Caesar (game)
Encyclopedia
Caesar is a board wargame
depicting the ancient Battle of Alesia
in which Julius Caesar
and his legions defeated the Gaul
s under Vercingetorix
. Originally published as Alesia in 1971
, it was redesigned and reissued by Avalon Hill
in 1976
. 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.
The basic concept of the game is the double siege
, 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.
There are up to 24 turns in the game, 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 his units, and resolves the resulting combat.
The object of the game is for Vercingetorix to escape from Alesia and move off the game board, in which case the Gallic player wins. If a Roman unit ever moves next to him, he is considered to have been captured, and the Romans win.
Since the Romans have too few units to cover all of the double line of fortifications, and do not know exactly the numbers of the off-board units, there is considerable guesswork in trying to anticipate where the breakout might occur. At the same time, the Romans can move rapidly along the fortifications and concentrate their forces, so the Gauls must commit strongly when they decide to make their move.
The original game design was Robert L. Bradley's first effort, and quite unwieldy, with a game board over four feet across, 1,000 counters, and poorly-defined victory conditions. The 1971 release, characterized as a "semi-professional version" with limited sales, was a redesign that shrank the board and reduced the number of counters. After Avalon Hill acquired the game, Donald Greenwood undertook additional development, reducing the size of the board still further, and simplifying the mechanics of off-board movement.
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 hobby around this type of game got its start in 1954 with the publication of Tactics, and saw its greatest popularity in the...
depicting the ancient Battle of Alesia
Battle of Alesia
The Battle of Alesia or Siege of Alesia took place in September, 52 BC around the Gallic oppidum of Alesia, a major town centre and hill fort of the Mandubii tribe...
in which Julius Caesar
Julius Caesar
Gaius Julius Caesar was a Roman general and statesman and a distinguished writer of Latin prose. He played a critical role in the gradual transformation of the Roman Republic into the Roman Empire....
and his legions defeated the Gaul
Gaul
Gaul was a region of Western Europe during the Iron Age and Roman era, encompassing present day France, Luxembourg and Belgium, most of Switzerland, the western part of Northern Italy, as well as the parts of the Netherlands and Germany on the left bank of the Rhine. The Gauls were the speakers of...
s under Vercingetorix
Vercingetorix
Vercingetorix was the chieftain of the Arverni tribe, who united the Gauls in an ultimately unsuccessful revolt against Roman forces during the last phase of Julius Caesar's Gallic Wars....
. Originally published as Alesia in 1971
1971 in games
This page lists board and card games, wargames, and miniatures games published in 1971. For video and console games, see 1971 in video gaming....
, it was redesigned and reissued by Avalon Hill
Avalon Hill
Avalon Hill was a game company that specialized in wargames and strategic board games. Its logo contained its initials "AH", and it was often referred to by this abbreviation. It also published the occasional miniature wargaming rules, role-playing game, and had a popular line of sports simulations...
in 1976
1976 in games
This page lists board and card games, wargames, miniatures games, and table-top role-playing games published in 1976. For video and console games, see 1976 in video gaming.-Significant games-related events of 1976:...
. 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.
The basic concept of the game is the double siege
Siege
A siege is a military blockade of a city or fortress with the intent of conquering by attrition or assault. The term derives from sedere, Latin for "to sit". Generally speaking, siege warfare is a form of constant, low intensity conflict characterized by one party holding a strong, static...
, 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.
There are up to 24 turns in the game, 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 his units, and resolves the resulting combat.
The object of the game is for Vercingetorix to escape from Alesia and move off the game board, in which case the Gallic player wins. If a Roman unit ever moves next to him, he is considered to have been captured, and the Romans win.
Since the Romans have too few units to cover all of the double line of fortifications, and do not know exactly the numbers of the off-board units, there is considerable guesswork in trying to anticipate where the breakout might occur. At the same time, the Romans can move rapidly along the fortifications and concentrate their forces, so the Gauls must commit strongly when they decide to make their move.
The original game design was Robert L. Bradley's first effort, and quite unwieldy, with a game board over four feet across, 1,000 counters, and poorly-defined victory conditions. The 1971 release, characterized as a "semi-professional version" with limited sales, was a redesign that shrank the board and reduced the number of counters. After Avalon Hill acquired the game, Donald Greenwood undertook additional development, reducing the size of the board still further, and simplifying the mechanics of off-board movement.