"Commands and Colors Scenario X" Topic

Does anybody out there play the Scenario X variant for C&C: Ancients? If so how do you like it, (especially compared to other ancient rulesets like DBA)?

Yep, have played it and enjoyed it, both in online tournaments and in figure games. I'm not really a DBA fan (don't like opposed die rolls very much), but I do like the 'pick an army, play with it and get to know its quirks' aspect of DBA, which you also get with Scenario X. There have been some discussions in the online forum that armies loaded with 3-hex-range missile troops are too powerful, so for tournament play people stick to armies that have 3 or fewer of those units in them.

Cheers,
Aaron

What is this? Never heard of it.

Coopman,

Check here for lists and how to use.

link

John

Thanks John. The online resources for this game are amazing!

I must say I've seen the material online but never tried it. Really should give it a go.

Simon

I like the game. It is nice if you like the period but do not have the time to collect and paint the minitures.

In theory Scen. X should also allow for simple and quick campaigns (a la DBA), but I've not yet heard of anyone who's got enough interested people together to actually organise one. Would make a good online project with VASSAL, in fact…

Would make a good online project with VASSAL, in fact…

Could be combined with Prof Sabin's Empire game. So when are you going to organize this campaign Aaron?!

I've not got the Vassal thing working, but I'd give it a go if there was a campaign…

Simon

Well, I think combining C&C with the Empire framework could work very well. A five-power game might be the way to go though – Carthage, Rome, Macedon, Seleucia, and Ptolemaic Egypt, perhaps? One turn equals 5 years & powers can conduct 1-2 offensive operations per turn, depending on the quality of their leaders. Battles against neutrals are resolved by dice roll; battles between major powers are fought out using Scenario X rules.

Could have a random event table and/or special leader abilities/disabilities to spice things up. Game stops after X number of turns, Powers get victory points for territories controlled and battles won; individual players could get points depending on battlefield performance.

Alternatively, it could be played purely for the fun of it with no such tallies kept.

Now, we just need ten players :)

Is there a Vassal module for C&C? If so, is it fairly user friendly?

Yes there is. I've not tried it myself but a lot of people paly using it.

Cheers, Simon

"Could be combined with Prof Sabin's Empire game. So when are you going to organize this campaign Aaron?!"

Honest, I wasn't trying to create work for anybody!

Seems to me that Scenario X is a straight mapping of DBA lists into C&C:A unit types. Unfortunately, there are some significant misses along the way. I am only interested in the 2nd punic war armies so I will not comment on other lists.

Gripe number one is that there are no slingers listed for the Later Carthaginians or the Iberians in scenario X. Seems to me that the Balearics were a fairly important troop type. They do show up in many of the C&C:A scenarios that come with the base game.

Another puzzler is that in some C&C:A scenarios it seems that the Romans have HI(triarii), MI(principes), Aux(hastati) and LI(velites). But in the scenario X lists the principes and hastati get mushed together as MI. I'm guessing this is because in DBA they are both simply "blades".

So in conclusion, it was a good idea that lacked a little on execution. I think the issue is that C&C:A has greater unit fidelity than DBA. Converting straight across from DBA to C&C:A loses some of the detail that C&C:A has to offer.

I am working on some different C&C army lists for the 2nd Punic War. I'll post if I come up with something I like.

-Glenn

Hi Glenn,

You make some valid criticisms, but remember that the C&C:A scenarios are not entirely scientific! C&C:A plays a bit fast and loose with troop types, numbers and so on in the interests of providing challenging and varied scenarios, so the system is very much 'game first' and this has to be taken into account when trying to come up with 'historical' army lists. Therefore, seeing unit A present in scenarios X and Y does not necessarily justify its presence in the Scenario X lists.

Your point about the porting is spot on, and I'm sure that if you come up with alternative and well-researched lists, Don Clarke, the author, will happily take your research into account and alter the lists accordingly, as Scenario X is still a work in progress, and is constantly being refined and revised!

Cheers,
Aaron

Hi Glenn,

You make some valid criticisms, but remember that the C&C:A scenarios are not entirely scientific! C&C:A plays a bit fast and loose with troop types, numbers and so on in the interests of providing challenging and varied scenarios, so the system is very much 'game first' and this has to be taken into account when trying to come up with 'historical' army lists. Therefore, seeing unit A present in scenarios X and Y does not necessarily justify its presence in the Scenario X lists.

Your point about the porting is spot on, and I'm sure that if you come up with alternative and well-researched lists, Don Clarke, the man behind it, will happily take your findings into account and alter the lists accordingly, as Scenario X is still a work in progress, and is constantly being refined and revised!

Cheers,
Aaron