first game, with a little help from my friends

[Treefrog]

Just finished my first game. Intro level, standard start. Carthage was up 11 points or so on the last turn but New Carthage fell to Rome, taking Spain with it. Hannibal with 24 factors had 1/2 of the Roman army (19 factors + 4 militia) beseiged in Pisa. Computer announced everybody was exhausted and we should negotiate a peace, which I interpret as a draw.

Although I intentionally did not read any of the strategy suggestions by other players, I did read the rules (which after 52 years of wargaming I find is typically a big help). As the game progressed I started to read the forum comments from other players and all the AARs in this section. With 5 turns left I discovered the designer's comments on combat, which was a big help. This was time well spent, not so much for the actual conduct of operations but rather for the thought provoking scope, texture and richness of their analysises. Thank you friends.

For the noobs I offer a list of my misunderstandings and suggestions in hopes that they may help as others have helped me:

1. Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself (what 60s free spirit recognizes that one?). Save frequently and give yourself the option of seeing what happens in various situations without destroying your chances in continued play. Learn what choices work and what choices fail.

2. Master the tutorials and consult the "help" frequently. The first game is all about learning, not about conquering the world. I assure you, Scipio Africanus is waiting to kick your ass at the Hard level. This is a solitaire game; you are playing against yourself, not unlike Luke trying to light saber the practice sphere in Star Wars #1. Think Yoda here. Take a game to develop your grasp of some unfamilar concepts.

Among the events you may wish to consider are:

3. Don't lose the Companion cavalry. They are both awesome and almost impossible to replace in Hannibal's army.

4. In city battles, use Spaniards and the Companion Cavalry with some Gauls for soul/2 die rolls, an African/Italian in case you need to take 2 hits, and a cannon fodder guy to take the single hit.

5. Avoid letting your generals get mopped up by Roman raiders; they are hard to replace and you don't want to give the Roman an extra card draw. You need generals in Carthage every time you want to move the reinforcements forward to Spain or Italy, so plan ahead for this. Your generals can always, always get home to Carthage, even if you have no boats, it just takes an extra turn.

6. The game is not linear and doesn't favor turtles. The game is dynamic and favors the bold. You have no real line of supply, the Romans always have the central position, and you'll eventually lose your fleet and find yourself in Italy on your own. As the boxers say, "stick and move" wearing down the Romans by recruiting in their areas, keeping strong while depriving them.

8. The Romans will stop confronting Hannibal directly, instead attacking every army and every city where Hannibal is not present. You can't stop it. While they do this, move to a fresh area and reduce their cities (storm the minors and beseige the majors), as many as you can simultaneously, while Hannibals provides intervention cover for all operations. Milk the recruitment areas and move on to greener pastures. You'll need one or two extra generals travelling with Hannibal to do this; this is a better use of a general than leaving him alone and exposed where a Roman raider can get him.

9. You must always have a general in an area to recruit; don't forget to leave one, but in a safe position. Check the area and then detailed information to see if the area has any recruits left. You'll feel silly leaving a general in an area that has no recruits left.

10. You can only go where the Senate tells you, which means you need to think a few years ahead at all times in order to link up reinforcements with Hannibal.

11. If the Senate says reinforce Italy, consider sending those troops to land and beseige/attack a major/minor city and leaving Hannibal as the cover; you can combine the forces next year.

12. Your ships exit port into a sea area for free and, after sailing two areas, apparently may enter port from the last sea area for free, so 2 movement areas can get a fleet from the port of Carthage to the port of Pisa in one turn, fighting all the way.

13. Avoid selecting elephants and Gauls for routing, getting them back may be problematic.