saved Carthage from Scipio Africanus. Strategy cards can instead by played as operations cards, and used to place PC markers, recruit extra troops or move armies. Judging when to use an event, and when to perform an operation is seldom easy. During a game turn, the two players lay their cards alternately, until they have exhausted their hands. The important commanders of the war are represented in this game as inch high cardboard pieces, depicting generic Roman or Carthaginian figures, mounted on plastic bases. They are rated for strategy and combat. Hannibal and Scipio Africanus both have a strategy rating of 1, which allows them to be activated by any operations card, and the maximum combat rating of 4, while lesser mortals are more sluggish and less able. Most commanders also have some special ability, like Fabius's skill at avoiding battle, or Mago's sea legs. A battle is fought when an commander moves his army into an occupied space, or is successfully intercepted as he moves next to an enemy commander. Each player gets a hand of battle cards, showing tactics such as Frontal Attack, or Right Flank. The number dealt depends on the commander's combat rating, the size of his army, and local allies. The attacker wins by playing a battle card that the defender cannot or will not match. The defender wins if he can outlast the attacker, or maybe counter attack and turn the tables. Apart from the troop losses, a lost battle may result in the loss of PC markers. Analysis has shown that one or two extra battle cards will usually be enough to win. The combination of Hannibal's high combat rating and support from three or more Italian provinces will usually be enough to put him on even turns with a larger Roman force led by an idiot like the consul Varro, but he is not Superman and is vulnerable if the Roman player can put a big army under a competent general. With randomly selected consuls, this is not always possible. Military operations that don't aim to effect political control are are waste of time and strategy cards. PC markers can only be placed in uncontrolled spaces, or flipped over where friendly troops occupy enemy spaces. Isolated PC markers, which cannot trace a route to friendly ports or troops, are removed at the end of each game turn. At the end of each turn the controlled provinces are totted up, the difference calculated, and the trailing player loses this many PC markers. Once a player starts to fall behind he or she is on the slippery slope to extinction. If there are insufficient PC markers left to pay the penalty, the game is lost. Carthage starts the game in control of seven provinces, as against nine for the Roman, but should be able to rapidly gain control of the two uncontrolled provinces as Hannibal leaves Spain and crosses the Alps into northern Italy, where friendly tribes await him. It is up to the Roman to create an effective challenge in Spain while preventing Hannibal from demolishing his Italian power base. Eventually, he may be able to invade Africa. Conversely, the Carthaginian player needs to hit the Roman armies in Italy early and often, in order to cull the legions and prevent the superior Roman reinforcement rate from swinging the game, while at the same time keeping Hannibal's army up to strength. Remember the sudden death victory condition at all times. Play balance seems to slightly favour the Roman, who can win by keeping his or her nerve and grinding down the Carthaginian position, while a single mistake can lose Carthage the game. Eventually, with the appearance of Scipio Africanus, the Cathaginian loses the advantage of superior leadership. On the other hand, Carthage has the initiative at the start of the game. Carefully judged agression is the key to victory for either side. Buy it, even if the cat has to go hungry.