Commands & Colors: Medieval

The Commands & Colors games are relatively simple, two-player wargames. As you'd expect, the players have units (wooden blocks) to manoeuvre on the battlefield (the board, laid with tiles to show terrain). However, at the heart of the game are the players' hands of cards. These provide the players with tactical options while also constraining them – you may have an attacking opportunity on the left flank, but without the right cards, it's wasted.

This may sound artificial, but it is a brilliant way of simulating the way commands go astray, commanders make mistakes and units head in the wrong direction (think Charge of the Light Brigade). Instead of being all-powerful beings with a God-like oversight of the battlefield, players are reduced to mere mortals, fumbling to get the right forces in the right place at the right time.

This game covers the early Medieval period, focusing on the Byzantine Empire and its fight against (mainly) the Sassanids of Persia. There are also some scenarios for the late Roman Empire, fighting off Attila and the Huns. The game provides military units, the rules to make the game work and scenarios for 19 different battles from AD 451 to 586. I have the second printing in stock, along with the first expansions, Crusades.

Publisher GMT also has a useful system for solitaire play, the CDG Solo system.

For 2 players, aged 14+, playing time 1 hour/battle: £70.00 (£58.33 tax-free outside the UK).
 

In stock

 
Commands & Colors: Medieval was designed by Richard Borg and is published by GMT Games.

Find out more:
    Commands & Colors: Medieval at BoardGameGeek

Other "Commands & Colors" games available from Games from Pevans are:Commands & Colors: Ancients (Ancient Rome), Commands & Colors: Samurai Battles (15th-17th century Japan), Commands & Colors: Napoleonics (Napoleonic Wars), Memoir '44 (World War Two) and Battle of Hoth (Star Wars).

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Crusades (expansion 1)

This expansion moves the action forward over 500 years to the European Crusaders in the Holy Land (the scenarios go from 1097 to 1187). In the foreword, Designer Richard Borg notes that the Crusader battles have "marked similarities with many Byzantine battles" – like the scenarios in the base game.

Despite this there are not just new units in this scenario, but new types – reflecting the fully-armoured knights of the Middle Ages. And there are quite a few tweaks to the rules to reflect the different circumstances. Such as cavalry being able to move through (friendly!) infantry, infantry being better able to fight off cavalry, the impetuousness of the Crusader knights and so on.

All of this makes for battles (there are 20 scenarios) with a distinctly different flavour.

For 2 players, aged 12+, playing time 1-2  hours: £67.00 (£55.83 tax-free outside the UK)
 

In stock

 
Commands & Colors: Medieval – Expansion 1 Crusades was designed by Richard Borg and is published by GMT Games.

Find out more:
    Commands & Colors: Medieval – Expansion 1 Crusades at BoardGameGeek

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CDG Solo System #2

The solo system for card-driven games was originally designed by 'Stuka Joe'. Ken Kuhn has developed this further and produced specific implementations for half a dozen of GMT's games. In particular the second pack includes Commands & Colors: Medieval (and Commands & Colors: Napoleonics). It allows a single person to play both sides in a scenario without having full knowledge of each side's options until it's that side's turn. It's a really clever way of ensuring a solitaire player can't second-guess themself.

For 1 player, aged 12+, playing time depends on base game: £18.00 (£15.00 tax-free outside the UK)
 

Out of stock

 
CDG Solo System was designed by Stuka Joe and Ken Kuhn and is published by GMT Games.

Find out more:
    CDG Solo System at BoardGameGeek

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