''Caesar'', subtitled "Epic Battle of Alesia", is a
board wargame
A board wargame is a wargame with a set playing surface or board, as opposed to being played on a computer or in a more free-form playing area as in miniatures games. The modern, commercial wargaming hobby (as distinct from military exercises, o ...
self-published as "Alesia" by Robert Bradley in 1970, and then republished by
Avalon Hill
Avalon Hill Games Inc. is a game company that publishes wargames and strategic board games. It has also published miniature wargaming rules, role-playing games and sports simulations. It is a subsidiary of Hasbro, and operates under the company' ...
in 1976. The game simulates the ancient
Battle of Alesia
The Battle of Alesia or Siege of Alesia (September 52 BC) was a military engagement in the Gallic Wars around the Gallic ''oppidum'' (fortified settlement) of Alesia in modern France, a major centre of the Mandubii tribe. It was fought by ...
.
Background
In 52 BC, during the
Gallic Wars
The Gallic Wars were waged between 58 and 50 BC by the Roman general Julius Caesar against the peoples of Gaul (present-day France, Belgium, Germany and Switzerland). Gallic, Germanic, and British tribes fought to defend their homela ...
, the Roman army of
Julius Caesar
Gaius Julius Caesar (; ; 12 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC), was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in a civil war, and ...
besieged the
Gaul
Gaul ( la, Gallia) was a region of Western Europe first described by the Romans. It was inhabited by Celtic and Aquitani tribes, encompassing present-day France, Belgium, Luxembourg, most of Switzerland, parts of Northern Italy (only during ...
s' leader
Vercingetorix
Vercingetorix (; Greek: Οὐερκιγγετόριξ; – 46 BC) was a Gallic king and chieftain of the Arverni tribe who united the Gauls in a failed revolt against Roman forces during the last phase of Julius Caesar's Gallic Wars. Despite h ...
in the ''oppidum'' (fortified settlement) of Alesia. However, the Romans themselves were besieged by a large force of Gauls,. The Romans, building a defensive wall to protect them, defeated the relief force and forced the surrender of Vercingetorix.
Description
''Caesar'' is a two-player wargame, in which one player controls the Romans besieging Alesia, the other player controls the Gauls trying to simultaneoulsy break out of Alesia, and attack the Romans from without.
Components
*28" x 33" mounted
hex grid
A hex map, hex board, or hex grid is a game board design commonly used in wargames of all scales. The map is subdivided into a hexagonal tiling, small regular hexagons of identical size.
Advantages and disadvantages
The primary advantage of a h ...
map
*408 die-cut counters
* rule book
Gameplay
The basic concept of the game is the double
siege
A siege is a military blockade of a city, or fortress, with the intent of conquering by attrition warfare, attrition, or a well-prepared assault. This derives from la, sedere, lit=to sit. Siege warfare is a form of constant, low-intensity con ...
, with Roman lines facing both inwards around Alesia, and outwards against Gallic relieving forces. The exact lines of the fortifications are preprinted on the game board; the Roman player starts by placing all the Roman counters, which may go anywhere outside Alesia, although there are advantages to placing them along the fortification lines. The Gallic player then places some counters inside Alesia, along with the counter representing Vercingetorix, and keeps the remainder offboard.
The game lasts a maximum of 24 turns, divided into two "Assault Periods" of 12 turns each, representing the two days of the battle. During each turn, the Gallic player moves on-board units, then the off-board units (showing the other player the locations but not the numbers of the units off-board), then resolves combat with adjacent Roman units. The Roman player then moves their units and resolves the resulting combat.
Victory conditions
The Gallic player wins if Vercingetorix escapes from Alesia and is moved off the board. However, if during the escape the Roman player is able to place a Roman unit adjacent to Vercingetorix, the Roman player wins.
Publication history
In 1970, Dr. Robert Bradley designed and self-published ''Alesia'', a game about the Battle of Alesia.
The game was quite large, with over 1000 counters and a map more than 4 ft (1.3 m) long.
Richard Berg
Richard Harvey Berg (1943 – July 26, 2019) was a prolific American wargame designer. He was inducted into the Charles Roberts Awards Hall of Fame in 1987.
Early life, army, student and lawyer
Richard Berg was born in New York City. ...
called its rules "less than polished."
Bradley revised the game and released a second version in 1971 with a slightly smaller map. In 1973, Charles Pasco announced that he had purchased the rights to the game and would publish it under the name Thesis Games, but he was never able to bring the game to market, and eventually sold the rights to Avalon Hill.
Donald Greenwood revised the rules, reduced the number of counters to 400, and reduced the size of the map even further. The result, ''Caesar: Epic Battle of Alesia'', was released in 1977 with cover art by Al Eckman.
Reception
In his 1977 book ''
The Comprehensive Guide to Board Wargaming
''The Comprehensive Guide to Board Wargaming'' is a 1977 book by Nicholas Palmer about the hobby of board wargaming.
Contents
''The Comprehensive Guide to Board Wargaming'' is a 223-page book about the hobby of wargaming for non-gamers and game ...
'',
Nicholas Palmer called the original amateur edition by Robert Bradley "much admired." He warned that despite the Gauls' huge advantage in numbers, "inspired leadership give the Romans a fair chance despite a 6–1 numerical inferiority." He concluded that the game was "moderately complex, with a rich variety of units."
In his 1980 sequel, ''
The Best of Board Wargaming
''The Best of Board Wargaming'' is a 1980 book edited by Nicholas Palmer and published by Hippocrene Books.
Contents
''The Best of Board Wargaming'' is a sequel to the author's ''The Comprehensive Guide to Board Wargaming'' (1977).
Reception
...
'', Palmer added "One of the most original games ever designed, with a strong flavour of the tactical situation facing Julius Caesar." He concluded by giving the game an excellent "excitement" grade of 90%, saying, "Even if the Gauls lose two to three hundred combat factors they may still win!"
In the 1980 book ''
The Complete Book of Wargames
''The Complete Book of Wargames'' by Jon Freeman and the editors of Consumer Guide was published in 1980 by Simon & Schuster under the Fireside imprint.
Contents
This book comes in both a 285-page hardcover edition and a paperback version. In ...
'', Jon Freeman called it "one of the few legends in wargaming" for its relatively simple rules that still result in a tense and suspenseful game.
In Issue 29 of ''
Moves'' (October–November 1976),
Richard Berg
Richard Harvey Berg (1943 – July 26, 2019) was a prolific American wargame designer. He was inducted into the Charles Roberts Awards Hall of Fame in 1987.
Early life, army, student and lawyer
Richard Berg was born in New York City. ...
thought the quality of the components was average, but said they stood "second fiddle to the game itself, which is terrific." Berg liked that Roman troops cannot defend everywhere at once, and noted that because of that, "the game soon becomes a fierce struggle of sudden attacks and well-thought-out strategies." Although he noted some rule problems, he thought generally that "the rules are fairly clear, and the moderate complexity belies the problems confronting each player." He concluded with a strong recommendation, calling ''Caesar'' "an unusually exciting game, and one that can be played by 3 or 4 as easily as 2."
Other reviews and commentary
* ''Boardgamer'' Vol.2 No. 3
* ''Campaign'' No. 76
* ''
Fire & Movement
''Fire & Movement: The Forum of Conflict Simulation'' was a magazine devoted to wargames, both traditional board wargames and computer wargames. It was founded by Rodger MacGowan in 1975, and began publication the following year.
In February 1982 ...
'' No. 22
* ''Line of Departure'' No. 42
* ''
Moves'' No. 48, p13-17
[http://strategyandtacticspress.com/library-files/Moves%20Issue48.pdf]
* ''
Paper Wars
''Paper Wars'' is a quarterly wargaming magazine. The publisher is Compass Games.
History and profile
The magazine began life as ''Wargame Collector's Journal'' in September/October, 1991 and acquired its current title beginning with issue number ...
'' No. 49
* ''
The Wargamer'' Vol. 1 No. 2
* ''Panzerfaust and Campaign'' No. 76
References
External links
*
Caesar at Alesia
{{Avalon Hill
Avalon Hill games
Board games introduced in 1976
Board wargames set in Ancient history
Don Greenwood games
Wargames introduced in 1976