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The Fate of All
Strategikon Book I: Alexander's Campaign Against the Persian Empire, The First Diadochi War, and Other Deeds
by
Thin Red Line Games
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Megas Alexandros, the son of Philip II and Olympias, both of which have had numerous books written about them, was born in July 356 B.C. Philip II was a hard man and king who had two desires. The first was to be considered Greek by the Greeks; most thought of the Macedonians as barbarians. The second, to invade the Persian Empire supposedly in retaliation for the two Persian invasions of Greece. Olympias was another matter entirely. To Alexander she was a doting mother who considered her son to be divinely born, or at least half divine. To others, she was Mommie Dearest on steroids. Anything or especially anyone who got in Alexander or his offspring's way was considered fair game for horrific retribution. The story of Alexander's invasion of Persia and his marching all the way from India and back is the stuff of legends and is well known. However, the stories of his generals are not as well known. Napoleon was well served by most of his Marshals. In reality they could not hold a candle to Alexander's generals, especially the Diadochi (Successors).
I am breaking a rule that I have followed since I started wring for AWNT a good number of years ago. This rule was to never compare one game to another, the main reason being is that much like children, all games are different, and they are the offspring of each designer's thoughts. There are two games that I would never part with. These are the Art of Siege and The Conquerors, or just Conquerors. Both were released by SPI in the late 1970s. Between the two, The Conquerors is in the number one spot of this grognard's heart. I have three copies of the SPI version, two just for extra maps and counters. Both I got for a steal, and even another version by Excalibre Games released in 2011. As grognards we all have our most favorite games, and we also have extra copies in case of something untoward happening (much like how Foghorn Leghorn has his numbered feathers for emergencies). However, my heart skipped a beat when I opened the first map I came across and looked at the area of Lydia. I was absolutely enthralled. I was not really expecting to be. This game after all is about Alexander's invasion of the Persian Empire (The Conquerors also has a campaign about the Roman war with Antiochus the Great). Whilst I have read all of the books that have been written about Alexander and his great enterprise, I was never really a fan of Alexander's. Some things he did have really touched a chord with me such as smashing Cassander's head into the wall repeatedly when he laughed at the obeisance that the Persin nobles showed Alexander (Cassander being no favorite of mine). The Diadochi and their wars and battles have always meant much more to me than the great Alexander. I saw that one of the scenarios was about the first Diadochi War. Then I saw a counter that really grabbed my wargamer's heart. It was a counter for Antigonus, who according to Plutarch "was the oldest and greatest of Alexander's successors". To finally find a boardgame with a scenario about one of my heroes pretty much put me in awe of the game. It was from that moment that I began to realize that I had found a successor, no pun intended, to SPIs The Conquerors.
Thin Red Line Games are known for their massive simulations about the Third World War happening in 1985. It seems the minute they go into print they go out of stock and the games then hit astronomical resale numbers? on those markets. I had read about those games, but never have I seen one up close to see for myself what all the other grognards were swooning over. Having seen the contents of this box I can now say that they have absolutely wonderful production quality. If they World War III games are like this no wonder, there has been such hubbub over them. This is a list of their WWIII games:
In a Dark Wood
1985: Under an Iron Sky
Less Than 60 Miles
1985: Deadly Northern Lights
The Dogs of War
1985: Sacred Oil
Die Festung Hamburg
This is what comes with this game:
4x 90×60 cm matte plasticized map, covering Greece, Anatolia and the Middle East
1x Battle Map
5x 5/8″ matte plasticized counter sheets
20x Fate Cards
Rules Booklet
Scenarios & Designers’ Notes Booklet
Strategikon Booklet, containing examples and suggestions for the Commanders
2x Charts & Tables booklets
4x Player Aid Charts
2x 10-sided dice
10x zipbags
Game Highlights
30 km per hex, one month per turn
Units representing various formations, from Phalanx to Chariots
Order of battle and commanders based on primary sources and the most recent historical research
Realistic supply problems with realistic and possibly violent solutions
Cavalry Reconnaissance, Foraging and Raiding
Reaction Movement, not so easy retreats and catastrophic routs
Attrition and Army Morale, your first problems in the morning
Naval Warfare
Satrapies, Taxation and Bribes
Revolts, Treachery and worse
Five Different Scenarios with different complexity
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| A picture of all you get with your purchase |
This is what Thin Red Line Games has to say about their magnum opus:
"Loosely inspired on SPI’s “The Conquerors”, The Fate of All is an operational / tactical simulation covering the first four years of the campaign led by Alexander the Great against the Achaemenid Empire ruled by Darius III.
The final goal is to give a realistic representation of ancient warfare, without strange salads of godly interventions, auguries and Homeric duels. In the end, players will find that the problems faced were similar to those encountered during the Napoleonic era or the American Civil War.
The four maps cover Greece, part of the Balkans, Anatolia, Egypt and the Middle East up to Babylon. The scale is 30 km per hex with monthly turns.
The maps are designed using the latest archaeological studies and findings, but despite centuries of research several things are still only vaguely known: Some examples are the extension and path of the Persian Royal Roads, the location of several important cities and the exact route of Alexander’s Army. In these cases, the “most accepted theory” rule has been used.
Counters are 5/8″, each one representing a formation, from a Macedonian Phalanx Taxis (approx. 1500 soldiers) to a Cavalry Ile (200 – 300 mounted soldiers). Commanders and naval forces are also represented and will be key elements for the final victory.
Rules are centered on the problems of army organization, supply and morale: Commanders are essentials, armies must be organized in a balanced way, or they will move slowly, cavalry must be used for foraging, raid and reconnaissance, morale must be kept under control using sound military achievements or donations.
Political aspects are also a key element: Actions like Plundering and Sacking will have a negative impact on the local support by the ruling class and population, and both sides will have to use money or threats to gain it back. Last but not least, treason, revolts and dubious allies will be a problem too."
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| The map pieces put together |
I will just say at the beginning that the booklets and pieces of the game are really a sight to behold. There is a gaggle of player aids that come in the box. Here is a rundown on them.
The Rulebook is in full color and is 23 pages long. The front and back cover have the famous mosaic of Alexander attacking Darius III in the latter's chariot. The different sections are headed by titles made to look like ancient Greek writing. This is a nice added touch to the game. Next up is the Scenarios and Designer Notes Booklet. It is 19 pages long and both of the above are designed in thick magazine style. The print is large enough where you do not need a magnifying glass and the rules etc. are written out so that you are not jumping back and forth to learn them. The Strategikon is an eight-page booklet of examples of all of the types of play. It is wonderfully illustrated for the player to follow along easily to learn the ropes. The charts and tables booklets, you get one for each player, are done the same way as all of the rest of the booklets mentioned. They are six-pages long and give the player everything he needs at his fingertips. There is a map made of card stock of the entire area of the map. It comes with the Forage Value of each of the different Satrapies. Then there are two card stock sheets for each side's Force Boxes. Each side has four armies and four fleet boxes with the Persian side getting an extra box for troops in Persepolis. This means that the map is not cluttered with large stacks of individual units. Last is a card stock sheet with the Calendar, Satrapies Alignment, and the Movement Points track. The counters of troops and markers are on five sheets and are a nice size of 5/8". The troop counters are little works of art and even show portraits of the different leaders on both sides. There are four wonderful maps from roughly Babylon to the entire Greek Peninsula. There is also a large fold out map for the tactical battles that comes with extra-large hexes. Both the counters and maps are in matte and come 'plasticized'. I know these help with waterproofing; however, it will be a cold day in hell before I let liquid of any kind near any of my games. Of course, this is a personal preference and is a very nice touch that has been added to the game. It will also help the life span of the maps. The game has a deck of 20 Fate Cards that are in line from an artistic point of view as the rest of the game. These give a historical feel to the game and also give it a bit of a wild card approach to play. So, there you have the long list of what you get. I cannot stress too much the excellent design and manufacturing of the game parts. You really have to see and feel them for yourself.
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| Phoenicia and Cyprus |
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| Macedonia |
Just as with any other game, the gameplay is the real thing. As they say, you can put lipstick on a pig, but it is still a barnyard animal. So, how does the game play? I was a bit hesitant about how the game was designed and plays. After all, this was a game that was meant to replace one of my favorite games for 45+ years. I am here to tell you that it not only matches, or surpasses, The Conquerors in gameplay, especially the tactical part, but blows it out of the water in the art department. It almost makes me a little sad. It makes me think of the games like Philip II and Alexander. One was excellent for its time and the other is just superb. This 'game' is much more a military and political simulation of the time period. The designer stresses the fact that supply is one of the major factors in the game, just as it should be. The game puts you in these ancient leaders' shoes. You do not feel that you could put Panzers on the map and the game would play out the same. Supply and strategic thinking are the name of the game in this simulation. You actually get to see if you can emulate Alexander, or you can stop him with Memnon's take on what strategy the Persians should have used. As Alexander, you have one of the greatest fighting forces of all time. However, they can easily be swallowed up by the vastness of the greatest of ancient empires up until that time. As the Persian player, you have vast amounts of troops at your disposal, but they are not a homogenous force whatsoever. Most of them are of a lesser caliber than Alexander's troops. The ones that are able to stand up to the Macedonians' foot soldiers are few and far between. The Perian Empire was based upon some of the greatest horseman that had been seen in the ancient world up to that point. The Persian player has excellent cavalry and also a good number of them. You need to use them both tactically and strategically to win against a deck that is definitely stacked against you. As mentioned, the rules are set up for the player to easily learn how to play and find a rule or situation that may come up in the game.
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| Two different event cards form the deck. Oops, there goes Cleitus the black. The latter might show his marriage to Roxana. |
The Fate of All has been able to make me decide to put an old friend on the shelf probably never to be played again. This is both a sad moment for me but also a revelation and a wonderful feeling of great gaming to come. The fact that the designer was also a fan and used The Conquerors as a steppingstone mitigates my sadness. I am a self-professed ancient's nut when it comes to military history. The fact that this game has a scenario about the first Diadochi War is just the best icing I have ever tasted on the cake.
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| The Battle of the Granicus setup. |
"The Shattered Bonds
The first Diadochi war, 320 BCE
In 321 BCE, most of the internal rebellions caused by the untimely death of Alexander and the subsequent splitting of his empire have been quelled, and the Diadochi are finally ready to put every energy toward their common goal: Killing each other.
As Perdiccas moves to settle the score with Ptolemy, a coalition formed by Antipater, Craterus and Antigonus prepares to invade Anatolia, hoping to undermine Perdiccas’ dominant position and to bring support to Ptolemy before it’s too late.
The defence of Anatolia is entrusted to Eumenes, a previous secretary of Alexander raised to the rank of general thanks to his capabilities. Perdiccas also assigns Neoptolemos, an able officer but with a reputation for troublemaking, to act under the command of Eumenes.
As Antipater and his allies move into Anatolia by land and sea, Perdiccas’ faction is hit by a string of defections: Neoptolemos, the fleet admiral Cleitus the White, the Lydia Satrap Menandros, and the Karia Satrap Asandros all side with the enemy.
It’s only the beginning of a bloody war that will claim the life of most of its protagonists."
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| Read the introduction carefully. |
Thank you, Thin Red Line Games, for allowing me to review this excellent addition to your stable of games. I have read so much and seen how well your Third World War games play and look. I was really wondering how you would do with a game from this era. I need not have worried. Great gameplay and wonderful artwork are what grognards' dreams are made of. In this game you have succeeded in making dreams come true. I hope the readers take a look at those Third World War games when they click the link below to this masterpiece. Luckily, Thin Red Line Games does do reprints on occasion.
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