Caesar, subtitled "Epic Battle of Alesia", is a board wargame self-published as "Alesia" by Robert Bradley in 1970, and then republished by Avalon Hill in 1976. The game simulates the ancient Battle of Alesia.
Caesar, subtitled "Epic Battle of Alesia", is a board wargame self-published as "Alesia" by Robert Bradley in 1970, and then republished by Avalon Hill in 1976. The game simulates the ancient Battle of Alesia.
In 52 BC, during the Gallic Wars, the Roman army of Julius Caesar besieged the Gauls' leader Vercingetorix 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. [1]
Caesar is a two-player wargame, in which one player controls the Romans besieging Alesia, the other player controls the Gauls trying to simultaneously break out of Alesia, and attack the Romans from without.
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.
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.
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.
In 1970, Dr. Robert Bradley designed and self-published Alesia, a game about the Battle of Alesia. [2] The game was quite large, with over 1000 counters and a map more than 4 ft (1.3 m) long. Richard Berg called its rules "less than polished." [2] 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. [2] 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. [2]
In his 1977 book The Comprehensive Guide to Board Wargaming , 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." [3] In his 1980 sequel, The Best of Board Wargaming , 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!" [4]
In the 1980 book The Complete Book of Wargames , 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. [5]
In Issue 29 of Moves (October–November 1976), Richard Berg 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." [2]
Vercingetorix 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. After surrendering to Caesar and spending almost six years in prison, he was executed in Rome.
The Gallic Wars were waged between 58 and 50 BC by the Roman general Julius Caesar against the peoples of Gaul. Gallic, Germanic, and British tribes fought to defend their homelands against an aggressive Roman campaign. The Wars culminated in the decisive Battle of Alesia in 52 BC, in which a complete Roman victory resulted in the expansion of the Roman Republic over the whole of Gaul. Though the Gallic military was as strong as the Romans, the Gallic tribes' internal divisions eased victory for Caesar. Gallic chieftain Vercingetorix's attempt to unite the Gauls under a single banner came too late. Caesar portrayed the invasion as being a preemptive and defensive action, but historians agree that he fought the Wars primarily to boost his political career and to pay off his debts. Still, Gaul was of significant military importance to the Romans. Native tribes in the region, both Gallic and Germanic, had attacked Rome several times. Conquering Gaul allowed Rome to secure the natural border of the river Rhine.
The Arverni were a Gallic people dwelling in the modern Auvergne region during the Iron Age and the Roman period. They were one of the most powerful tribes of ancient Gaul, contesting primacy over the region with the neighbouring Aedui.
The Battle of Alesia or Siege of Alesia was the climactic military engagement of the Gallic Wars, fought around the Gallic oppidum of Alesia in modern France, a major centre of the Mandubii tribe. It was fought by the Roman army of Julius Caesar against a confederation of Gallic tribes united under the leadership of Vercingetorix of the Arverni. It was the last major engagement between Gauls and Romans, and is considered one of Caesar's greatest military achievements and a classic example of siege warfare and investment; the Roman army built dual lines of fortifications – an inner wall to keep the besieged Gauls in, and an outer wall to keep the Gallic relief force out. The Battle of Alesia marked the end of Gallic independence in the modern day territory of France and Belgium.
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