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These rules are designed to be "...fast-playing and above all else fun," using
period-driven systems based on the Hack rules system. The focus is on warfare between historical
adversaries in the era prior to 500 B.C. ("...when the Old Testament was
committed to writing."). Game can be played in Tactical or Strategic scale.
Armies are purchased using a point system, weighing morale, formation, armor, weapons, and leaders. Army lists were originally planned for a supplement (The Book of Lists), but plans for that book have been cancelled. Terrain is generated using a random system. If using the optional rules, armies are deployed using one of several historical set-up templates ("The Horn of Dagon," "Lamentation of Moab," and so forth).  Combat rules cover charging, feint charges, pass-through charges, evade moves, pursuit moves, ambushes, morale and rout. A target priority system governs which units can shoot at which targets. Optional rules allow for champions to challenge one another.  Included is a sample scenario - Qadesh 1300 B.C., with Hittites ambushing the Egyptian army of Rameses II.  | ||||||||||||||||||
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| Period | prior to 500 B.C. | ||||||||||||||||||
| Scale |
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| Basing |
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| Contents | 32-page rulebook, 1 double-size player aid card
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| Designer | Philip J. Viverito | ||||||||||||||||||
| Publisher | First edition published 1996 by Black Falcon Publications | ||||||||||||||||||
| Dave Allen ([email protected]) |
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| While I have not played these rules, I have read them, and I wish I had not
spent $18.50 on them. They don't seem to offer much new to Ancients
wargamming. DBA is probably more playable, and Archon (Piquet) is more
detailed. Neither is the rules booklet very well written, and it contains
very little to no information.
The inclusion of Qadesh as the only scenario in the rules book is a curious choice for rules called Holy Hack: Hacking by the Book. While Qadesh fits the time period ("...when the Old Testament was committed to writing" - although even that broad qualification is suspect), the only relevance Qadesh has to the Bible is that Ramses II (who lead the Egyptians against the Hittites) is generally accepted as the Pharoah of the Exodus. I would have prefered scenarios for battles that are actually described in the Bible - for example, Joshua's attack on Ai, or his coming to the rescue of the beseiged city of Gibeon. I purchased these rules hoping they would teach me more about battles described in the Old Testament. They do not. I get the feeling that the authors chose the title more for the pun than because it is an accurate description of the rules. |
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| Last Updates | |
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| 14 May 1999 | comments by Dave Allen |
| 5 April 1998 | page first published |
| Comments or corrections? | |